Chile Rellenos

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As a girl who used to turn her nose up at Mexican food, I’m a million miles away from where I started. One of my very favorite things to order at a Mexican restaurant is chile rellenos. A pepper that’s been stuffed with potato and cheese, then fried? Sign me up. Now that summer is upon us, and in another month or so I’ll be picking a basket full of poblano peppers every couple of days, I figured it was only prudent to buckle down and come up with my ideal relleno recipe.

A big misconception is that chile rellenos are super spicy. Not the case, so don’t let the word “chile” scare you off. We don’t mind a little heat, but if you’d like them even milder – just remove all of the seeds from inside the pepper before filling. I fried this batch to keep it authentic, but often I skip the batter entirely and just stick the stuffed peppers under the broiler for a few minutes. Shaves some time and calories, which is always a good thing! When paired with some Spanish rice, these make a delicious and satisfying summer meal. Enjoy!

Chile Rellenos

4 poblano peppers
2 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheese (Monterey jack, cheddar)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
vegetable oil, for frying

For the sauce:
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly, place in a large bowl, and set aside.

To make the sauce; combine the onion, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.

Make a slit down one side of each pepper. Place them in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning them frequently until the skins blister. Place the chiles in a Ziploc bag and seal closed to steam peppers. Set aside for 20 minutes, then carefully peel off the skins and remove the seeds, if desired, keeping the chiles whole. Dry the chiles with paper towels and set them aside.

Put the cream cheese and shredded cheese in the bowl with the potatoes. Add salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Spoon some of the potato filling into each chile, and squeeze it back closed.

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale, then fold in the egg whites. Scrape the mixture onto a large, shallow dish. Place the flour in another shallow dish and season it with salt.

Add 1/2″ oil to a heavy bottomed skillet and heat to 375. Coat a few chiles first in flour and then in egg before adding carefully to the hot oil. Fry the chiles in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve on a bed of chile sauce, with some sauce drizzled on top as well.

Source: adapted from The Complete Mexican, South American & Caribbean Cookbook

Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes

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Becky, an old friend from high school came across a recipe for a Mexican spiced chocolate cupcake a few weeks ago, and passed the recipe along to me. I couldn’t wait to try them! A heavy dose of delicious spices are added to the batter to make them sing of spice. It’s funny how spice can be like that, isn’t it? Spicy doesn’t necessarily mean hot!

Ancho chile powder for a punch of smoke, cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat, and of course cinnamon to round everything out and kick the spice factor into the next stratosphere. These cupcakes were very different, but very well received. The first and foremost thing you taste is definitely the cinnamon – but the other additions are there, simmering on the back burner. The original recipe called for a ganache topping, but I opted for a buttercream instead, and loved the outcome!

If you have a hard time finding ancho chile powder, do what I do – and just grind your own. Dried peppers are a great thing to have on hand in your pantry. A ton of flavor, and they never go bad! If you’re looking for something different, try these cupcakes – they won’t disappoint!

Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa
1/3 cup freshly brewed coffee
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sticks, for garnish (optional)

For the frosting:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine the butter, cocoa, coffee and 1/3 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until the butter melts, about 1 minute.  Whisk to combine.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ancho powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.  Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.  Whisk the hot cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir in the sour cream mixture just to combine; don’t overmix.
Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds of the way full with batter.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tin.  Cool on the rack completely.

To make the frosting, cream butter in an electric mixer on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Then add cocoa powder, ancho powder, and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until combined.  Gradually add in the milk and powdered sugar, alternately, until combined.  Then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes.  (Add in more powdered sugar if consistency is too thin). Frost cupcakes as desired, and garnish with a half a cinnamon stick.

Yields: about 12 cupcakes

Source: cupcake recipe from Food Network, frosting adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Recipe Roundup – Cinco de Mayo

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Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, and I’m pretty excited about it. Any excuse to stuff my face with queso and margaritas – count me in! I don’t have a new Mexican recipe to share with you guys this week, but I didn’t want to let it slip by without sharing a few of my favorite recipes from the past.

