Helene Siegel

If you're new to cooking Mexican food, you're in luck — this Cheat Sheet offers tips for cooking festive and delicious Mexican dishes and a look at different types of chiles to give just the right flavor to your South-of-the-Border meals. In addition, handy charts help you convert cooking temperatures and measurements.

If you love to cook (and eat) Mexican food, these terrific tips will help you make the most of preparing delicious, festive Mexican dishes and beverages: Garnish freely. That doesn't mean a sprig or two of wilted parsley strewn across a plate. In the Mexican kitchen, the garnishes — fresh diced onion, sliced radish, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, diced chiles — are integral to the dish.

Most Mexican restaurants offer flan, a classic caramel-flavored, sweet and silky vanilla custard. The perfect make-in-advance dessert, flan is a soothing custard finale to spicy foods, and, as an added bonus, it keeps for a few days in the refrigerator without losing freshness or flavor. Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are an integral part of everyday eating in Mexico. Fruits — beautifully sliced and seasoned — are sold on the Mexican street as snacks. And vegetables, besides being used in Mexican sauces, stews, and garnishes, are also eaten as snacks throughout the day. Here are some Mexican-food fruit and vegetable essentials: Avocado: Pebbly-skinned greenish brown Hass have a rich, nutty flesh that strikes the perfect balance with fiery Mexican foods.

Banana-Stuffed Mexican Toast with Coconut Syrup appeals to morning sweet lovers. This Mexican-style French toast features a stuffing of mashed bananas, a cinnamon-scented egg wash, and a topping of homemade coconut syrup. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Yield: 2 servings 1 (4-1/2-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 pieces crusty white bread, about 1-inch thick 1 large or 2 small ripe bananas 2 eggs 2/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon butter Combine the coconut milk, coconut, and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan.

Guava cheese puffs, delicious fruit- and cheese-filled tarts, really show the Mexican kitchen’s knack for combining sweet and salty. You can find guava paste in the jam and jelly section or the ethnic section of the supermarket. Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 2 1/2 hours chilling Cooking time: 50 minutes Yield: 8 servings 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup grated añejo cheese 2 pieces puff pastry, 1/2 pound each 1 egg 3/4 cup guava paste 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or 3/4 cup other fruit jam or puree 1 tablespoon heavy cream Combine the cream cheese and añejo cheese in a bowl, mixing well with a spoon.

Handmade corn tortillas have a pebbly texture and a definitive, earthy corn flavor. You can make corn tortillas yourself with the help of a tortilla press. Impress your friends with your Mexican-cooking, corn-tortilla-making expertise: Combine 2 cups masa harina and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a spoon to incorporate the salt into the masa.

In Mexico, tortillas are often made by hand before almost every meal. The taste of a good homemade flour tortilla adds an extra dimension to any Mexican dish. Make your own flour tortillas for the next Mexican feast you prepare: Place 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) shortening, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl.

Colorful liquados are sold all over Mexico at juice stands where you can get an instant, made-to-order fruit milkshake. This strawberry banana liquados recipe gives you that juice-stand experience in your own kitchen. (If you’re not a milk drinker, water works just fine.) Preparation time: 10 minutes Yield: 3 servings 1 banana 10 large strawberries 1 1/2 cups milk 2 cups ice cubes 3 tablespoons honey Peel and chop the banana.