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Buffalo and Blue Flat Breads- Game Day Fever!

Carroll 6 Comments

Buffalo and Blue Flat Breads!

Sir Wes has huge affinity for wings…he loves them and would like to eat them every day if he could, especially during football season.  It’s not just NFL Days either, he is a HUGE Alabama fan too, so his appetite for wings is frequent….and it is our waistlines that pay the price.  To protect our waistlines I try to answer his thirst for wings in a healthier manner- as long as the flavors are there, he is satisfied.

Sir Wes and Sir Duke- Even Duke has Bama Fever, see his collar!

These flat breads are quick and easy, some days I make my own pizza dough, but I like the ease and low calories of “Flatouts”, most grocery’s have them close to the deli counter.  I grilled the chicken the night before while I was using the grill so it was even easier, just putting them together took me about 10 minute.  These can also be assembled at your tail gate parties and cooked on the grill, a great alternative to burgers and brats!

Mis en place, simple and easy!

Ingredients

  • 3- Flatouts
  • 3 tsp olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2- 5oz chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
  • 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 3 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
  • 3 tbsp sliced green onions

Flat breads are ready for the oven!

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spread a teaspoon of olive oil on each flat bread and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Gently spread 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over each flat bread. In a bowl toss the slice chicken with the buffalo sauce and spread evenly over the flat breads.  Spread the blue cheese and green onions over the flat breads.  If you have a pizza stone, bake directly on them, other wise place flat breads on a cookie sheet and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Buffalo and Blue Flat Breads!!

Satisfying to the wing cravings and keeping your waistline in check!

Raspberry Lemon “Pop Tarts”….From Scratch!!!!!!!!

Carroll 8 Comments

Homemade Raspberry Lemon "Poptarts"

WHAT???????  Homemade Pop Tarts?  Awesome… That was our reaction when we passed by the bin that housed these nifty cutters at William Sonoma this summer.   We spent the rest of the evening deliberating which flavor we loved best, and what flavors would be fun to try.  The good old brown sugar was a contender for sure, and smores too.  Sir Wes wants to see a savory play on Quiche and he tells me, “please add bacon”!  This pastry cutter is a childhood throwback for sure, but how can you go wrong with a “Poptart”?

While I have plenty of pie crust and pastry dough recipes, I like to consider the recipe given with the product.   With the logic that the company is the expert of their product, one would assume, the recipe they provide is a good one.  I adapt the method to suit my kitchen equipment and the flavors to fit my preferences.

The following recipe was adapted from William Sonoma.

The dough mis en place!

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 6 to 8 Tbs. ice water
  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam 
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Colored sprinkles

The butter is icy cold!

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt and granulated sugar until combined. Add the butter and crumble with hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 Tbs. of the ice water and mix again with hands. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 tsp. at a time, mixing after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. 



Hand mixing is a great way to learn about dough consistency!

The desired cornmeal consistency!

Dough discs, ready for refrigeration.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 dough disc into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Using the outer ring of a toaster pastry press, cut out 8 pastries, rerolling the scraps as needed. Using a small offset spatula or a butter knife, spread 1 Tbs. of the jam onto each of 4 pieces of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Brush the edges with the beaten egg mixture. Top each with a plain piece of dough. Place the 2-piece press on top and press the inner ring down to seal the edges. Remove the mold. Transfer the pastries to a prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough disc. 


Flour coats the dough, the surface and the rolling-pin!

Dough is rolled!

Dough is cut!

Filled, Topped and Pressed!

Position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 


Bake the toaster pastries until golden, about 30 minutes, reversing the positions of the baking sheets on the racks and rotating them from front to back halfway through the baking time. Let the pastries cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer the pastries to wire racks and let cool completely. 


Golden brown, fresh out of the oven!

In a bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until well combined. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle the icing onto the toaster pastries and shake sprinkles over top. Let the icing harden completely before serving. Makes 8 toaster pastries. 


Homemade Raspberry Lemon "Poptarts"

I think these turned out perfectly, the dough was perfect.  I put them in the toaster oven the next morning to warm to serve.  I see many warm “Pop Tarts” in our future!  Chocolate Hazelnut, Heirloom Apples, Pumpkin Latte, ….plenty of options!

