Grace Elisea, owner of the Cabo Cannabis company in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, left the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, immersing herself and falling in love with the colors, culture, and foods of Mexico.

 

A home infusion chef in the states, Grace began incorporating what she knew from into the dishes and flavors of her new home country. But she’s also remained true to her beginnings, selling brownies on the beach to tourists in Puerto Vallarta, where she first landed (see her profile Women of Weed World this issue).

Cannabis infused brownies have a deep history in the cannabis caregiving community, with Mary Jane Rathbun, known as Brownie Mary, delivering medicated brownies to AIDS patients as a volunteer at the San Francisco General Hospital during the 1970s and 80s, spawning the compassionate care programs began in California’s medical cannabis program.

Cabo San Lucas is one of Mexico’s top five tourist destinations, known for its beach life and for its food. With the Mexican Chocolate Clam at the top of the list, followed by fish and shrimp tacos, smoked Marlin, and its Guemes tamales – made from chicken or pork, stuffed with olives, raisins, and olive oil, making them unique to the region. Its Fadados tamales are made with chicken and is considered a traditional food of Cabo.

In Grace’s kitchen it’s not unusual for visiting chef’s to prepare traditional meals, infused with the plant. During my visit the housekeeper prepared banana leaves for use in wrapping tamales, made with a seasoned brisket that was first smoked and grilled on the family’s rooftop over looking the bay, then simmered overnight into tender submission.

Grace herself can be found on a daily, infusing CBD treats for her shop, or baking her infamous brownies. But, her baked Circus Animal Doughnuts create happiness inside and out.

“These colorful doughnuts are a tribute to my youth in the US,” she shared. “They were inspired by a favorite treat, Circus Animal Cookies, with their pastel frosting and sprinkles. These doughnuts have become a favorite of the people I cook for in Cabo, and they always put a smile on my face.”

Doughnuts began in the 1700s, when Dutch settlers’ brought “olykoek (oil cake), to the new world of New York or New Amsterdam. They were developed by Captain anson Gregory in an attempt to fill the bellies of hungry sailors with a lump of dough. Call it the equivalency of Marie Antoinette’s cry of “let them eat cake,” which was a dense lump of dough to feed the peasants, not the frosted celebratory sweet we know today.

As a footnote, In America, its tradition for doughnut shops to give free doughnuts and coffee to on-duty police officers.

Curious to note, it was also the Dutch that brought us the word drugs, named after “drogs” the wooden crates that carried plant material on wooden ships for Apothecary, or the making of remedies with plants. Drugs have everything to do with plants.

 

 

Circus Animal Doughnuts

Preheat oven 350°F (176.667°C)

 

Doughnut Batter

1-¾ double sifted flour for lighter doughnuts

¼ ground cookies

2 t. Salt

¾ c. buttermilk

¾ c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 T. melted butter

2 t. vanilla extract

 

Add ¼ iced animal cookies to a food processor. (option: blender)

Grind until you make cookie dust.

Grease doughnut pans with non-stick spray

Add butter and decarbed concentrate to a small saucepan, heat gently and whisk until combined. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, ground cookies, baking powder and salt.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine buttermilk, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.

Beat until well mixed.

Add dry ingredients and ONLY mix to until combined. Do not over stir.

Fill a piping bag (option: zip lock) with the batter.

Fill each cavity ⅔ full, so they don’t overflow.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let cool for five full minutes before turning out onto wire racks.

 

Icing

2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. Vanilla

2 T. milk

Gel food coloring

 

Whisk powdered sugar and vanilla together in a medium sized bowl.

Add food color gel and then milk a few drops at a time, until thick.

Dip cooled doughnuts face down and return to drying rack to set.

 

Notes

Regarding using concentrates: For general purposes, Grace has created the following chart to help dose with milligrams per each gram of concentrate.

Use denoted amount, per one gram:

Hash: 500 mg.

Rosin: 650 mg.

Shatter/Badder/Sauce: 750-850 mg.

Distillate 800-900 THC

 

If in doubt, measure low for microdosing. Remember, you can go up in dosing, you can’t go backwards. Start low, go slow!

For more recipes, visit www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Written and Published By Sharon Letts in Weed World Magazine Issue 163