Mmmmmexico

Now that I have you salivating over corn fungus, let's talk edibles.  Yet another overpriced cooking school (everyone scoffed at me when they heard I spent $600 pesos; but I have yet to find a single school that isn't in that same price point) was kind enough to post some nummy recipes for us!  Yay, thanks Culinary Adventures!

Mango Mousse (Mousse de Mango)
6 servings
  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 envelope gelatin*
  • 2 tablespoons hot water*
  • 2 tablespoons cold water*
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1+1/2 cups whipped cream
1. Place the mangoes and powdered sugar in a food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, place the gelatin with the cold and hot water, lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir and then let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mango puree to the gelatin mixture. Let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Beat one cup of the whipping cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the mangoes.
5. As this point you can either spoon the mousse into individual dishes or place the entire amount into a spring-form pan for slicing later.
6. Let the mousse chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours. Top with fresh whipped cream.
*You can omit the gelatin and water, producing a softer consistency-more like a pudding.

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Poblano Chiles stuffed with Scrambled Eggs & Bacon
(Chiles Rellenos con Huevos Revueltos y Tocino)
4 servings
  • 4 large fresh poblano chiles
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1 cup manchego cheese, grated
  • 1 cup tomato puree
1. Roast and clean the poblano chiles.
2. Place the bacon in a large frying pan and cook until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain all the grease, except 1 tablespoon.
3. Sauté the onion in the bacon grease for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and stir in the cream. Add salt to taste.
5. Add the eggs to the frying pan and finish cooking. Stir the bacon in.
6. Stuff each chile with the egg mixture. Place 1/4 cup of grated cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted. (If you do not have a broiler, you can melt the cheese in an oven.)
7. Heat the tomato puree. Spoon 1/4 cup of the puree on each plate and place the chile on top.
Plan Ahead:
1-3 days in advance: Make tomato puree
1 day in advance: Roast poblano chiles

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Chicken Poblano (Pollo a la Poblana)
6 servings
  • 4 poblano chiles
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 white onion, sliced thin
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 boneless chicken breasts
  1. Roast and clean the poblano chiles. Roughly chop and place in a blender.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the onion, garlic, oregano and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the cream, cilantro and salt. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the blender with the poblano chiles and puree until smooth. Set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken breasts and cook until both sides are lightly browned.
6. Pour the poblano sauce on top on the chicken breasts when serving.
Plan Ahead:
1-3 days in advance: Make the poblano sauce.

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Mexican Beef Tips (Puntas a la Mexicana)
4 servings
  • 1 1/4 pounds marinated skirt steak
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • 3 roma tomatoes, cored & sliced lengthwise from the center
  • 3 serrano chiles, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
salt and black pepper to taste

1. Slice the skirt steak, across the grain, into 1" strips.
2. Place the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it starts to sizzle, add the steak and brown on all sides.
3. Add the onion, tomato, and chiles. Cover, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, salt, and pepper.

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Green Rice (Arroz Verde)
4 servings
• 2 poblano chiles
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1. Roast the poblano chiles. (see page ...)
2. Place the chiles into a food processor, adding the cilantro and chicken broth. Puree.
3. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil. Add the rice and onion and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer.
5. Add the poblano chile liquid to the rice, stir, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until done.

Plan Ahead:
1 day in advance: Make chicken broth and roast poblano chiles

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Pork Loin w/ Mango-Chipotle Salsa
(Lomo con Salsa de Mango y Chile Chipotle)
6 servings
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 2 cups mango, chopped (approx. 2-3)
  • 1 chile chipotle, seeded and minced (see page...)
  •  1/4 cup green onions, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh Mexican lime juice
  • 1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the tenderloin and sear until browned on all sides. Transfer to a baking sheet.
3. Place the tenderloin in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until done. (which for pork means 140 degrees.)
4. While the pork tenderloin is in the oven, place all the salsa ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
5. Slice the tenderloin and top with the Mango Salsa.

Fruit-Chipotle Salsa:
Substitute 1 cup chopped pineapple for a cup on the mango.

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Shrimp in Pumpkin Seed Sauce (Camarones en Pipián Verde)
6 servings
  •  1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  • 1 serrano chile
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 lettuce leaves
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  •  1 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan over high heat or under the broiler, stirring frequently so they don't burn. (Avoid browning them excessively, to maintain the sauce's trademark green color.) Seperate 1/4 cup for the garnish. Toast the sesame seeds in the same manner.
3. Place the tomatillos, chile, onion and garlic on a tray under the broiler until soft. About 5 minutes on each side.
4. Place all the ingredients, except for the shrimp, in a blender. Puree until smooth.
5. Pour the sauce into a stock pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. While the pipian is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes or until done. Drain.
7. Mix the shrimp into the pipian.
8. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds.

