Author: Dino

Dino agreed to join the supper club based on the assumption that he wouldn't be preparing dishes, only tasting them. Even though he was completely misled, Dino has begrudgingly learned to enjoy dabbling in the culinary arts.
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Rajas con Crema (Poblano Strips with Onions and Cream)

Recipe from Gourmet – July 1997

Yield: Makes 32 Tacos

Notes

After reading the instructions for the Horchata, I felt that it was too easy for my only dish. Not wanting to feel like a slacker, I searched for popular Mexican side dishes and this dish was a popular result. I followed the advice of a reviewer and sought out Mexican crema, a more traditional ingredient, in favor of the suggested crème fraîche or heavy cream. The Mexican grocery store across the street carried a product from Nestlé called Media Crema Table Cream. As the reviewer stated, the stuff didn’t look so appetizing but it certainly added depth to this simple side dish.

I also thought it would be perfect to use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet which always seems to work wonders when onions and peppers are involved. Oh, and lots of salt. It’s not mentioned in the recipe, but I used quite a bit to season this up a bit before serving.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh poblano chilies (about 8)
  • 1 medium white onion (about 8 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream

Directions

  1. Roast and peel chilies.
  2. Wearing rubber gloves, cut chilies into 1/3-inch-thick strips.
  3. Halve onion lengthwise and cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  4. In a heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add chilies and salt to taste and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
  6. Add créme fraîche or cream and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Rajas may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat rajas before serving.

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Jerk Chicken Pizza

Jerk Chicken Spice Blend
Adapted from Suite101.com

Notes

I split the marinade into two parts- one half was used to marinate the chicken overnight. I took the other half and added a small can of tomato paste to make a pizza sauce to spread on the dough. If I were to ever try this again I would probably leave out the tomato paste as it seemed to add more acidity to the jerk sauce which was already quite acidic from the vinegar, orange juice and peppers.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbl. ground allspice
  • 1 Tbl. ground thyme
  • 1 ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground sage
  • ¾ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp. minced ginger
  • 2 Tbls. fresh garlic (crushed)
  • 1 Tbls. brown sugar or molasses
  • ¼ C. Soy sauce
  • ¼ C. dark rum (optional, but encouraged)
  • ¾ C. white vinegar
  • ½ C. orange juice
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 Scotch bonnet peppers (I used 1 seeded jalapeno and 1 seeded cherry pepper)
  • 3 green onions, diced
  • 1 C. white onion, diced

Directions

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth.
  2. Place chicken in a large freezer bag and pour in spice blend. Place in a bowl to make sure there isn’t any leakage and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but up to a day is preferable.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees or grill. If using an oven, place chicken skin side up on a roasting pan and roast until cooked through (about 45 minutes) flipping once halfway through the process. If using a grill, place chicken skin-side down and grill until skin becomes crisp. Flip and finishing cooking thoroughly. Don’t be afraid to blacken the chicken with this recipe.
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Dark Chocolate Mousse

Recipe by Ellie Krieger

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Yield: 5 servings (serving size 1/2 cup of mousse, 1 tablespoon
whipped cream and 1/4 teaspoon shaved chocolate)

Ingredients

  • 1 (12.3-ounce) package silken tofu, drained
  • 3 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon brandy
  • ½ cup plus ½ teaspoon superfine sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons shaved chocolate

Directions

  1. In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu until it is smooth.
  2. Put the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, ¼ cup water and brandy in a
    saucepan or heat-proof bowl fitted over a pot containing 1-inch barely
    simmering water.
  3. Stir frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Mix in ½ cup of sugar, a little at a time, until smooth.
  4. Add the chocolate mixture to the tofu and puree until smooth and well
    blended. Spoon the mousse into serving dishes, cover and refrigerate
    for at least 1 hour.
  5. Whip the cream with a beater. When the cream is almost completely
    whipped, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and finish whipping.
  6. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of
    chocolate shavings and serve.