Watermelon Cocktail Sauce with Spicy Creole Grilled Gulf Shrimp

Carroll 5 Comments

Here’s a little secret amongst chefs…we are always looking for something new.  I gotta say, new ideas are hard to come by, as there is not too many original ideas.  So we take to tweaking, swapping, deconstructing and reconstructing, anything we can do to maintain our hunt to be inventive and creative.   Like most chefs I have a pile of food magazines, some cookbooks, and a ton of websites I pour over weekly looking for inspiration.  While some people might see this as unoriginal, I believe it’s more of a catalyst to my own work; after all, it’s the hand of the chef that makes the flavors sing.

During the weekly voyage thru those piles of magazines and multiple websites, I came across, what I thought was a homerun! It would be perfect for a southern Labor Day cookout.  When we entertain at home, we like to have simple, easy and tasty food, along with a few surprises for our guests to enjoy.  Watermelon Cocktail Sauce would do just that, refreshing, zippy and quite the “A- ha”.

Watermelon Cocktail Sauce Mis en Place- Perfect for end of summer cookouts!

Watermelon Cocktail Sauce
  • 2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
  • 1 tablespoon yellow onion, rough chopped
  • 3 tablespoon fresh grated horseradish
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons prepared cocktail sauce/ketchup
 The method is pretty simple…put all of the ingredients except the cocktail sauce or ketchup in a food processor and puree.  Once all the ingredients are puréed smoothly, transfer into a mixing bowl.  The cocktail sauce or ketchup is there to thicken the sauce if necessary.  Add a tablespoon at a time and stir well until the sauce is thick enough; this can vary depending how juicy your watermelon is.  The watermelon cocktail sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Fresh Grated Horseradish- peel it like ginger and then grate.

Fresh horseradish is stronger than the prepared type you can buy in the store.  Peel the root and grate it; add more or less depending on your taste.

Marinated Creole Gulf Shrimp

Creole Grilled Shrimp

  • 2 pounds peeled tail on large shrimp
  • 4 ounces olive oil
  • 4 tablespoon creole seasoning

Marinate the shrimp for an hour or so with the olive oil and your favorite creole seasoning before you skewer them.  A great tip if you use wood skewers is to soak them in water for a few minutes before you put food on them, this will make sure the skewers don’t burn on the grill.

Rain or Shine, Sir Wes is up for anything!

Slowly getting some color

Watermelon Cocktail Sauce with Spicy Creole Grilled Shrimp! Perfect dish to show off your cookng chops!

Happy Labor Day to all and may the the rest of the year be just as tasty!

Dining in the Kitchen, Golden Oaks Media Event

Carroll 5 Comments
Welcome to our dining room

We welcomed a group of guests in our kitchen last week for a fabulous dinner.  When we have the chance to host guests in the kitchen, the vibe and passion is extraordinary.  The entire team works on planning, setup and menu writing.  Then the chefs take creativity to the next level, going back and forth about cooking techniques, flavor profiles and presentations.  We work together bouncing ideas until we get goosebumps from excitement!  Having the opportunity to play and create is the driving force in our kitchen.

We are ready with our toys!
We used Evo Grills, Sous Vide Tanks, a Rotary Evaporator and Smokers to make the meal into an experience!

First Course is Prison Soup.....We went with that theme when we chose the underliner!

Chef knows how to capture an audience before the first course even hits the table!
The kitchen transforms into a dining room that one would find in a home.  The guests also get to know the chefs and service staff as you would at a dinner party at someone’s house.  We love to be able to interact with our guests, as it helps to create this unique dining experience.

Rotary Evaporator!

This is what we used to create the first course “Prison Soup”.  The tomato puree in the lower bulb rotates; with pressure and heat, the vapors drip into the bulb on the left.  Like in prison, the first course was bread and water….only our clear water was tomato flavor….
Fresh, a-la minute cooking!
We cook everything in front of our guests, taking questions along the way!

Speck Ham Fritters

Speck Ham Fritter in a Squash Blossom and Spicy Cream

Filled with beauties…
This course is one of our favorites; the payoff of the guests expressions of delight provides us immediate satisfaction!

Making it happen!

Get your cell phones/camera's out....

Chilled Salad Course!

This dish was awesome! The guest loved it and were happy to tell us!

"Ok Chef, I am floored!" - Priceless

The details of executing an event like this are fine tuned.  The coals on the grill have to be in perfect sync with the flow of the evening.

Hibachi Cooking!

Finger Limes- These are sweet and tasty small beads, so perfectly delicate!

We work closely with our vendors, which helps in our never-ending thirst of new products and knowledge!  These limes are new to me – they come from Australia and are relatively new in American cuisine.

Crispy skin-on Wreck Fish after the sous vide bath!

Beautiful Chef's Garden garnishes!

Key West Wreck Fish, Sous Vide and Crisped Skin! Perfect!