Plan Ahead:
In advance: toast the pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Pipian also holds well in the refrigerator, so it can be made a few days in advance.
Pipian freezes well, so make a double batch and save the other half for a quick meal when there's no time to cook.

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Chocolate Kahlua Cake (Pastel de Chocolate con Kahlúa)
1 cake, 12-15 slices
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup boiling water
Filling:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 + 1/2 cup Kahlua
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease three-9 inch round cake pans with shortening, line with wax paper and then grease again.
3. Place all of the ingredients, except the boiling water, into a large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
4. Add the boiling water and continue beating for another minute.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
6. While the cake is in the oven, make the Kahlua filling. Boil 2 cups of water over high heat in the bottom part of a double boiler. Place all the ingredients (with only 1/2 cup of Kahlua) in a large bowl over the double boiler. Stir the mixture continuously until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
7. Un-mold the cakes and lay out on 3 separate plates. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of Kahlua on top of all three. Let cool for 2-3 hours. When ready to frost, place the first layer on a serving plate, spread with 1/2 of the Kahlua filling. Top with the second layer and spread with the remaining filling. Top with the third layer and frost with chocolate butter cream frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING (for one cake):
Beat 1/2 cup softened butter (one stick) in a mixer, add 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1/8 cup cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

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Raspberry Chipotle Brownies
(Brownies con Frambuesa y Chile Chipotle)
12 servings
  •  3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced without seeds
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan with shortening, line with wax paper, and then grease again.
3. Boil 2 cups of water over high heat in the bottom part of a double boiler. Place the butter and cocoa in the top part. Stir until well blended. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Place the eggs, salt, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat for 1 minute. Add the chocolate mixture, chipotle chiles, and adobo sauce. Beat for another minute.
Stir in the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Spread the raspberry jam on top and swirl with a knife into the brownie mixture.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until the center is done. Invert the brownies and remove the wax paper. Let cool. Cut into 12 pieces.

A big ball of meh.

Had the parentals over for dinner this weekend, something it seems I don't do often enough. I was working with a few restrictions (no bell peppers, no citrus, no pork since they had it the night before).
I had been on a mad hunt for verjus (or verjuice, but verjus sounds much more sophisticated, non? Plus it's how I heard about it first, so that's the term that sticks in my memory.) since I thought I could take advantage of it's acid type flavors to use in place of citrus juice versus vinegar which is TOO acidic and vinegary for many recipes in my opinion. I finally found some at Andronico's (thanks Chowhounds) but then didn't even end up making chicken paillard, which is what I had planned.
Because I was now stuck rummaging through cupboards and cookbooks for some other interesting variation of "chicken breast," I had to make do. I found a raspberry chicken breast recipe similar to this one, and altered it based on what I had.

The recipe actually called for raspberry vinegar (I had fig), Worcestershire sauce (I had!), red wine (I had, but thought port would go better with the fig), and garlic (I only had powder - who doesn't have garlic?!?!). I marinated it for an hour or so in that mixture which didn't seem to be long enough. Grilled it up (and yes, the marinade does burn) and it turned out okay. I wasn't wild about it, but everyone else said it was good and they ate it, so you know. It's not poison at least. Maybe next time reserving some of the marinade and cooking it down to use as a drizzle on top would make me happier.

The next semi-fail came in the way of Ina's string beans with shallots. The recipe calls for three shallots which seems like a lot to me. I knew I had one shallot at home so I picked up one more. Only to find out once I arrived home, that not only was the garlic gone, but so was my other shallot. Having roommates is such a surprising and action packed way of life sometimes! So now, with only a third of the required shallot, I made do. Guess what, the recipe could've used more shallot. Again, it was still a hit and everyone ate it all, but I was unimpressed. I mean, nothing is Aylene's green beans aside from Aylene's green beans, but I did at least want to TRY to branch out.

