Dia de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead is celebrated without tears, for tears are said to make the path home slippery for the dead. On these two days, the souls of the departed return to join their family and friends.

The tradition has roots in the Aztec and other indigenous cultures of Mexico, and it falls on two Catholic holy days, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, November 1 and 2. In Mexican culture, ancient beliefs and the customs brought by the Spanish have long blended together. For the Aztecs, death was simply a passage to another existence. Families honor their dead and welcome them back with respect and affection. November 1 is traditionally dedicated to children who have died, and November 2 to adults. Almost everywhere you look, you will find young and old, the living and the remembered, sharing round loaves of sweet bread dusted with sugar.

The whole family helps prepare the graves and the home altar, or ofrenda. Each one is decorated with photos and personal items of the departed and their favorite foods and drinks. Marigolds, called cempasúchil, and candles are placed on the graves and altars to help guide the souls home. Stories about the departed are told, and in some places families keep vigil through the night.

Statues, candy, bread and other gifts known to please the dead fill the markets weeks in advance. The Day of the Dead is one of Mexico's most important holidays, a time when the dead are full of life. Miniature skeletons are dressed up in all kinds of costumes or put on the ends of sticks to dance wildly. Papier-mâché skulls are decked with flowers and bows. Skeletons, devils and skulls are shown playing happily, and the elegant skeleton lady, La Catrina, is everywhere.

In the open-air markets, you will see sugar skulls stacked in huge pyramids. They are gifts and tokens of love, to be eaten and to decorate home altars and graves. Pan de muerto is a sweet bread baked especially for this holiday. Food plays an important part in the celebration, though the dishes vary from region to region. Families take time to prepare the best foods, such as moles, marzipan, tamales and calabaza en tacha, as well as pan de muerto and sugar skulls. You will also find traditional drinks like atole, hot chocolate, mezcal and pulque.

The Day of the Dead is not meant to be scary; it is a joyful celebration. It is a time to remember our loved ones and all the souls of the past. If you are planning a Día de los Muertos celebration, decorate your home with plenty of merry skeletons and laughing skulls. Use only the finest ingredients to honor your loved ones, and write your own name and the names of your family and friends, living or departed, on the sugar skulls. Most of all, enjoy the holiday with both the living and the dead.

Sugar skull cookies

Keep the dough well chilled so you can work with it. Try cutting it with unflavored dental floss, as knives tend to squash the dough.

To make the vanilla dough

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On the lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and refrigerate.

To make the chocolate dough

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together thoroughly and set aside.

Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy but not fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On the lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Form the dough into a log the same length as the vanilla log. If the dough is too sticky, put it in the freezer for a little while to firm up.

To shape the skulls

Reshape both logs, making one side narrower for the chin and jaw and leaving the other side wide for the cranium. Wrap the chocolate dough in waxed paper and refrigerate.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke two holes through the entire length of the vanilla log for the eyes. Use a skewer to poke two holes for the nostrils. Insert a narrow table knife and wiggle it back and forth to make the mouth. Irregular holes give the skull character, so don't worry about perfection. Wrap the vanilla dough in waxed paper. Leave both logs in the refrigerator overnight.

Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Cut the chocolate dough into 1/8-inch slices and place them at least 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cut the vanilla dough into 1/8-inch slices and place one on top of each chocolate slice; you may need to reshape the faces once they are cut.

Bake until pale golden at the edges, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before stacking, or they might stick.

The cookies keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Use royal icing to pipe flowers in the eye sockets or add other decorations, and use decorating gels to write names on them.

Royal icing

This icing is for decorating the skulls.

Beat with an electric mixer until the icing forms peaks, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Keep it in a tightly covered container at room temperature; do not refrigerate. Royal icing sets hard, so you can use it to "glue" marzipan shapes onto the cookies. Use concentrated paste or gel food colorings, not liquid ones, and mix the icing and colors in disposable cups. You will need at least 7 colors.

Marzipan

Break the almond paste into small pieces in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the sugar and work it in with your hands until incorporated and crumbly. Add another 3/4 cup of the sugar and work it in very well, still using your hands. Pour in the corn syrup and work it in until evenly mixed. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on a clean work surface and knead the dough until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. If it is too sticky, knead in more sugar. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. It should have the consistency of modeling clay.

Break off small pieces of marzipan to color, and knead a few drops of food coloring into each until you get the color you want. Dust a work surface and rolling pin with more confectioners' sugar, roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes with small cookie cutters.

Calabaza en tacha

Cut the pumpkin into 2 1/2- to 3-inch pieces, leaving the skin on. Remove the strings and seeds. With a sharp knife, score the flesh in a diamond pattern.

In a large pot, bring the water, orange juice, piloncillo and cinnamon to a boil, stirring until the piloncillo has dissolved.

Lay a single layer of pumpkin pieces in the pot, flesh side down, then a second layer on top, flesh side up. Cover and simmer until the pumpkin is soft, glazed and golden brown, about 1 hour, basting the top layer with syrup now and then.

Let cool and serve with the syrup.

Pan de muerto (bread of the dead)

Heat the butter, milk and water in a saucepan over medium heat until very warm, about 120 to 130°F, but not boiling. Meanwhile, measure out 1 1/2 cups of the flour, setting the rest aside. Combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, aniseed, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the warm milk mixture until well combined. Add the eggs and beat in another 1 cup of flour. Keep adding flour until the dough is soft but not sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down, then shape it into round loaves, setting aside some dough to make "bones" to place on top. Let the loaves rise for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350°F and bake for about 40 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with the glaze.

Glaze

Boil for 2 minutes, then brush onto the bread with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar, or colored sugar, while the glaze is still damp.

Mole

Toast the chilies briefly in a dry skillet until fragrant, then soak them in hot water for 20 minutes and drain.

Melt the lard in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent.

Puree the peanuts in a blender, then add the oregano, aniseed, peppercorns, cinnamon, thyme, clove, cocoa and raisins and blend with the tomatoes to a smooth paste. Add the onion and garlic and puree again. Finally, add the chilies and puree until smooth.

Put the chicken broth in a pot. Mix the masa harina with 1/4 cup of the broth to make a smooth paste and whisk it into the broth. Add the pureed ingredients, cover and simmer for 1 hour, then uncover and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt.

Tamales

Makes: about 20

Soak the corn husks in hot water for at least 30 minutes, until soft.

Simmer the chicken in a little salted water until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain, saving the broth.

Put the jalapeños, onion, tomatillos, parsley and a pinch of salt in a blender with a little water and blend to make a salsa.

Beat the lard until soft and fluffy. Mix the masa harina, baking powder and salt, and beat it into the lard a little at a time, alternating with the warm broth, until you have a soft dough like thick cake batter. A small piece dropped in cold water should float.

Spread a large spoonful of the masa dough on each softened husk, add a spoonful of salsa and a few pieces of chicken. Fold the husk so the dough seals around the filling. Repeat with the rest.

Stand the tamales upright in a steamer basket in a large pot or Dutch oven and steam for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding water as needed, until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk.

Remove the corn husks before eating; they are not edible.