SENOR FRED PUTS A FRESH ACCENT ON MEXICAN CREATIONS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

There's a lot to like at the Senor Fred restaurant in Sherman Oaks - luscious strawberry margaritas, fresh guacamole with chips, a barbecued glazed chicken salad, shrimp with peppers in a garlic butter sauce, drunken fruit, Kahlua chocolate mousse cake and Mexican hot chocolate among them. All are wonderful possibilities for fall dining.

Now you can re-create some of them at home with our delicious facsimiles.

Senior Fred was opened six months ago by partners and co-owners Andre Guerrero, executive chef, and Michael Lamb, who also own Max a few blocks away. With its black, gold and red Spanish-influenced decor, Senior Fred was named after Guerrero's oldest son.

Guerrero's mission was to update and lighten traditionally heavy south- of-the-border fare, avoid lard and keep the flavorful menu seasonal. If the eclectic neighborhood and 20-something crowds you'll often find dining and imbibing there are any indication, he seems to be succeeding.

Many of the cooks, who hail from various areas of Mexico (Colima, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Yucatan) have had input into the food, says Guerrero, adding that resident chef Juan-Carlos Leon has been tweaking existing dishes and adding new ones.

To streamline kitchen tests in a few of our copycat recipes, we asked Guerrero to share some key ingredient clues and techniques. Although the base of the restaurant's strawberry margaritas is a homemade simple sugar syrup zipped up with fresh lemon, lime and orange juices along with sugared strawberries, we opted instead to use a margarita mix doctored up with orange juice along with frozen unsweetened strawberries and a little sugar - with excellent results.

The delicious guacamole is pure avocado (no fillers) zipped up with finely chopped onion, lime juice and chopped cilantro. It doesn't get much simpler - and tasters thought our version was a winner. Add a dash of finely diced jalapeno, if desired, for extra pizazz.

Main-dish salads along the lines of the chicken version you'll find on the menu are a cinch to prepare at home if you rely on a few convenience foods - like triple-washed lettuce mixes, canned corn and black beans, and bottled store-bought ranch dressing, jazzed up with cilantro and a little lime juice if desired.

For another quick, colorful entree in a jiffy, whip up shrimp in garlic butter sauce with white wine, a splash of lemon juice, and red, yellow and green bell pepper strips. Serve as the restaurant does with hot cooked rice with some green peas folded in and assorted strips of fresh vegetables such as zucchini, carrot, green beans and other squash.

In the dessert realm, a fruit concoction and two chocolate selections are favorites. To make drunken fruit, steep berries and papaya, mango and pineapple chunks in a tequila-orange juice mixture. Serve over a trio of assorted sorbets. A hot chocolate drink thickened with masa harina de maiz is a signature creation of pastry chef Jan Purdy.

The piece de resistance among the dessert choices is a Kahlua chocolate mousse cake - and what a fabulous sweet it is. While our replica version has several steps and takes a little time and patience to reproduce, it's not really difficult.

Purdy uses home-baked chocolate shortbread cookies to line the springform pan, but we took a shortcut, using chocolate wafer cookie crumbs instead. Once baked, top the crumbs with chocolate ganache (quickly made in a microwave), an easy, from-scratch chocolate cake, Kahlua chocolate mousse and more ganache. Plan to make and assemble the cake several hours in advance of serving to allow plenty of set-up time in the fridge.

Keep these recipes handy to experience some terrific restaurant eating at home in the days and months ahead.

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

CAKE:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup cold water

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

GANACHE:

3/4 pound (12 ounces) bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

MOUSSE:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

5 large OR 4 extra-large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon INSTANT espresso powder

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened

1/4 cup Kahlua OR coffee-flavored liqueur 

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

For Cake, in a bowl, mix together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make 3 holes (one large, one medium, one small) in mixture. Add oil to large hole, vinegar to medium hole and vanilla to small hole. Pour cold water over all. Stir well with fork or whisk to blend. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in an ungreased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 to 20 minutes in pan, then remove to rack or plate to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make Crust. Mix together cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom only (NOT up sides) of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, prepare Ganache. Melt chocolate with cream and milk in a glass bowl in microwave oven on high power 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth and blended when whisked with a wire whisk or fork. Cool to room temperature. When cake is cool, spread 1/2 of ganache mixture evenly over crumb crust in springform pan. Then immediately and carefully top with cool cake, pressing it lightly into ganache (so it will adhere and stick to ganache as it cools). Refrigerate until cold.