The care in planning and design of these dinners starts way before we even know about them.  Take a look at these beautiful radishes, the farmers and their teams put such love into the products that land on our plates!

Chef's Garden Cherry Bomb Radishes!

Plenty to pick from!

Can you say truffles....

Pasture Prime Waygu Beef – Southern style!
This beef comes from Florida, and is 100% DELICIOUS!

Cheese Course- Full of flavors!

Smoking Cheese
We love cheese, actually can’t get enough and are always looking for something new.  We fell in love with Southern Belle Goat Cheese this week- it is awesome….guarantee you cannot walk away after one bite!

Tiffen Box Take Away, filled with Ginger Marshmallows, Cake Balls, Artisan Truffles, Sea Salt Pretzel Sticks and Florida Strawberries!

Our guests had planned a fireworks cruise, and sadly for us, requested dessert on the go.  While we missed sharing another course with them, we did love the opportunity to create some magic for them to take away!
The event was a great success, as I told the Executive Chef, “I’m not sure who had more fun, the guests or the chef’s!”

Orlando Food Truck Bazaar

Carroll 1 Comment

Having a ton of friends interested in food is awesome, there is always a foodie ready for an adventure! We gathered some of these friends and headed out to The Daily City Food Truck Bazaar at Fashion Square Mall last Sunday. With all the great food, old friends and new ones, and many, many laughs, we couldn’t have had a better time (maybe if it was a bit cooler).

Gator Country

 
 

Mike, you didn't actually want anything did you??

 

Here she comes, Melanie, and looks like she has food!!

 
Help yourself Sir Wes!
 
Events like this can be found several days of the week in Orlando, some in parking lots and some in pretty parks. I’m thinking tailgates this fall…..
 

This trio...good old fun...

 
 

The Traditional Arepas, Pupusa, for Alex

 

Our favorite Seafood Guy, Brian!

 
There’s Robin!!!
 

If you have events like this in your town I highly recommend going, you will find friendly people, delicious food and support local business’ at the same time! If there isn’t anything like this close to you, just come to Orlando 🙂

Baby JEM begged and begged to come to the Food Truck Bazaar!

 
The Batter Bowl Truck

The Batter Bowl Truck

 

I spy Melissa's Chicken and Waffles being ordered!!

 

Hmmmmm- the heat is getting to Ben....

 
 
 

Life in a Bakery

Carroll 10 Comments

I'm surviving in a bakery! Cake ball Ninja! 🙂

In case you don’t know, working in a kitchen is like no other job: the atmosphere, the pace, the inappropriate jokes and banter, let’s just say it isn’t for the meek.   I believe it is these things that keep chefs going back every day; let’s face it, it isn’t the burns, the sweating on the hot line with no break or the long hours.  Nope, it’s got to be the creativity, the adrenalin, the comradery, and the fact that we eat great food every day that keeps us in the kitchen.

I’ve worked in many restaurants and catering kitchens, and adapted pretty quickly to each one, found where the china caps were, what cooler the herbs were in and found where the cambro of chocolate covered almonds were in the dry storeroom.  But it wasn’t until I went to Ohio that I ever got a chance to work in a bakery – the land of measuring cups and recipes – a bit of a foreign thing to a savory chef.  I’ve done a lot of baking at my home, but not the type of production that equivalates to parties of 1500 people.

Pre-meal at Sweets by Maggie!

That display case is making me hungry!

It turns out I managed to hold my own!  My friend Maggie has a great thing going at her shop, Sweets by Maggie; she has talented bakers, a great PR Rep and her invaluable family behind her and the counter!  Despite the stress and time constraints, the Sweets by Maggie crew manages to have a ton of fun and amazingly, remain thin!

Top Secret Cake Recipe in the works!

The shop is as cute as the cupcakes!

Maggie has an awesome story, a “feel good story” if you will.  After going thru some tough times in Florida, she returned home, to Lorain, Ohio.  At home Maggie had the support of her family to help out with her two young sons while she settled into a new life.  With a stroke of luck she found herself working at the CVI, the Culinary Vegetable Institute.  At the CVI, she made a ton of contacts, worked with talented chefs from across the country and had fresh, beautifully, grown on site produce to work with.

The Real Cake Ball Ninja! I tried to keep up....tried...

In the weeds!

Maggie also had time to revisit her passion for baking, a trade she learned before going to the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and falling in love with the savory side of cooking.  Her rediscovered talent was not kept secret for long; Maggie soon had constant requests for her goods.  The home kitchen soon became a bakery, her dining room table became a cake decorating table and her car became a delivery truck.  With her at-home business booming, Maggie said farewell to the CVI and focused on her dream of opening her own shop.  After a year of planning and penny pinching, that dream came true.  Sweets by Maggie was open in October of 2010.  The store is adorable, her crew is loyal and talented, her family support is endless and most of all- her sweets are A-maZing!

The Help! It is truly a family thing...

The Master- Whoop whoop!

I have never been more proud of a friend, and I am so glad I was able to see her success first hand and test my baking chops at the same time!

Hard work is rewarded at Sweets by Maggie! Another round, Yes, please!

Sweet Corn and Berry Ice Cream, an Ohio treasure travels south!

Carroll 10 Comments

Sweet Corn and Berry Ice Cream- So unusual yet delicious!

On my recent trip to Ohio, I was fortunate enough to discover a few things, Sweets by Maggie Salted Caramel Cake Balls, Rockmill Brewery and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.  And I was even more fortunate to take home with me, Jeni’s recipes in her beautiful, smart cookbook, along with her offer to consult directly.  Thanks Jeni, I’ll call you if I need you, and yes, as you signed in my book, I will have many pleasures.  🙂

Mise en Place

This recipe is from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Cook Book.  I followed the instructions on my ice cream maker, make sure you do too!!

INGREDIENTS
1 ear of sweet corn, husked
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoon) cream cheese, softened
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
Berry Sauce
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
½ cup sugar

Local Berries

BERRY SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the berries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 220 F (5-8 minutes).  Let cool slightly, then force thru a sieve to remove the seeds.  (Or leave them in there just to prove you made it.)  Refrigerate until cold before using.

Berries Cookin'

ICE CREAM INSTRUCTIONS

Prep Slice the kernels from the corn cob, the “milk” the cob by scraping it with the back of your knife to extract the liquid; reserve the kernels and liquid.

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth

Fill a large bowl with ice and water

Soaking the Corn Flavor Up!

Cook Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn and juices, and corn syrup in a 4 quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and for mixture thru a sieve into a bowl, leaving the corn “casing” behind.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Bring back to a boil over medium high heat and cook, stirring with a heat proof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat.

Thru the Sieve- Squeeze every bit of flavor out you can!

Lil' Tip...if no one is around to hold your ziplock

Ice Bath- Shake it around to get it to cool even faster!

Chill Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge into the ice bath.   Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Freeze Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

You Scream, I Scream!

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the berry sauce and ending with a spoonful of the sauce; do not mix.  Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Makes a generous quart

Sweet Corn and Berry Ice Cream-Quintessential Summer Treat!

I hope you enjoy this Ohio treasure as much as I do!

Dining In The Dark, Lighthouse Central Florida

Carroll 5 Comments

I’m pretty big on keeping up with food events going on around town, I can’t always make it, but I certainly want to know about it.  It’s pretty amazing what you find when you scratch beyond the surface!  When I stumbled onto the Lighthouse Central Florida Dining in the Dark event I was thrilled.  I had helped execute a Dining in the Dark event a few years ago and was fascinated with it, and envious.

The greatest thing about it and this is what I love, is that all of the proceeds went to charity.   Since 1976, Lighthouse Central Florida has provided education, independent life skills and job training and placement to more than 100,000 people with sight impairment and their families.  Lighthouse Central Florida is the only private, non-profit agency offering a comprehensive range of services for babies, children, adults and seniors in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

What a great event to be able to participate in!  All of the friends of Lighthouse were so helpful and warm.  Sir Wes could not speak enough about how great Margaret was, who helped him arrange my finicky meal.

Summer Reception

We arrived to a small reception on an oak shaded porch.  A few hors d’oeuvres and a glass of wine eased us into the excitement of the evening.  We mingled with the group of 40 before the Orlando SWAT Team arrived in their full gear.  The host of the evening welcomed us and introduced the swat team and the wonderful chef of the evening, Guy Ferri, from Ocean Prime.  After a quick instructional talk, it was almost time and you could definitely tell the excitement was building!

Self Portrait! We aren't too good at these!

"The Do's and Do Nots"

Orlando SWAT and the Chefs!

The host called us by table numbers and we were led by our Swat Man into the very dark, like cannot see anything dark, dining room.  They guided us around the edge of the table, leaving us to fumble to find our chairs.  I believe Sir Wes and his neighbor tried to share the same seat!  Once we were all sitting comfortably at the table, the swat man told us there were bottles of wine and a pitcher of water on the table, and to help ourselves.  I think it was at that moment that the ice was broken at the table, as we all had to work together to find what we couldn’t see!

We had wonderful time, talking together as a group, laughing and getting to know one another.  I have never been to an event that we were all so quick to open up and go beyond typical small talk.  As the courses were served the room got even louder, you could hear everyone guessing what we were eating!  The first course was Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche with Avocado, Red Onion, Tomato and Spicy Lime Vinaigrette, it was delicious. I think the strangest guess I heard for that course was Gator.  The entrée was a Sage Roasted Farm Chicken with Fingerling Potato and Wild Mushroom Hash.  This was awesome- the airline chicken was moist and came with a handle!  I do believe there were a few guesses of beef or beef stew…maybe it was the pan jus?  Last was a lovely Crème Brule with Marinated Berries and Whipped Cream, a perfect ending and no wrong guesses!!

Great Event, Great Crowd, Great Cause!

Our new friends!

The Crew! Wes couldn't stay away from the "breakdown", catering is in his blood! 🙂

The Dining in the Dark experience was eye opening, to be able to experience what a vision impaired person does, even for just 90 minutes is priceless.  We came to understand, how without one sense, all of the other senses stepped up.  This experience will allow you to be aware of what we take for granted every day, and when we are able to see that, our lives become even more enriched.

The Lighthouse, Chef Guy, Ocean Prime, the Orlando SWAT and all of the other generous sponsors put on a top notch event, enjoyed by all of the guests as well as the volunteers.  It was a fabulous event, a wonderful cause and a pleasure to meet the supporters of the Lighthouse Central Florida!

Thank you Lighthouse!!

Roasted Poblano and Apricot Chicken Chili, On A Stormy Summer Night!

Carroll 1 Comment

Rainy Summer Comfort

I know, I know…….typically, chili is seen in the fall, with cool days, but here in Florida those don’t come around too often.  We have been having a lot of stormy afternoons lately, so the comforting chili has made an early appearance!

I tend to use canned beans with chili as a time saver, but you can use dried if you prefer.   As a matter of fact, the beans I use change frequently, dictated by what’s in the cabinet.  The only thing that I try to keep constant is the low sodium, which is why I ended up with organic beans this time.  I just want you to know any beans will do –

When a recipe calls for cumin or coriander, I like to take the time to use whole seeds, toast them and then grind them in a coffee grinder.  The aromatics are so intense, toasting them is imperative as who knows how long the seeds sat in the containers before they reached our cabinets.  This will really refresh them and make a HUGE difference in flavor.  (FYI, the same theory is true with nuts).   Just put the seeds in a small sauté pan by themselves over medium low heat, and roll them around until you start to smell them.  Be careful not to walk away, as they are quick to be forgotten about and even quicker to burn! 🙂

To char the peppers, just throw them on the grill, or roast them in the high heated oven until a charred color is achieved.  Sometimes a roasted/charred pepper will call for the skin to be removed, but in this case I don’t think it is necessary, it is chili after all-

I love the spicy sweet of this recipe, the cinnamon ties it all together perfectly, without taking a lead role.

Mise en place, onions, garlic, lime and cilantro- Makings of any good meal!

Roasted Poblano and Apricot Chicken Chili

2 teaspoon olive oil
1 Bay Leaf
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 lbs. ground chicken breast
15 oz. canned low sodium organic pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. canned low sodium soy beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup diced dried apricots
1½ teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1½ teaspoon toasted ground coriander
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 lime, zest and juice
2 poblano peppers, charred and diced
½ cup white corn meal
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Beans- Washed and rinsed. Whichevers clever..

Charring beautifully!

Start by heating the olive oil in a heavy 4-quart sauce pan; add the bay leaf, chopped onion, chopped garlic and ground chicken breast and sauté.  When the onions are translucent and the chicken is cooked add the beans and the chicken stock to the pot.  Bring the ingredients to a slow simmer and add the apricots, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, lime zest, lime juice, and diced poblano peppers.

White Corn Meal- This will thicken the chili to the right consistency.

Diced Poblanos- You can substitute different peppers if you like!

Let the chili simmer for 5 minutes, then add the white corn meal, stirring until the chili is thickened.  Allow the chili to continue cooking over low heat for the flavors to meld together.  Put the chopped cilantro in a few minutes before serving, which leaves the color fresh and bright!

Garnish with sour cream, salsa, corn tortilla chips, or whatever you like.  As with most chili…the next day the flavors were even more developed – if it can last that long in your house!

Charred Poblano and Apricot Chicken Chili