roasted asparagus and poblano soup

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
2 sweet white onions
2 leeks (white and light green parts only)
2 poblano peppers
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup Arborio rice
4 cups stock (either chicken or vegetable)
2 limes, juiced
olive oil
salt and pepper 

If you have a gas grill, turn the burner on high and put the poblano peppers directly over the flame until they char. Put them in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sweat for ten or fifteen minutes. Take them out of the bowl and, using paper towels, wipe the outer skin and char off the peppers. Also clean out the seeds from the inside. If you want more heat in your soup, add more seeds. Try not to wash the peppers clean; this affects the flavor. (If you don’t have a gas burner, put them in the oven for about twenty minutes in a small pan covered with foil and then sweat them.)

Peel the onions and cut them in half. Put the flat side of the onion down and cut across the grain, so you get little half moon slices. Cut the leeks in half and due the same thing. Put about two tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat and add the onions, leeks, and garlic. Cover, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize – about fifteen minutes. Cut the asparagus into one to two inch segments and toss with olive oil and then spread out on a baking sheet. Cook in a 350 oven for ten to twelve minutes. Take out of the oven and add to the stock pot, along with poblanos, the Arborio rice and the stock. (The rice will make the soup creamy without adding cream.) Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about a half an hour.

Remove from the heat and add the lime juice. Puree using an immersion blender, or let the soup cool a bit and carefully puree in batches in either a food processor or a blender. When you serve the soup, Drizzle good olive oil over the top.

Peace, Milton

pumpkin seed brittle

For Christmas, Ginger gave me The New Southern Latino Table, which is an awesome cookbook. This recipe came from there. I made one small change in that I used pumpkin seeds that had already been roasted, rather than buying raw ones.

2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds (out of the husks -- they are small and green)
1 ¾ cups sugar
¼ cup honey

Butter a large metal baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and honey and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sugar melts. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring for 8-9 minutes, or until it turns a dark amber color; it should register between 300’ F and 310’F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the seeds.

Spread the mixture carefully onto the prepared pan (it will be very hot).

Cool completely (about 25 minutes) and break it into pieces.


This tastes great on its own, but I served it with my Coffee Flan and it added a nice touch.

Peace,
Milton

coffee flan with bourbon coffee sauce

I love flan. I love coffee. I love this dessert.

1 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon boiling water
1 tablespoon bourbon 

Preheat the oven to 200F. Place a 9 inch round x 2 inch deep cake pan on the sheet and warm it in the oven. (You can also make smaller individual flans in ramekins, if you like; warm them the same way.) In a heavy medium saucepan, cook sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Take your time melting the sugar, but move quickly when it reaches a dark amber and pour the caramelized sugar syrup into the warm cake pan. (Take it out of the oven, first.) Tip the pan around to coat the bottom and up sides a bit with the caramel syrup. Set aside.

Raise the oven to 325. In a saucepan or the microwave, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Combine the three milks, the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, coffee, and bourbon in a blender. Mix on low speed for one minute until everything is completely mixed and smooth. (If there is too much liquid, blend in two batches to prevent overflowing.) Pour the custard into the caramel-lined pan and place it (or the ramekins) is a larger dish or baking sheet that has high sides and then put it on the middle rack of the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the larger holding pan to a depth of about an inch. Bake uncovered for thirty minutes and then check it. If custard is still not set (which mine usually is not) increase the temperature to 350 and set the timer in ten minute increments and continue cooking until custard is set and a thin knife blade inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack and then refrigerate covered with plastic for at least two or three hours. You can refrigerate it over night.

While it's cooking, make the Bourbon Coffee Sauce.

1 cup sugar
1 2/3 cups extra strong coffee (best at room temperature)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 teaspoon salt 

In a heavy skillet, melt the sugar slowly, stirring often, until the sugar melted and has turned a light amber color, about five minutes. Slowly add 1 1/3 cups of the coffee, stir ring constantly. Be prepared for a lot of steam. In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch and the remaining 1/3 cup of coffee until smooth. Stir the mixture into the hot coffee-sugar mixture. Continue cooking over low heat and stir until the sauce boils and thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool and then refrigerate.


Set both the sauce and the flan out of the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. When you are ready to serve the flan, run a thin knife around the edge of pan between custard and pan. (Press the knife against the pan, not the custard.) Place a deep serving plate with a rim over the pan and invert it to move the flan to the serving dish. Carefully lift up pan and allow syrup to run over the flan. Cut into wedges and enjoy. I served the desserts with chards of Pumpkin Seed Brittle.

Peace, Milton