Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette

The Spanish word, Queso fundido-[KAY-soh fuhn-DEE-doh], literally translates as melted cheese, traditionally, Chihuahua cheese. But this all time favorite appetizer at Bobby flay's Mesa Grill restaurant in New York features two very different types of cheese; a satiny, smooth Mozzarella for the queso fundido mixture, and a tangy goat cheese sliced into rounds for the topping. A tantalizing roasted poblano vinaigrette flavored with honey and red wine vinegar is then drizzled over the queso fundido before baking. Served with lots of blue corn tortillas, this is one appetizer that will keep your guests asking for more. For a more robust dish, add crumbled, cooked chorizo to the basic cheese mixture before adding the toppings. Recipe from "Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook" by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson. Serves 4.

How to Make Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 8 slices
Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Blue Corn tortillas, for dipping

Preheat the broiler.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened, stirring to keep from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
Remove from heat and stir in the grated Monterey Jack cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Scrape the mixture into two 4-inch shallow cast iron pans or one 8-inch cast iron pan.Place the rounds of goat cheese over the top. Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the goat cheese is golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven, drizzle with the Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve with chips for dipping.

Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped (instructions follow)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste.Combine the poblanos, 2 tablespoons cold water, the vinegar, garlic, honey, canola oil, and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Can be made up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerated.


To Roast the Poblanos
To roast the poblanos-wash and dry the peppers. Using a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil, coat the peppers well. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a preheated 375 degree F. oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, place in a paper bag for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the steam to loosen the skins. Cut the peppers in half, peel, seed and cut into strips.

Brown Eggs in Bowl Photo Wins 2nd Place in Chef Talk Photography Competition

And the Winners Are-

All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

Britney of thenittybritty chose this great holiday bundt cake which epitomizes the colors, flavors and aromas of autumn. This bundt style cake has the requisite pumpkin, cranberries,apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger-all the ingredients of the season rolled into one dessert. This cake would be perfect for a coffee morning or as an additional dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. Check out Britney's blog for the recipe or, better still, buy Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking From My Home to Yours".

Fresh Corn Soup with Roasted Corn Guacamole

Fresh or frozen corn works well in this very intensely flavored corn soup topped with a roasted corn guacamole tinged with heat from diced jalapenos. Diced red onion, garlic, cilantro and the zest and juice from limes complete this easy soup perfect for any season. Original recipe here.

Roasted Corn Guacamole

• Kernels from 3 ears fresh corn, or 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, pitted and chopped

Soup

• Kernels from 5 ears fresh corn, or 3 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Cilantro sprigs, to garnish

Roast the Corn for the Guacamole
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Put the corn kernels on the baking sheet and toss with the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Spread the corn out evenly on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until the corn turns a golden brown. It may seem that you have left the corn in the oven for too long, but you want the corn to caramelize and get a little crunchy. Remove the corn from the oven and set aside.

Prepare the Corn for the Soup
Put the kernels (fresh or frozen and defrosted) in a blender.

Combine the oil and the garlic in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the blender and puree until smooth. (You may need to pulse or stir the corn mixture in order to achieve a smooth consistency, but do not add any more liquid.)

Simmer the Soup
Pour the corn puree into the soup pot and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for a few minutes, until the soup begins to thicken. Slowly whisk or stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Finish the Roasted Corn Guacamole
In a bowl, combine the roasted corn, red onion, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and jalapeño. Gently stir in the avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and Garnish
Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Place a generous spoonful of the guacamole in the center of each bowl. Garnish with a small sprig of cilantro placed in the center of each.

Eggs Scrambled with Roasted Red Peppers

This rustic Italian dish, a mixture of creamy scrambled eggs with sauteed roasted red peppers and garlic is perfect for breakfast, a light lunch or an easy Sunday night supper. Roast your own peppers or use a good brand of fire roasted red peppers. For sandwiches, broil or grill slices of crusty Italian or Rosemary Raisin Bread. Serves 2-3, but the recipe is easily doubled. Adapted from "Italy in Small Bites" by Carol Field.

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, roasted, or 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and cut into thin strips
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large eggs
• Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley, optional
  
• 4-6 slices country-style Italian bread, or rosemary raisin bread
  

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute the peppers and garlic over medium-low heat until soft, but not mushy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt.
2. Add the eggs to the pan and scramble them until they are creamy and set.
3. For the sandwiches, grill or broil the bread. Arrange the scrambled egg mixture between the slices allowing the flavors to imbue the crusty bread.
   

Sugar-Topped Pomegranate Molasses Spice Cookies

I'm having house guests this coming weekend, so the cookies chosen by Pamela of Cookies with the Boys would be perfect for the picnic I'm planning. Since they freeze well, I could make them ahead of time.

I was multi-tasking this past Sunday; making cookies and pomegranate molasses from the juice the lovely folks at POMWonderful sent me just recently. I thought Pomegranate molasses too exotic to make at home, plus it isn't available in the high-end grocery stores that I sometimes frequent. After searching online for recipes and realizing how easy the molasses was to make at home, I was elated. Here in the United States, PomWonderful is the largest grower and processor of pomegranates, specifically the Wonderful variety. Pomegranate juice has so many health advantages that it should be considered a veritable fountain of youth. Did you know that grenadine syrup is also made from pomegranate juice? I didn't! I see some cocktails in my crystal ball!

Back to the cookies-The pomegranate molasses had cooled and looked just like the jarred molasses, except the color was a deeper red. The finished cookies had a great spice flavor which wasn't overpowered by the inclusion of the pomegranate molasses and I could discern a subtle piquant taste from the fruit. Very pleasing.

Since November is a busy month leading up to the holidays, the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group has some leeway in posting this month's picks. So check out the blogroll, it's not all cookies!