Visit Riviera Nayarit and Discover Chiles Alison Kent - Kitchen Daily
go to original November 27, 2014

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Pancakes with Roasted Blueberry Honey Syrup

Where the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains meet the vibrant blue Pacific Ocean, you'll find Riviera Nayarit. Just 10 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta International Airport on the west coast of Mexico, Riviera Nayarit offers world-class surfing, PGA golf courses, snorkeling and fishing, plus cultural and historic highlights, polo tournaments, whale watching, and exceptional restaurants.

Nominated as one of 2014's top travel destinations by Huffington Post and Frommer's, the Riviera Nayarit region stretches along hundreds of kilometres of coastline and serene beaches, and extends along the entire coast of the Pacific state of Nayarit including Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, Banderas Bay and the colonial town of San Blas. Accommodation options along the way run the gamut from quaint B & B's to luxury resorts, with styles and budgets to suit most everyone.

With food featuring so prominently and proudly, it's little wonder there is annual food and wine festival to celebrate the best of the region. Wrapping up its 20th year, Riviera Nayarit's Festival Gourmet International sees more than thirty renowned guest chefs from around the world participate in this annual 10-day celebration. During the event, the public can make reservations to take part in winemaker dinners, cooking demonstrations, tequila tastings, chef's tables, and wine and cheese events.

And there are chiles of all shapes, sizes and varieties to be sampled and savoured. Whether chile (Spanish spelling), chili (common Canadian and U.S. spelling) or chilli (common U.K. spelling) – whichever way you spell it, fresh and dried chiles are an integral element of Mexican cuisine, and are used in everything from breakfast to beverages, and snacks to sweets. The level of heat will vary depending on chile type, seasonality and location grown. Capsaicin – the active component responsible for heat in chiles – is found in the inner membrane and seeds. As an irritant, handle chiles carefully, and for really hot ones, wear gloves while chopping... and keep eyes and nostrils away.

A weekend breakfast or lazy day brunch specialty, Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Pancakes with Roasted Blueberry Honey Syrup is a decadent indulgence as is, or serve with either double-smoked bacon or turkey sausages for a monumental feast guaranteed to sustain you for at least the remainder of the day.

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