At Home Series: Cooking with El Alma’s Chef Alma

No more boring dinners! If you have run through your repertoire of go-to recipes, and can’t stand the thought of looking at that sourdough starter mess again, El Alma is here to help!

Now you can sign up for an absolutely genius El Alma At Home monthly membership program. They have considered a wide range of budgets and perks, so that everyone can join if they’d like. El Alma At Home membership tiers start at $5 and go up to the VIP membership at $75.

At every membership tier, the perks are worth the investment if you love Mexican cuisine and cooking. October 18th is the last day to sign up to join in the October 21st virtual cooking demo, so don’t hesitate. With every membership tier, you get free queso when you dine in, too!

Pro tip: October is Chef Alma’s birthday month, and a little birdie told me the menu would be exquisite. The October cocktail kit will be Day of the Dead themed, too. I can’t wait to see the menu!

Disclosure: El Alma provided me with VIP membership perks for September to share my honest experience with you.

Enjoy El Alma Food and Drinks at Your Own Home

I experienced the September VIP membership and cooked a beautiful, scrumptious meal with a friend, enjoyed some outstanding cocktails, and ended up with plenty of leftovers – the recipes should feed 2-4 people. The cocktail kit we received also made four cocktails.

VIP membership earns you the whole kit and kaboodle, including newsletters, recipes, a cooking kit that includes everything except the kitchenware, and a cocktail kit. Then you get to prepare a gorgeous meal alongside Executive Chef Alma Alcocer herself, albeit virtually. These are some of the more approachable, though not always simple, dishes that Chef Alma grew up with in Mexico City. Cooking together is a special experience for sure.

All five senses kick into gear, as you listen to Chef Alma explain the recipe steps, tell stories from her childhood, and give the history of the dish you’re making. The smell of roasting poblanos and simmering spices mix in with the tart taste of the cocktail you’re sipping on while you cook. Your hands stay busy stirring, blending, peeling, chopping, and more, and your eyes take it all in: the chef in her pristine kitchen, the colors and textures of the food, and all the bits and pieces that are coming together to make a boast-worthy meal.

What We Cooked

The September cooking kit included every ingredient and spice mix for chile relleno de picadillo atop caldillo sauce. All we had to do was prep (highly recommend doing so before the class) and cook along with Chef Alma.

We made our chile rellenos on Mexican Independence Day, September 16th. Naturally, our recipe was an homage to the chef’s background, with the red, white, and green colors of the Mexican flag.

Our dish was chile relleno picadillo, a roasted poblano stuffed with picadillo mix, stuffed and baked atop a bed of caldillo sauce, drizzled with crema, and sprinkled with almonds. We both devoured our portions and had plenty to spare.

I would make this dish again and again! We loved it. I am signing up for the October class, in fact! It was worth every penny.

Two tips on how to best enjoy the meal and cooking demo:

1. Make some time to read over the full recipe and newsletters for the main meal, the cocktail, and the preparation before you turn on the Zoom call for the virtual cooking demo.
2. Do your prep! Had we taken heed earlier and gotten some veggie slicing and dicing done beforehand, we’d have been more able to keep up with Chef Alma in the demo.

Another option, suggested by my food blogger buddy, Discovering ATX, is to watch the live demo, where you can ask Chef Alma questions in real time. Then, watch the cooking class within the following 24 hours while you still have access to the link.

El Alma Cocktail Kits

This month’s curated cocktail was a LALO Blanco Tequila Perfect Margarita. I am a margarita snob of sorts, with my history working in Tex-Mex restaurants and living in Mexico. This is one of the best in town, hands down. No surprise from El Alma, because they have always made killer cocktails.

El Alma has served elegant, delicious interior Mexican cuisine to Austin’s hungry hordes for 12 years now. Their drink program itself is fairly iconic in Austin. Chef Alma, the soul of the stylish restaurant, is a delight. Sharing in her personal recipes is really special.

Here’s the 411 on prices and what’s included in each of the tiers:

I highly recommend signing up for at least one of the membership levels. This is a great way to support a local restaurant we love and want to stay around for a long time. Oh – and if you didn’t know, now you know – they have one of the most beautiful rooftop patios in town!

1025 Barton Springs Rd. – Website

---

@theAustinot wants to know: 

What do you think of cooking with El Alma At Home?