Taste of Foods from Chile, S.A. October 13, 2012 7 PM Appetizers: Empanadas de Hongos Salad: Chilean Black Bean Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese Soup: Crema Le Cangrejo (Crabmeat Soup) Entrée: Chilean Roasted Merkén Spiced Skirt Steak Dessert: Yogurt Mousse with Berry Compote Wines: Santa Helena Chardonnay Selección from Goody Goody $7.99 Santa Helena Carmenère Selección (Red) from Goody Goody $7.99 Suggested Menu Division: Couple 1 Appetizers Couple 2 Salad and Dessert Couple 3 Soup Couple 4 Entrée Couple 1 Appetizers Couple 2 Salad Couple 3 Soup Couple 4 Entrée Couple 5 Dessert
Empanadas de Hongos Mushroom Turnovers Makes 24 appetizer empanadas RELLENO (Filling) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1 pound fresh, firm white mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth or paper towel and finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped scallions (white part and 1 inch of the green) 1/4 cup whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 2 tablespoons day-old bread crumbs 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves or dill 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 2 packages Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water 1. To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and scallions and cook, stirring, until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add cream, and cook until reduced enough to just coat the mushrooms. Remove from the heat and add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Toss with the bread crumbs and parsley. Let cool, and then stir in the cheese. 2. Remove 1 pastry sheet and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out 2 1/2 to 3 inch pastry circles. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling in center of each circle and lightly moisten the edge of half of the circle with the egg mixture. Fold the round in half and press firmly to seal the edges. Crimp the edge with a fork dipped in flour. Pierce the top with a fork to allow steam to escape. Repeat rerolling pastry sheet as needed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Brush the empanadas with the egg mixture and bake on the upper oven rack until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Note: These empanadas freeze very well unbaked. Freeze on baking sheets lined with waxed paper until hard, then store in covered containers. You can pop them into the oven frozen; just increase the baking time by 5 minutes.
Crema Le Cangrejo Crabmeat Soup Serves 6 adjust as needed **** This crabmeat soup is perfect without cream, but for cream lovers adding a bit of whipping cream just makes the soup taste better. Serve the cream in a separate bowl so that guests can add a tablespoon to the soup if they choose. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup peeled and diced (1/4 inch) all-purpose potatoes 1 celery stalked, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules 4 cups hot water 6 ounces fresh or canned good quality crabmeat, un-drained, but picked over for shells and cartilage 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Cayenne pepper or sweet paprika for garnish **** 1/2 cup whipping cream (optional) 1. Heat the oil in a 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, potatoes, celery, cilantro and parsley and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the mustard, white pepper, salt, bouillon and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the crabmeat and cook for 5 minutes 2. Remove from the heat, let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Return to saucepan, bring back to a boil and taste for salt and white pepper. Stir in the lemon juice, keeping the soup on the burner just long enough to heat through. 3. Serve in soup cups, sprinkled with cayenne.
Chilean Black Bean Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese Serves 6 INGREDIENTS Salad: 2 cups of black beans 3 Tablespoon sliced almonds 1 chive 1/2 purple onion 1 avocado 1 teaspoon lemon juice 3-1/2 ounces of goat cheese 2-3 handfuls arugula 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (optional) Dressing: Preparation 2-3 small branches of fresh rosemary 1 clove garlic 2-3 small branches of fresh oregano 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup Chilean Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salad: Cook the black beans as per the instruction on the package. Let them cool down. Toast the almonds. Slice the chive in small circles, and cut the stem in Julianne. Slice the onion. Dice the avocado and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut the goat cheese in long stripes. In a large salad bowl, mix the arugula, the cold black beans, chive, onion, avocado, goat cheese and nuts. Dressing: Chop the rosemary, garlic and fresh oregano into small pieces. Add the lemon juice and salt. Then add Chilean Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Stir. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and serve.
Chilean Roasted Merkén Spiced Skirt Steak Suggested serving size: 6 ounces per person (adjust accordingly) INGREDIENTS 3 Tablespoons Chilean extra virgin olive oil 1/2 red onion (sliced thin) 1 pound skirt steak 2 cups Carmenere or Merlot wine Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped 1 Tablespoon merkén (Chilean spice) 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 Tablespoon frozen butter Preparation Grease deep ceramic pot with 1 Tablespoon Chilean extra virgin olive oil. Slice the onion into thin rounds and place in the pot. Place the skirt steak on top. Pour wine over meat - nearly covering it. Mix the freshly ground pepper, merkén and thyme with Chilean extra virgin olive oil, and add to pot. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. To prepare, remove the pot from the refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place pot with lid in and cook for one hour, until tender. Remove from oven. Transfer the sauce to a large sauce pan. Add brown sugar and stir sauce on high heat, until sauce thickens. After sauce has reduced in liquid by a third, add frozen butter, stirring rapidly to give sauce a silky sheen
Yogurt Mousse with Berry Compote Serves 4 adjust as needed INGREDIENTS -For the mousse 2 cups of natural yogurt 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups of partially whipped cream 3 tablespoons of Chilean extra virgin olive oil 4 leaves of gelatine* -For the berry compote 1/2 cup of raspberries 1/4 cup of blueberries 1/4 cup of blackberries 1/4 cup of strawberries 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 a star anise fruit The peel of half an orange 1 cinnamon stick 2 cloves 1 ginger root Preparation To make the mousse, slightly warm the yogurt with the sugar until the crystals dissolve. Next add the rehydrated gelatine and olive oil. Finally fold in the cream. Pour into glasses, leaving a space at the top. Refrigerate until it is time to serve. For the compote, put the berries in a bain-marie with the sugar, orange peel, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Cook for two hours over a low heat. Once ready, allow to cool. To serve, put a tablespoon of the fruit mixture on top of the yogurt mousse. * Leaf or sheet gelatin is the same substance as granulated gelatin, just packaged and sold in a different form. It is much more widely used in Europe (and shows up in more European recipes) than in the States. The gel-making ability of sheet gelatin is constant no matter what its size, so four leaves equal the amount of gelatin in the standard 1/4-ounce packet sold here (or one teaspoon of gelatin sold in bulk). Leaf gelatin dissolves a little less readily than granulated gelatin, which is surely another reason that it is not as popular in our speed-obsessed kitchens.