Today is The Day!  After twelve months of hope and excitement and wishes and worry our friends are closing on their newly built home in the Texas Hill Country.  I promised a celebratory dinner when that happened with grand plans of china and crystal and silver and candlelight.

Instead, I find myself outside in the noonday heat, standing at our gas grill, charring a mound of poblanos and red ripe bell peppers in anticipation of fixing a Tex-Mex themed steak dinner; our friends are moving from North to South Texas after all—the true Tex-Mex of Texas. I set the table with plates designed by Gorky from Guanajuato, and use my much-loved small hand painted Santa Rosa Pottery, purchased from the factory high in the mountains of Mexico, to use for casual appetizers in the living room.

While Michael preps his delicious blueberry-bourbon sangria, I caramelize sugar and heat cream for individual petite flans. The well-marbled steaks are trimmed of fat and seasoned with generous doses of garlic. The carnitas are roasting in a slow, slow oven. Dinner is pretty much done, and I hardly break a sweat—except for charring the peppers.

Mexican Steak Dinner for 4

Carnitas with Mantiquilla de Pobre

Sangria

Pinto Bean Soup with Salsa

Grilled Garlic Steak

Rajas

Rich Red Zinfandel

 Individual Flans with Cinnamon Cream

Champagne

 

Carnitas with Mantiquilla de Pobre

Serves 4

 

For carnitas

• 1 boneless butterflied pork loin chop cut 1″ thick
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For Mantiquilla de Pobre

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 2 large avocados
• 10 – 12 scallions very thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Garnish

• Tortilla chips
• Cilantro sprigs

Cook Carnitas

Slice butterflied pork chop in half lengthwise. Slice each half lengthwise. You should have 4 strips each approximately 1″ wide (a little wider doesn’t matter). Cur each strip into three pieces.

Place parchment paper on a large sheet pan and season each piece of pork with salt and pepper on all sides.

Place carnitas in a 200°F oven for 1 hour. Increase heat to 250°F and bake another hour. Check carnitas for doneness halfway through. You do not want them to overcook.

Make Mantiquilla de Pobre

Cut the tomatoes and the avocados into very small cubes. Add the onions, vinegar oil and salt to taste. Toss gently and let stand at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes to blend flavors. You will have extra Mantiquilla de Pobre.

To serve

Place a scoop of the avocado mixture on each of four appetizer plates. Add three carnitas to each plate.  Garnish with a tortilla chip and cilantro sprig. Serve with small cocktail forks.

Grilled Garlic Strip Steaks

Serves 4

 

• 2 well-marbled New York strip steaks 1⅓ – 1 ½” thick, approximately 2 lbs.
• Olive oil
• Seasoned salt
• Garlic salt
• 4 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons fresh basil leaves, minced

Trim steaks of excess fat. Place the steaks on a baking sheet.

Rub one side of each steak with olive oil; sprinkle generously with seasoned salt and garlic powder, then sprinkle approximately 1 teaspoon each minced garlic and fresh basil steaks.  Flip steaks over and repeat with on other side. Marinate at room temperature for 2 – 3 hours.

Heat stove top grill pan for 10 minutes.

Place steaks on the grill pan and cook for 5 minutes on one side.  Turn the steaks over and grill for another 4 minutes.  Turn steaks on sides and grill for 30 seconds on each edge. Steaks should register 125°F on an instant read thermometer.

Place steaks on a cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  With a sharp knife, slice the steaks into ¼” slices.

Divide beef among four dinner plates.

 

Creamy Cheesy Rajas

Serves 4 – 6

• 4 large red bell peppers, charred and peeled, seeded and sliced into ¼” wide strips
• 4 medium poblano peppers, charred and peeled, seeded and sliced into ¼” wide strips
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large onions thinly sliced lengthwise
• ¾ cup whipping cream
• 4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese
• Approximately 2 teaspoons salt

Heat oil in heavy large skillet add onions, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and sauté onions, cooking till golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add cream.

Note: Onions may be cooked 1 hour ahead to this point. Turn heat to the very lowest point on your stove and keep warm till you are ready to complete the dish.

Mix in red pepper and chilies. Add additional 1 teaspoon salt and heat through.  When pepper mixture is hot sprinkle cheese on top of mixture and take off heat. Stir till cheese melts. Taste for seasoning. Serve.

Individual Flans with Cinnamon Cream

Serves 6

Delicately flavored with a touch of dark rum, silky flan is accompanied by a rich cinnamon cream and sweet fresh blueberried.

Flans

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• Fresh fruit to garnish
• Mint springs to garnish

Spray 6, 1/3-cup custard cups (approximately 2 ½” diameter) with non-stick spray. Heat heavy skillet.  Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar and stir till dissolved.  Boil until golden brown, sugar mixture will continue to cook and caramelize in the hot pan even when removed from the heat. Immediately divide among custard cups, turning to coat bottom and sides. (Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot caramelized mixture.) Work quickly or the mixture will harden.

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring cream and sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Whisk eggs and egg yolk together.  Mix in rum and vanilla.  Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture.  Strain into a large cup measure and then divide among custard cups.  Place custard cups in a large baking pan.  Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of custard cups.  Bake at 300°F until knife inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 20 – 25 minutes.  Refrigerate until well chilled.

Cinnamon Cream

• ¾ cups cream
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine cream and cinnamon and sugar, and bring to a simmer in heavy saucepan.  Beat egg yolks in a medium bowl until well combined.  Gradually beat in hot cream.  Return cream mixture to pan, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 4 to 8 minutes.  Strain into a bowl. Stir in vanilla, cover, and chill. To serve, invert custards onto desert plates. (You may need to run a knife carefully along the edge, and tap bottoms when the flans are inverted.)  Transfer cinnamon cream to a pitcher and pour a pool of sauce around each flan.  Garnish with fruit of your choice and fresh mint.