The Mexican Party Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch

Hi, this is my life.

I love cooking.

They smell amazing.

My dad's a chef.

Ironman Daddy!

But I think I'm already better than him.

My name's Matilda Ramsay,

but people usually call me Tilly.

Meet my embarrassing family.

Mum - she wears the trousers and is the only one Dad's afraid of.

I'm not kissing you when you're like that.

Big sister, Megan.

She's all grown up now and crazy to get on with life.

Jack - he's so good at sport,

he's going to be playing for Britain soon.

This is Holly,

she is determined to be the greatest

fashion designer of her generation.

Dad - even though he's hard on the outside,

he's soft and mushy on the inside.

And he's quite a good cook too.

Excuse me, how about very?

Matilda. Matilda!

When you're the youngest, you have to fight to get noticed.

So that's why I love to cook up a storm.

This is my world.

-He jumped!

-Ah!

He is happy.

This summer, my dad's working in America, so we've all come too.

We're staying in Los Angeles...

Yes!

..and it's the best fun ever.

LA is the entertainment capital of the world...

Thanks for coming.

..and we've thrown ourselves into its

cool, fun and laid-back lifestyle.

Beautiful.

And to top it all off, I'm making some really exciting food.

You're beating me now, Tilly. Really, really good.

And I've been putting some of it on my food blog

for everyone back home to see.

Today, you'll see my best ever tacos, my spiked corn

and my chocolaty churros.

Our Mexican feast isn't the only exciting thing happening.

Dad is always teasing me, Jack, Holly and Megan.

So we've decided to throw a Mexican party

with a fun twist to get him back.

Yes!

Everyone in my family loves Mexican food.

Dad, Jack and Holly love it spicy.

Meg and I are a bit like, whoa.

-I think Mum just doesn't mind anything.

-What was that?

To throw a fantastic Mexican party you need three things -

great food, great music and great games.

All for me, I'm the chef!

But the big question is, what's most important?

Today it's payback time for Dad,

as he's been a nonstop joker since we arrived in LA.

Boo!

She tripped up.

To decide what to do, we're having a Ramsay kids team meeting.

Well, what would be a good idea?

Mexican party, first thing that comes to mind - pinata.

So we could get a small pinata that says...

-Big.

-No, I think we should get one of him.

-A pinata of Dad, yes.

-Well, we're going to go.

-Bye, guys, get something good.

They're heading off on their payback mission,

so it's time for me to start my Mexican feast.

Tacos have to be the perfect party food.

They come with their own edible plate.

And my chicken tacos are the best ever.

First, sprinkle the chicken with herbs and spices.

Enough to coat the chicken.

Add salt and pepper, then give it a mix.

You want the seasoning over every bit of chicken.

Don't forget to wash your hands before and after touching raw meat.

That's super important.

Now fry the chicken.

Whilst that's going, I'm going to start with my guacamole.

Guacamole is a Mexican sauce made from avocados,

and it's super easy to make.

I put three out, just in case one was very ripe.

Or, as the Americans say, funky.

Funky means old and passed it - just like Dad.

Scoop the insides into a bowl.

I've never done it,

but I've heard you can grow an avocado tree from this.

Oops.

Don't forget to keep checking on your chicken.

I wonder if this one will be funky. Funky avocados.

No, this one's definitely not f-f-funky. Funky.

Funky avocados.

There we go.

When the chicken's cooked, put it to one side

and finish the guacamole.

You just mash it up with a big fork.

Then add onion and coriander.

OK, it's starting to look a lot like guacamole.

Add salt and pepper and lime juice.

It turns it zingy

and it also stops the avocado from turning brown.

That's really delicious and really fresh.

I know Jack's going to love this.

While I'm cooking, my brother

and sisters are getting a very special pinata made.

California borders Mexico,

so there's a big Mexican influence here in LA.

-There's so much stuff in this store.

-They have everything.

Including...

..shrimp.

Pinatas are containers filled with treats.

They're normally made out of cardboard or papier-mache

and come in all different shapes and sizes.

But the best thing about pinatas

is that the only way to get the treats

is to whack it till they fall out.

It's a great party game.

Do you do custom pinatas?

Oh, yeah, we do, like, anything here.

We've made, like, submarines.

Would it be possible,

if my sister showed you a picture, you could do one of our dad?

-Yeah, of course.

-Like that.

So is your dad OK with you guys beating him down with a stick?

-He doesn't know yet, so we'll wait and see his reaction.

-OK.

I can't wait to see the Dad pinata.

But, for now, back to la casa Ramsay.

This is the best bit - assembling the tacos.

First you'll need to warm them, then add guacamole.

I can't resist another taste. Mmm.

Add salsa. Mummy loves this.

I think she likes it because it's so healthy and fresh.

Now my yummy chicken.

They're starting to look amazing.

The final thing is the cheese.

And these definitely are one of the best Mexican meals you can have.

I've definitely got to take a picture of this for my blog.

My tacos are looking brilliant

and ready to be rolled up at my Mexican party.

Across town, our special pinata,

made to look like Dad, is taking shape.

First, we like to start off with cardboard, just to give it,

like, the actual form of what we're doing.

And then we like to cover up the holes with newspaper.

It smells like hairspray.

I don't think you want to use that for your hair.

So this tissue paper's going to act like the skin colour.

I think we should have him holding something

because he's never empty-handed, don't you think?

While the pinata is made, my brother and sisters

are getting loads of sweets to stash inside.

Oh, no! Looks like practical joker Jack has a nasty plan.

Back at the house, I'm cooking up my next dish.

Sweetcorn is one of my favourite vegetables,

and adding lime juice and melted butter makes it taste even sweeter.

This is my spiked sweetcorn.

First, cook corn on the cob.

I'm going to use my tongs to get it into the boiling water.

I'm like a little crab.

Now cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, which gives me time

to prepare the other ingredients.

I call these spiked sweetcorn

because you just add loads of flavours.

First, get some coriander.

The plan is to roll the sweetcorn through all the flavours.

Next, I'll prepare the butter.

I've got a technique so I can put everything on the same board,

so it goes ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Next, it's zest of a lime.

You just want the green, you don't want the white bits

cos they're super bitter.

Then cheese.

When it's cooked, the corn will be hot.

Wait until it's cool enough to touch, then it's rolling time.

Butter, cheese, coriander and zest.

Looks like a proper building site for your food.

And repeat.

-PHONE RINGING

-That's the others.

-Hi, Tilly.

-Hey, Tilly.

-Hey.

-How's it going?

You'll be really happy with this pinata we've got.

-Do you want to see it?

-Oh, yes, please.

Oh, my gosh.

Whoa, that's awesome, guys.

I can't wait to bash Dad.

-Tilly!

-No, fake Dad.

Back to my spiked sweetcorn.

One last thing, the juice of a lime.

It's classic Mexican food and it looks so delicious.

I'm sure everyone's going to love these.

But I wonder what Dad will make of his pinata.

The gang are making a small hole, so they can get all the sweets in.

This is his worst diet.

-What was that?

-That was a prawn, that's disgusting.

Have you just put a prawn in there?

Oh, Jack.

Jack, that's going to stink out, it's hot.

Sit down, you're banned.

Last one, now it is completely full.

Yes!

Jack's such a joker.

They do smell a bit. Sorry, Dad.

While he creates a stink,

I'm going to make something to sweeten things up.

This is a super quick

and easy version of one of Jack's favourite street food snacks.

I think they're pretty delicious too.

Churros are a bit like doughnuts - deep-fried and not too healthy.

These ones are going to be kind of healthier,

just because I'm not deep frying them, I'm baking them.

I'm using puff pastry, bought from the shop.

So this is really easy, much easier than everyone thinks.

Cut the pastry into strips.

I'm using a pizza cutter, but you can use a knife if you want to.

Then pop them on an oven tray lined with grease-proof paper.

This is really simple.

Now just put them in the oven for eight to ten minutes.

Until they're nice and puffy and golden and brown.

Whoa, that's awesome!

It's like Dad just walked in.

It's so good!

And while they're getting the amazing pinata

up and ready to whack, I'll finish the dessert.

My churros are looking perfectly puffy.

I'll let them cool down as I'm getting everything else ready.

I'm using cinnamon and sugar, melted butter and chocolate sauce.

Mmm.

Dip them in butter.

And then into the cinnamon sugar.

I'd better just test it, you know?

That's delicious.

Probably got to test it with the chocolate sauce to make sure

it all goes well together.

Mmm. It's really good.

Wow, looking cool.

I think the whole family are going to love my Mexican churros.

The gang have arrived for my party,

or as they say in Mexico, mi partido or mi fiesta.

Arriba!

Come on, who's ready for tacos?

-It's a soft-shell taco.

-Very nice, Tilly.

Coriander and some lime.

I really like the tacos because it had guacamole in it

and I love guacamole.

I've never thought of corn and cheese but, well done, Till.

-Churros time.

-Whoo!

Jack, no more than two.

-I'm going in for my second churro.

-Jack, you've already had three.

These churros have probably been

my favourite dessert of the holiday so far.

My Mexican feast has gone down a treat.

Megan's going to get Dad.

He's got no idea what's coming.

-Oh, my goodness me. Come on, are you serious?

-It's so cool.

-Does it look like me?

-Yes, it does.

-Seriously?

-I think it's better looking.

-Look at the size of my cheeks.

-What a great idea.

-Till, you ready?

You're going to have the first bash because you made us a lovely lunch.

Now it's time to get Dad back for all that joking around.

Stop, stop. There you go. OK

Good girl.

Good shot.

Way!

Mummy's turn.

-Whoa!

-It's going to blow.

Release the sweets!

Shrimp!

Hey, Dad, shrimp.

All for me, I'm the chef. They're my sweets.

Mine!

Serves him right for teasing us.

I knew we'd get him back.

Us kids showed Dad who's boss today.

But when it comes to cooking, he's pretty good.

So I love to catch up with him at the end of the day.

Whose idea was that for the pinata to be Daddy?

It was everyone.

Great party food though, you know that? What pictures have you got?

-Soft-shell taco...

-Wow.

..with chicken, guacamole, grated cheese.

Come on then, how many tortillas did Jack have?

Actually, he only had one this time.

-He had four churros.

-Serious?

Corn there.

-So I'd roll it in the butter, cheese, coriander, lime zest.

-Wow.

How good does that plate of churros look?

You know, it's like a sort of sneaky, naughty

dessert that everyone can dip in and have fun with.

The Mexican party, the three things that you need to have is music,

great food and great games. I had all three.

But what do you think is most important? I think it's great food.

Great food, I'm with you.

-You know Daddy's bikes that I use for the triathlons?

-Yeah.

I spoke to the owners this morning,

there's a possibility they can make one with three seats.

So, what I was thinking,

when you want to go for a nice little bike ride down Santa Monica with

a potential boyfriend one day,

then I can give you a guide tour on the back.

I love you too, Dad.

-I could sit on the back with a megaphone...

-Bye.

And I'll do the majority of the work.

Tilly!

Goodnight, everyone.

-Night, Meg.

-Night, Tills.

-Night, Holly.

-Night, Tills.

-Night, Jack.

-Night, Tills.

Arriba!

ALL: Tilly!

Please!