To make Mousse, melt chocolate. Cool slightly. By hand, beat in egg yolks and espresso powder until smooth. Then beat in butter and Kahlua. Set aside until cool.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold a few spoonfuls of beaten whites into cool chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites and whipped cream until no white remains. Spread mousse evenly over top of cold cake. Chill in refrigerator. When cold, spread with remaining Ganache, at room temperature. Chill until set, at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Serve slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired. Makes 1 cake, 10 to 12 servings.

GUACAMOLE

3 medium or 4 small Haas avocados, cut in half and pitted

Juice of 2 limes 

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro plus a few sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes

Cut avocados into 1/2-inch pieces and remove from skins into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Stir in lime juice, 2 tablespoons onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped cilantro until blended, leaving avocado chunky. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining 1 tablespoon onion, chopped tomatoes and a few sprigs cilantro or refrigerate until serving time. Accompany with tortilla chips. Makes about 1 1/2 cups guacamole.

STRAWBERRY MARGARITA

1/2 cup margarita mix

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 1/2 ounces tequila

1/2 cup frozen whole unsweetened strawberries, partially thawed (in microwave oven 30 to 45 seconds)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups ice cubes

In a heavy-duty blender that will crush ice cubes, combine all ingredients. Process until slushy and blended but very small pieces of ice remain. Turn into a tall glass with a salt-lined rim, if desired (rub edge with lime or lemon juice, then dip in salt until it adheres). Garnish with a strawberry. Makes 1 serving.

CHICKEN SALAD

1 (5-ounce) bag triple-washed baby lettuce mix

3/4 cup canned OR frozen cooked corn

3/4 cup rinsed and well-drained canned black beans

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped red OR white onion

1/3 cup chopped jicama 

1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing (add 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, if desired)

2 to 3 grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (sprinkle chicken breasts with spicy seasoning of your choice before grilling OR baste with a spicy glaze or barbecue sauce during cooking), chilled

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

Tortilla strips for garnish

Cilantro sprigs for garnish

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, corn, beans, tomatoes, onion and jicama. Mix well. Add dressing and toss until well mixed. Turn out onto 2 or 3 dinner plates, dividing evenly.

Cut chicken into slices and stand up attractively around salad. Garnish top of salads with avocado slices, tortilla strips and cilantro sprigs. Makes 2 or 3 main-dish servings.

SHRIMP IN GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Butter

1 EACH red, green and yellow bell pepper, seeded, and cut into julienne strips

1 large tomato, diced

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1 (16-ounce) package frozen uncooked shrimp, with tails on, thawed

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Freshly grated pepper

In a large wok or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat until hot. Add peppers, tomatoes and garlic and stir-fry over high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon butter to wok and melt over high heat. Add shrimp and stir-fry over high heat, until they turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to another plate. Add white wine to pan and cook over high heat until reduced by 1/2 to 2/3. Add 4 tablespoons butter and lemon juice and stir over high heat a minute or two, until butter is melted and blended and sauce is slightly thickened. Return vegetables and shrimp to skillet. Heat through a minute or two, until hot. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve with hot steamed rice with a few peas mixed in and strips of fresh cooked vegetables (zucchini, carrots, green beans, chayote squash, etc.). Makes 3 to 4 servings.

DRUNKEN FRUIT

1 cup fresh whole strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 cup mango pieces

1 cup papaya pieces

1/4 cup tequila

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

6 scoops of each of 3 different sorbet flavors (choose from strawberry, raspberry, mango, lemon, peach, coconut, orange, etc.)

Mix fruits with tequila, orange juice and sugar. Marinate in refrigerator 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, skewer 4 different fruit pieces on each of 6 short skewers. Chop remaining fruits. Place small scoops of 3 different sorbets in each of 6 dessert dishes or bowls. Sprinkle top of each with some of chopped fruits. Pour over some of tequila marinade. Garnish each dessert with a fruit skewer. Makes 6 servings.

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE, SENOR FRED STYLE

2 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup whipping cream

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons masa harina de maiz (Quaker brand - used for making tortillas and tamales; do not use corn meal)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Heat milk and cream to boiling, then whisk in chocolate and remaining ingredients. Stir or whisk constantly over low heat until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn into blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed and reheat each serving in a microwave oven 2 to 3 minutes until hot. To serve, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: The restaurant serves the hot chocolate accompanied with assorted cookies.

Recipe shared by Jan Purdy, Senor Fred pastry chef.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) Stylish Mexican fare

Re-create Senor Fred selections at home

(3 -- color) Chocolate Mousse Cake

(4 -- color) DRUKEN FRUIT

(5 -- color) Andre Guererro, co-owner of Senor Fred, is often in the kitchen whipping up Mexican inspirations.

(6 -- color) SHRIMP IN GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

(7) no caption (MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE, SENOR FRED STYLE)

Photos by Gus Ruelas/Los Angeles Daily News