January 2010 Archives

Cheese Fondue with Chipotle and Tequila

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission by Viviane Banquet Farre

Thoughts From Viviane: 

When my good friend Doug Stone asked me to create a few recipes with tequila for his new website ForTequilaLovers, I was thrilled. Not only do I adore tequila on its own or in cocktails, I also love cooking with it - its unusual flavor pairs beautifully with so many foods!

Here I've created a new-world version of the classic Swiss fondue. The tequila adds a wonderful dimension to this truly scrumptious fondue and the chipotle lends a hint of smokiness to it. It's so addictive that when I first tested the recipe, Marc (my best taster and hubby!) ate the whole thing so fast I thought he'd inhaled it!

I recommend either a Reposado Tequila or Mezcal for this recipe, because their deep, powerful flavor stands up nicely to the cheese and actually cuts through the richness of the fondue.

Bread cubes are the traditional dipping bits for fondues, but don't stop there - try serving this fondue with chunks of grilled meats, blanched-but-still-a-bit-crunchy broccoli or cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes boiled until just tender… or whatever you love with cheese!

For a head-spinning selection of tequilas, visit Doug's website. (And no, he hasn't paid me to say this and hasn't given me freebies either - this is just my own honest-to-goodness opinion!)

Say cheese and take a bite!

makes approximately 2 cups (4 servings)

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup Reposado Tequila or Mezcal
1 cup dry white wine
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese - coarsely grated
12 oz aged Fontina cheese - coarsely grated
2 to 3 teaspoons chipotle in spicy adobo sauce, to taste - puréed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 sourdough or whole wheat baguette - cut in 1/2" cubes

Step 1:  Place the cornstarch and the Tequila in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2:  Place the wine in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. As soon as the wine starts to simmer, gradually add the grated cheese and whisk constantly until completely melted and smooth. Reduce heat to medium and add the cornstarch/Tequila mixture, chipotle and salt (careful not to dribble on the stove now, alcohol is very flammable!). Continue to whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Step 3: : Place the cheese mixture in a fondue bowl with a flame under it to keep it warm. Serve with long fondue forks and the bread cubes or other morsels of your choice.

Whenever it snows in Colorado, I get the craving to make chili.  Doesn't matter whether it's a traditional red chile, Texas style... New Mexico pork green chile - it's all good.  Last night we received 10 inches of new fresh powder... so I broke out my new All-Clad slow cooker and made this variation of red chili.  The inclusion of peanut butter was recommended by my friend and incredible chef, David Wells.  I know... it sounded strange to me too.  But, it adds a wonderful woodsy flavor to the chili. You can use canola oil if you're concerned about the fat content in the bacon.  However, the bacon adds a really nice flavor.  Use good quality, nitrate-free bacon.

All-Clad . . . All the Time!

Recently, All-Clad graciously sent me one piece of their new d5 stainless pans to test drive.  They encouraged me to use the pan and provide honest feedback.  I agreed.  Odds were in their favor that I would write a nice review.... Disclaimer: I am a card-carrying All-Clad fanatic.  Their products are terrific and I've been using their stainless steel pans for about 17 years.  Let's face it, there are less expensive pots and pans on the market... but they just don't work as well and I find you end up replacing them.  So, when I got serious about cooking . . . I invested in serious pans that will last a lifetime.

I doubted they could really improve upon the performance of their classic stainless line.  It conducts heat nicely, is dishwasher friendly and always sparkles after easy clean-up.  Boy, was I surprised by the improvement from the 3-ply design I have to the new redesigned 5-ply stainless line (hence the name d5).  

They graciously sent me a 6-quart saute pan that is absolutely the best pan I've ever had!!  The pan has a very prominent place in the kitchen as I've used it almost every day since it arrived. The new d5 technology conducts heat so evenly across the bottom of the pan, even cubes of meat that are pushed off to the side -away from the burner brown evenly!  In fact, it's probably as close as you can get to the heat performance of copper without paying the high price tag of copper.  Newly redesigned handles are much easier to maneuver the pan - especially one so large and heavy.

The 6-quart size is absolutely ideal for so many meals.  It has such a large surface area. I used it throughout the holidays  . . . breakfast . . . lunch . . . and dinner.

All-Clad is very clever . . . they know that once you have a piece of this cookware in your home . . . the full fledged addiction will set in.  Now, I can't wait to add more pieces of this line to my ever growing All-Clad collection.  Bottom line... they've done it again.....

I. Heart. All-Clad.

If you are interested in checking All-Clad's d5 line, it is available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma.