Finally - a recipe I have had bookmarked for YEARS. And it's not like I forgot about it. It's in my bookmarks, so every time I start to type "foodnetwork" it pops up as an option. Yippee, I was finally making it!!!! And hey, guess what, I totally didn't like it. It was more cheese than cauliflower and I didn't think the flavor was good at all. Again, everyone else liked it - was I having an off tastebud night or am I just too critical? Don't answer that please. At least now I can let go of the dream. Dad doesn't like cauliflower much, but even he liked this (not too surprising since seriously, there were more bites that were just cheese and no veggie at all). I did tweak it a bit though. . . . me and my fat free half and half. . . .

Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups (1 pint) of ff 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 pound Monterey Jack, coarsely grated (I used Clover Organic)
2 c grated Parmesan (I got mine from the cheese section at Andronico's)
8 oz goat cheese, broken into small pieces
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the cauliflower, heavy cream, and the 3 cheeses in a large bowl and then transfer to a medium casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

We wrapped up with the God awful black bean brownies which were politely tasted, not really enjoyed, and abandoned altogether once I shared how they were made. I'm not sure that my folks will ever come back after this, no matter how much fun they had playing Wii.

Ina does it again

Darn that Ina Garten for tempting me with nomtastic deliciousness yet again. Delightfully French, and maybe even somewhat healthy, a little, somewhere, if I try. But hey, French people are thin, so maybe it's okay.
Right?

Mustard Roasted Fish
4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc
32 ounces fromage blanc
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup good honey
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Vanilla seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean nocoupons

Ripe stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines, plums
Berries such as raspberries and strawberries
Citrus fruit such as oranges, cut in segments
Raspberry Sauce (see below)

Stir the fromage blanc, cream, honey, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble, spoon the fromage blanc mixture into shallow bowls. Place the fruit artfully on top and drizzle the dessert with raspberry sauce. Serve with extra raspberry sauce on the side. I find that some people like it less sweet with just a drizzle of sauce while others prefer more sauce.

Raspberry Sauce
1 half pint fresh raspberries
1/2 c sugar
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 tbsp framboise liqueur

Combine raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, jam, and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until very smooth. Chill.

Iron Chef - Battle Chocolate

In the preparation for Iron Chef Battle Chocolate, my mind was swimming with possibilities, questions, outlandish combinations. . . all in the hopes that something would grab me and scream, "YES! I WILL BE DELICIOUS!"
First I thought beef tenderloin with a dark chocolate/coffee glaze with lots of pepper would work.
Then I saw a duck breast with a cassis sauce that I thought could easily blossom with the addition of some chocolate.
How about chocolate bbq sauce, on pork loin perhaps?
A play on Moroccan flavors with a chocolate cinnamon dry rubbed lamb kebab with either a chocolatey couscous or savory chocolate dipping sauce?

I thought I was clear on dessert - my standard, ass kicking Chocolate Ganache Pie with Raspberry Coulis. Pros - I know it's awesome since I've made it several times. Cons - is it awesome enough for Iron Chef? There is some stiff competition this time around!
Then I remembered back to my Chantico love affair of years past. What could I pair with drinking chocolate, hmmm. . . well something marshmallow graham crackery of course. But WHAT?! What little bite sized morsel can I make to go with the dark, rich, creamy drinking chocolate? What would Chantico be proud to be paired with and not feel justified in punishing me for? (side note - Chantico is my new favorite goddess; I'm stingy with my stuff too, and I thought that was because I'm an only child, but it's probably just my Mexican heritage). I wracked my brain trying to figure out the best way to combine the two things into an easy bite, and I think I decided upon homemade marshmallows (which I have never made) coated in graham cracker crumbs. Dear Chantico, wish me luck.

I find out Quinn might be playing with beef, so I scratch that off the list. That darn serial dater posted a Yelp search for where to buy duck so after I screamed at her I scratched that off too, since that was the one I was leaning toward.
Could my beef or duck kick their beef or duck's asses? Possibly, but who wants duplicate dishes? I want VARIETY! I want NOVELTY! This is chocolate after all. How to decide? I need to shop in two hours! Maybe I'll take a little trip to Antonelli's and see what they have and let that guide me.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Speaking of chocolate raspberry combos – for Mother’s Day/Mom’s birthday (she’s cursed with a birthday near a holiday as well) this year, I did a slightly different take on the ganache cake she begs for.
And this one is easy peasy – forget that flourless cake nonsense. This one may not be as elegant, but it’s certainly yummy.
All you need is the ganache recipe from earlier, a jar of SEEDLESS raspberry jam (oh alright, if you’re okay with seeds you can get the kind with seeds, but ew) and a box of your favorite brownie mix. Or brownies from scratch, but man that takes a lot more work.
Make the brownies to the package directions and get them in the pan. Heat up some of the jam to get it “pourable” – half the jar or so. Pour or spoon it on top of the brownies in lines across the the pan (the short side if you're using a rectangular pan, either way if it's square)
Then take a knife and drag the tip through the jam and brownie mixture the long way/perpendicular to the lines of jam so you're dragging the jam from line of jam through line of jam, swirling the jam along the top. Does that make any sense? I tried to draw diagrams for you, but couldn't get my photos in here and got frustrated and gave up.

Bake according to package directions.
While the brownies are baking, you can make the ganache. Adding raspberry liqueur here is up to you – I don’t typically as I find the jam makes it raspberry enough.

Chocolate and raspberry

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Raspberry Coulis
Once upon a time I had this great idea. I love chocolate and raspberry together; they’re a match made in heaven (and anyone who tries to tell you chocolate and orange are a better combo is clearly working for demonic forces, back away slowly). I was watching some cooking show or other and saw them make ganache. It’s. . . chocolate . . . with heavy cream. I can do that. Watching something else showed me the beauty of the store bought chocolate pie crust (or maybe it was that Better Than Candy Pie – I can’t be sure). Well obviously I should make this ganache, and pour it lovingly into this chocolate crust, and make a raspberry coulis to spread on the plate below this heavenly creation – it’s like Oreo wrapped fudge! With raspberry sauce!
Without a thought to what such a creation might actually mean for my health in the long run, I made it for my father’s birthday one year as he is a chocolate raspberry fan as well.
Unfortunately, this treat became a bit of a hit with certain members of my family (I’m looking at you Mom, and maybe you too Dad – though you don’t demand it of me, so I can’t be as sure as I am with Mom). By this time I had realized that I was serving calories, fat, and clogged arteries in chocolate and raspberry clothing. Alas, it was far too late for us to save ourselves, but perhaps there is another way. . .
Whether or not this is any better for you, I doubt, but at least it’s not just a giant slab of ganache.
I’d wait to start on the coulis and ganache until after the cake is ready. The coulis can be refrigerated if you decide to make it in advance, but the ganache might get too firm to work with if you let it sit too long. Best to deal with it while it’s still a little warm.

Here is a flourless chocolate cake recipe, but I haven’t tried it yet.

COULIS:
1 package of frozen raspberries (and if they’re in season, fresh for garnish)
sugar (or Splenda!) to taste – sometimes I don’t need to add sugar at all

Dump your raspberries into a small sauce pan and heat over medium - low. Stir occasionally to move the frozen areas to the bottom. Once the berries start to liquefy and burble, you can decide if you need to add sugar.
Recipes for raspberry sauce may give you a specific amount to add, but that’s crazy talk. Some berries are sweeter than others, so I really think you need to add sugar in small increments until you have a tart/sweet ration you’re happy with.
Once the berries are completely broken down and smooshy, let cool a bit, then press through a strainer to remove the seeds. Some people seem to think seeds are okay. They are not. More devil’s work.

GANACHE:
1 pkg good quality semisweet chocolate chips, I like Ghiradelli. Please let the record show you can also grab a good bar (hello Scharffenberger) and chop it into small pieces, up to you.
1 small container of heavy cream, or perhaps we try that TJs ff ½ & ½ ?

Chop up your chocolate if you’ve opted for the bar – you can do this while your raspberries are heating.
Create a double boiler by placing a bowl over a small saucepan with a couple of inches of water in the bottom. You don’t want so much water that it touches the bowl, but not so little that it will boil off. The steam is what you’re using to melt the chocolate.
Put your chocolate into the double boiler and stir periodically as it begins to melt. Once you have more melted chocolate than not, you can bring the cream into the equation.
Again, recipes abound with exact amounts, but I’ll be damned if I ever pay attention (aside from my first attempt – if you’ve never done this before you should probably find one of those). I just pour a bit in until it looks right. How’s that for unhelpful? The cream acts to soften your chocolate so it won’t harden back to solid, but will stay squidgy and awesome. Add too much and it won’t firm up enough. Science is tricky! The beauty here is that you can flavor it however you’d like (with extracts or liqueurs), or leave it plain and chocolatey delicious.

Then you take this melty goo and pour or spread it all over whatever it is you’re pouring it over. In this case, the cake. It is equally amazing on brownies, for fondue, on yellow cake, rice krispie treats, fruit, your fingers, the spoon, uh, anything really.