Fruit Quesadillas

It seems like winter ended not that long ago, but local peaches have already made their appearance. El Galope, a nearby little village, is known for its small, early peaches and we look forward to buying them from baskets on the roadside.

I started out to make a peach galette, but thought of quesadillas instead. They are easy enough. And what about the ripe mangoes and the odd apple in the fridge? Lunch was taking shape. Guajillo chiles added a subtle zip, along with pepitas – squash seeds – for some crunch. The chile skin proves too much like cellophane to chew on, so the chiles were soaked in boiling water, and then the flesh was scraped off from the inside of the skin.

Quesadillas have been common in Mexico ever since the Spanish arrival, which brought cows and the making of cheese. The very first letters of “quesadilla” signify the addition of cheese, though I hear that quesadillas in Mexico City do not necessarily contain cheese. But how do they hold together?

Swiss and goat were the only cheeses in my fridge, and as this cook’s mantra is to make do with what I have, they were just right. Oaxaca cheese, or string cheese, is the traditional cheese used in Mexico for quesadillas, but any cheese would be good here. Cheddar, Oaxaca, manchego, mozzarella. Use what you have.

I prefer whole wheat flour tortillas to corn tortillas, though flour tortillas are more commonly used for quesadillas in northern Mexico. If you use corn tortillas, they need to be lightly oiled first on the outer side to prevent them from drying out. Whole wheat tortillas contain vegetable oil, which makes them resemble the flakiness and crispness of pie crust when toasted on the griddle. Probably white flour tortillas would be the same, but white flour anything offers no flavor when compared to whole wheat flour.

The quesadillas were assembled on the griddle. Fruit slices, cheese, a smear of scraped chile and a few pepitas sprinkled over everything. Try to get cheese on every piece of fruit to stick it in place when the toasted quesadilla is picked up.

Guajillo chiles are a common chile in Mexico, and should be found in any Mexican grocery store, or they can be ordered online. They are very mild, and described as having a “green tea or stemmy flavor with berry tones, a little piney and tannic, with a sweet heat” by Mark Miller in The Great Chile Book. They may also be labeled chile guaco, chile mirasole, or, where I live in Jalisco, chile liso. A very good, all-round chile to have in your cocina for many Mexican dishes.

Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, turning when there are nice brown spots and the tortilla is starting to crisp.

Two peach quesadillas, two mango quesadillas, and one apple quesadilla were offered for lunch.

Fruit Quesadillas 2 servings

• 4 whole wheat tortillas (or white flour or corn tortillas)
• 2 cups sliced or grated cheese
• 2 chile guajillos, stem end opened and seeds shaken out
• 2 cups sliced fruit
• 4 tablespoons pepitas

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, turn off heat and add chiles to soak for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat griddle or skillet over medium low heat.
3. Cut chiles in half lengthwise, and scrape off flesh, using one half chile per quesadilla.
4. Distribute cheese over open tortilla.
5. Place fruit and pepitas on one side of tortilla and fold over in half.
6. Toast on griddle for 3-5 minutes per side, until toasty brown spots appear.
7. Cut each quesadilla in half and serve warm.

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