Smoky Red Chili - Ingredients:

• 5 slices of bacon (chopped and crispy)
• 4 pounds beef chuck roast (trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
• 1.5 onions (chopped)
• 3 green jalapeno chiles (seeded, stemmed and minced)
• 1 red jalapeno chile (seeded, stemmed and minced)
• 2 tablespoons dark red (hot) chile powder (I order mine online from New Mexico)
• 2 tablespoons cumin (warmed in a pan, milled fresh from whole cumin seeds)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 (small) corn tortillas, torn into small squares
• 4 cups Organic chicken broth
• 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 dried red chile pod (warmed then milled)
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon Mexican chocolate
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• fresh lime juice
• grated queso fresco
• sour cream, for garnish

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Chop and add to the bottom of the slow cooker.  Drain bacon fat/oil from the skillet and set aside.

Pat beef dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Add 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil to the skillet and heat over med-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the beef, then add to the slow cooker.  Repeat this process with the remainder of the beef. You want that nice slightly burned brown bits at the bottom of the pan... not too burnt but just enough to add a nice rich flavor to the chili base. And it's VERY IMPORTANT that you don't crowd too much of the beef into the pan or it won't brown... it will steam... so make sure there is plenty of room between beef chunks.

Add 2 more tablespoons of the bacon oil or butter to the same skillet and add onion, jalapenos, chili powders, cumin and salt.  Cook until they soften (about 5 minutes) Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds... Then add the tomatoes.  Blend well and simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Pour into slow cooker.  Add milled chile pod.

Place tortillas and chicken broth in a pan and heat until mushy.  Place in blender or food processor and blend until pureed.  Stir into slow cooker.  This will thicken the chili and add a nice corn flavor.

Add chipotle, peanut butter, chocolate and cinnamon to the chili... blend well.  Cover and cook until the meat is tender (this may vary depending upon your slow cooker) I cook on low for about 8-9 hours.  During the last 2 hours, stir in the beans and fresh oregano.  To serve, stir in some fresh cilantro and lime juice.  Garnish with freshly grated cheese and or sour cream.  For an extra kick, swirl a little adobo sauce from the chipotles in with the sour cream.

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• ¼ cup chilled duck fat
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 egg

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, butter, duck fat, sugar until crumbly.  Beat egg in a small bowl and, with processor running, add in a slow stream until dough comes together.  Add ice cold water, if needed, to bring dough together, depending on flour hydration.  Wrap pastry and chill until firm (crust is very tender due to the low melting point of the duck fat).

Filling:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat (free range is most flavorful)
• 2 cups chicken broth (homemade preferred)
• Shiitake mushroom trimmings or stems
• Duck fat
• Olive oil
• ½ pound fresh chanterelles or other mushrooms, sliced thick
• 10-12 cipolline onions or pearl onions, peeled
• 10-12 fingerling potatoes, or cut up Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 cup fava beans (cooked and peeled), can substitute fresh or frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons brandy or sherry
• ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
• White truffle oil

Place chicken, mushrooms/stems and broth in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken has cooked through.  Let chicken cool in broth, remove.  Strain broth, discarding mushrooms and chill.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Melt 2-4 tablespoons duck fat and toss with potatoes and onions.  Roast in oven until lightly caramelized and softened.  Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté celery and carrots until tender, about 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in clean sauté pan over medium high heat and sear mushrooms until golden and fragrant.  Deglaze the pan with a dash of brandy or sherry, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Shred chicken into bite sized pieces and combine in a bowl with vegetables, tossing gently to combine, set aside.

Make a roux with butter and flour, stirring constantly and cooking until golden and aromatic (like biscuits).  Whisk in cream and reserved chicken broth, along with any accumulated juices from the chicken.  Add thyme and remaining brandy or sherry and simmer until thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and cool slightly.  Pour sauce over chicken and vegetable mixture, tossing gently to combine.  Add fava beans (or peas) and parsley, stirring again gently.  Mixture can be chilled and held up to two days at this point.

Divide dough into four balls, rolling each one out to a circle slightly larger than the rim of your ramekins (I use 14oz).  Divide the filling between the four ramekins (oil each one lightly with olive oil or pan spray).  Drizzle a little truffle oil over the filling in each ramekin.  Carefully place a top crust on each pot pie and crimp around the inside edge of the ramekins.  Chill until crust is firm again, and then cut the vent.  Brush crust with egg wash and bake in a 400F oven until crust is golden and filling bubbles out of the vent hole.  Serve hot.