Roger Rocka's Chef Eric DeGroot joined us in the Great Day Kitchen to make one of the dishes off the menu for their latest production of Nunsensations: The Vegas Revue.
Roasted Poblano and Cheese Empanadas With Cilantro Crema & Orange-Jicama Relish
For the dough and filling:
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces cold butter, cut into chunks
1 egg
5 tablespoons water
5 large Poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups grated Oaxaca string cheese (preferably Don Francisco brand)
Add flour and salt to a food processor with bottom blade. Pulse a couple times to combine. Add the cold butter, egg and pulse until crumbly while adding the water through the feed tube. Pat together into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest and set in refrigerator for a half hour.
In bowl, mix together the chilies, cheese and maybe a pinch of salt, depending on how salty the cheese is.
Roll out dough and cut out circles with a small bowl or saucer as a guide. Fill with Poblano cheese filling and fold in half pinching at the seams. Press edges down with fork to seal and place on sheet pan lined with parchment. Put empanadas in refrigerator to cool and set. Fry empanadas in 350 degree hot oil till slightly golden or place in 350 degree preheated oven, brushed with egg wash, and bake till golden. Set empanadas on plates and garnish with relish and cilantro Crema.
Orange Jicama relish:
5 large oranges, segmented
¾ cup chopped Jicama
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in bowl and season to taste.
Cilantro Crema:
1 cup Crema or sour cream
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Blend together all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon With Shaft's Bleu Cheese and Rosemary Vinaigrette
4 – 6 to 8 ounce beef tenderloin filets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 slices thick cut bacon
2 ounces good quality bleu cheese
Rub filets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat a outdoor barbeque or a indoor an stove top grill pan to medium high. Grill filets until well seared on both sides and set aside. In roasting pan, place bacon in a 350 degree oven and bake until the bacon is ¾ of the way done. Once out of the oven and bacon is cooled, wrap around filet and place back in oven and cook filets until desired doneness. Set filets on a serving platter or individual plates. Crumble bleu cheese on the filets and spoon the rosemary vinaigrette on and around the plate.
Rosemary Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Place the shallots, rosemary, garlic, mustard and vinegar in a medium size bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until slightly thickened and halfway emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
