If you're bored of the same ol' Mexican food everywhere you go, Chef Russ Barber says he creates Mexican "soul food."

"Everything in here is made from scratcy," F & D Cantina's top chef told us. "Everything is done painstakingly - from purees down to pretty much everything we do here."

His recommended appetizer is bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with Chihuahua cheese.

"It's just a softer cheese, somewhat like a mozzarella," he said, noticing my perplexed look at the cheese's name. "A little bit fresher, I think."

The thing that really makes the dish, he says, is the jalapeño jelly. The rolled up jalapeños are tossed in it after they're fried.

Chef also demoed his take on Mexican street corn.

"We take it off the cob and we actually put it in a little mason jar for you," he said, layered with crema, Cotija cheese, and Tajin seasoning.

Let's cook!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño stuffed with Chihuahua Cheese tossed with Jalapeño Jelly sauce

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño stuffed with Chihuahua Cheese (Per Order)

Ingredients:


4 Pickled Jalapeño (deseeded)
4 oz. Chihuahua Cheese
4 Bacon Slices

1. Slice each jalapeño open and deseed
2. Stuff with 1 oz cheese
3. Wrap with bacon and use a tooth pick to close and pin
4. When ready to cook fry in a 350 degree fryer.
5. Once cooked, remove toothpick and toss in Jalapeño Jelly sauce.

Jalapeño Jelly Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups Agave Nectar
1 cup Cholula hot sauce or Valentina hot sauce
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Water
4 Jalapeños, Deseeded diced
1 cup Red Pepper, Diced

1. Bring Agave and hot sauce to a quick boil.
2. Quick fry Jalapeños
3. Add salt, red peppers, and Jalapeños to agave/hot sauce.
4. In a small bowl mix cornstarch and water. Once mixed add to the rest of ingredients.
5. Cool until ready to use.

Mexican Street Corn

Ingredients:
2 Corn on the Cob
4 oz Crema
4 oz Cotija Cheese
1 oz. Tajin seasoning
1 Lime wedge

1. Shuck corn and roast corn on the cob on grill or burner until charred
2. Cut corn off the cobb.
3. Heat butter in a sauté pan and cook corn briefly.
4. Once heated up place about 2 oz of corn in mason jar.
5. Layer with 2 oz Cotija cheese, 2 oz crema, .5oz of Tajin seasoning
6. Repeat this process and place lime wedge on rim and serve.

Crema Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together