It is partnered with sweet pan-fried plantains; sturdy, faintly smoky black beans; and a sprinkling of salty, crumbly Venezuelan cheese.
The pan-seared chicken ($15) needed salt, and there needed to be more than six of the tiny, sweet pan-seared scallops ($18).
The dinner entrees hammer home the point: a marvelous tangle of black-garlic spaghettini with lump crab and chorizo, with charred scallions, say; or a sweet pan-seared chicken breast served with a thigh-meat roulade spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, clove and turmeric, with a green garlic purée beneath it, and roasted Romanesco on the side.
It was dark by now, and María Elena Gallegos rose to bring dessert: a plate of sweet rolls, pan dulce, made by a Mexican bakery nearby.
"Must be getting pretty sweet in your pan anyhow," Zehr said.
The lobster, though, was fit for a queen — a pretty red tail shell filled with large chunks coated in cashew sauce, saffron, and jaggery, rich and sweet like a pan roast.
A $4 taxi ride took us to the nearby town of Tonatico, where we strolled through the market and sampled the sweet, flat bread, pan de nata, that is baked specially for the religious festival.
On a chilly November night in the pine mountains of Michoacán, a sweet slice of pan de muertos and a steaming cup of atole -- a corn masa drink flavored with cinnamon, vanilla or many types of fruit -- do wonders to warm the souls of the living as they huddle all night in the cemetery sharing favorite traditional foods and fond memories with the spirits of their ancestors.
Entrees include pan-roasted sea scallops with crab cakes and sweet corn chowder; pan-roasted Maine lobster, served with crispy grits cake and sweet corn succotash; and honey-miso lacquered Chatham cod with pickled shallots, bamboo shoots and flageolet.
Favorites include the sweet and spicy pan-roasted cod with chorizo, chickpeas, pimentos and golden raisins ($28).
Next, melt the boiled sweets in a pan, one colour at a time – extremely slowly, over a very low heat – until they are a gooey liquid.