If you’re still looking for ideas for your menu Saturday, look no further. These are all dishes I’ve made again, and again in my kitchen – and still can’t get enough of. Enjoy!

Beef tacos. One of my “go-to” meals on those nights I don’t feel like cooking, these beef tacos are a million miles away from the junk that comes in a box. I enlist the husbands help to fry tortilla shells, makes for a quick dinner.

My notorious chicken enchiladas with red chile sauce. My husbands favorite, hands down. Been making these forever, and for good reason. You’ll not find a better enchilada! Be prepared to be disappointed by any other enchilada in a restaurant – I don’t even bother ordering them anymore.

Ahh, guacamole. For someone who refused to even try an avocado, I’ve come a long way. I usually make up a batch of pico de gallo to go along with the guac. A tortilla chip can’t ask for 2 better BFF’s.

Carnitas. Beer braised. Crispy. Pork. Need I say more? Seriously, make this. Good in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas. You’ll be eating off of it for a week!

Love, love, love this spanish rice. Goes with just about anything, and leftovers are fabulous in a burrito with some black beans.

These shrimp enchiladas have become my new favorite dinner. Words can’t express how delicious they are. This is what we’re having for dinner on Saturday night!

And, what’s Cinco de Mayo without something to wash it all down with. Going to pick up my first flat of local strawberries on Saturday morning, and I’m looking forward to making up a big pitcher of these that night. These strawberry margaritas are still going strong as my current drink of choice! Consider yourself warned, they go down too easy.

Margarita Cupcakes

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I’d been wanting to make these cupcakes for eons it seems, but I was always a little bit thrown off by them. Who wants a margarita cupcake, when there is chocolate or red velvet to be had? Silly girl. We had a newlywed couple over for dinner earlier this week, so I took the opportunity to make them for dessert. Jamie is always declaring my previous cupcake creations “the best she’s ever had”, but she says this one now takes the cake (no pun intended!). It’s a new favorite in my book as well!

The flavors are so light and refreshing, and even with the additional tequila/orange liqueur brushed onto the cupcakes when cooling, they weren’t too boozy. Just a hint! And I loved all the lime zest in the batter. My hands reeked of lime all day long after making these! I’d made Swiss meringue buttercream some time ago, and I remember not being impressed. This frosting, however, was a completely different story. Even while beating, I was unsure. I thought it would be too sweet, and it seemed runny – “I’ll never be able to pipe this”, I thought. Then, all of a sudden, it came together magically to form the perfect consistency. Piped beau-ti-fully. And, definitely not too sweet. Loved, loved, loved it!

I also topped the cupcakes with a sprinkling of fleur-de-sel right before serving. Something about the occasional salty bite hiding in the fluffly cloud of frosting that really “sealed the deal” for me – just like a margarita. Make these now!

Margarita Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temp
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup tequila (or half tequila/half orange liqueur, optional)

For the Tequila-Lime Buttercream:
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp Tequila
lime zest and wedges, for topping
fleur-de-sel, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one.Add lime zest and lime juice. Add vanilla.

Turn mixer to low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated. Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with tequila or tequila/orange mixture if desired.

To make the frosting, place the stand mixer bowl over a simmering pot of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk the sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160 degrees with a candy thermometer.

Place bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool and holds stiff, glossy peaks (approximately 10 minutes).

Change to the paddle attachment and beat in one tablespoon of butter at a time on medium. The mixture might appear curdled but keep beating, it will pull back together.

Add lime juice and 1 Tbsp tequila. Increase speed to high and beat until the frosting reincorporates and is smooth and fluffy. Beat in remaining tablespoon of tequila, if desired.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream as desired.  Garnish with lime zest,  lime slices, and fleur-de-sel.

Source: slightly adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride