Spicy Beef-Chorizo Empanadas

Here it is, a beautiful Tuesday in August. Summer is slipping away faster than I’d rather. Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of sizzling heat, but this summer hasn’t been nearly as bad as others. Now I could be wrong, since we are spending more time at the community pool. So maybe it’s just as hot and I haven’t noticed. Hum . . .

So, on the National Front we’ve got Zucchini Day. I do like Fried Zucchini appetizers. I can remember when Black Angus was all the rage – your one-stop date night. There was a bar, and back in the day they even had live bands. You could have a nice dinner, then dance the night away. It was at Black Angus that I first fell in love with Zucchini Appetizers. One of these days, I just might have to see if I can recreate their recipe. Brother Dear was a line-cook, and while he might know their “secret”, I never thought to ask while he was still with us. I’ve got an ex-brother-in-law that was an Executive Chef back in the day. Wonder if he’d tell me . . . Have you ever noticed that sometimes I just ramble on.

No matter, today is Tuesday. In our house, Tuesdays are all about Mexican Goodness. We are all fans of spicy Mexican food – so much so that sometimes we’ll have it on Tijuana Tuesday, Wild Card Wednesday and Sassy Saturday. Just ask my guys, they’ll tell you there is no such thing as too many Mexican Nights on the menu, especially if we’re serving Margaritas to wash it all down.

Spicy Beef-Chorizo Empanadas
1 refrigerated Pie Crust
3 Tabasco Peppers or other small hot peppers, optional
1 Red Jalapeno Pepper, optional
1/2 lb lean Ground beef
1/4 lb Chorizo
1 tablespoon Masa Flour
2 tablespoons Diced Hatch Green Chilies
Taco Seasoning to taste
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Thick Salsa

Heat oven to 425-degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Unroll crust as directed on the box. Cut twelve 3-inch circles from each dough disk, set aside. Stem and finely dice pepeprs, if using, set aside.

In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef with chorizo, breaking apart as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Drain well, pressing out any grease that may have been released from the chorizo. Sprinkle meat with Masa Flour, stir to blend. Add diced fresh peppers and Hatch Chilies. Taste and season as desired with Taco seasoning.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling over half of each dough round. Top meat filling with a sprinkling of cheese. Brush the edges of the crust with water. Fold the un-topped dough over the filling, forming a half-moon shape, press edges to seal. Place on the prepared cookie sheet.

Place in the oven to bake for about 8 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Turn on the broiler element, broil tops for about 2 minutes, or until beautifully browned. Remove empanadas from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack, let cool for a few minutes.

Spoon salsa into a bowl, place in the middle of a serving platter. Arrange empanadas around the salsa bowl, serve and enjoy.

Delicious as appetizers, or served with rice and beans can make for a fun supper. Just don’t forget the margaritas!

---

Today is also National Frozen Custard Day. Frozen Custard didn’t really seem to go with my spicy Empanadas. But a beautiful Crème Brûlée sure did. After all, what is Crème Brûlée but a custard dish? If this recipes seems familiar, it is. I’ve taken my Irish Cream Crème Brûlée recipe and modified it just a little, replacing the Irish Cream with Mexican Mudslide. Yum!

Mexican Mudslide Crème Brûlée
3 cups Heavy Cream
1 Vanilla Bean
4 tablespoons Mexican Mudslide
8 large Egg Yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Ultra Fine Bakers Sugar

Note: White sugar caramelizes best. Brown sugar contains too much moisture to give that golden bubbly crunch expected of Crème Brûlée. Raw sugar is too coarse to properly bubble. If you do not have ultra fine baker’s sugar, regular sugar will do. If possible, run it through a food processor to break the sugar down into an ultra fine grain.

Heat oven to 300-degrees. Have six 3/4-cup ramekins and shallow roasting pan at the ready.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and vanilla bean. Bring to a gently boil, remove from heat, cover and set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to merge and blend. Remove the vanilla bean from the cream. Using the tip of a knife, split the pod and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream. Discard the bean.

Return the cream to medium heat and bring almost to a boil. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, and 1/3 cup sugar until just blended. Slowly whisk in the hot cream to temper the egg yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Add Mexican Mudslide and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coast the back of a spoon, about 3-1/2 minutes. DO NOT let it boil. Pour the custard through a strainer into the ramekins, dividing it evenly among them.

Arrange the ramekins in the roasting pans. Pour very hot tap water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the entire pan with foil. Bake until the custards are set but the centers still giggle slightly when the ramekins are gently shaken, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven but leave in the water bath until cool enough to handle, then lift out the ramekins. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until well chilled. Remove from refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving.

Just before serving, heat the broiler. Sift the ULTRA FINE sugar over the tops of the custards to form a thin, even layer. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Slip the baking sheet under the broiler, 2 inches from heat source. Broil until the sugar melts and caramelizes, about 90 seconds or so. Turn the ramekins as needed to “burn” the sugar evenly.

Alternate Method: Use a small kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. Serve immediately and enjoy the crunch of the caramel, and the smooth richness custard with just a hint of Mexico.

---

Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness