Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.


From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

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Questions from February 2008

Tuesday 12

From Sarah Lynn:

Hi Rick! My boyfriend and I had lunch today at your Frontera restaurant today for the first time and all I can say is "wow." Everything that we ordered was delicious and greatly surpassed our expectations. Immediately after we left we looked at each other and said, "That was the best meal I've ever had!" My question is regarding the dessert we both devoured--we ordered the blueberry-tequila ice cream and fell in love with it. Your ice cream tasted so different than any I've ever had before, what do you do differently?
Thanks so much for the very kind words.  I'll pass them along to the staff.  The ice cream is made with blueberries that we freeze during the summer, at the height of our local blueberry season (they come from Mick Klug's farm in southwest Michigan).  It's made with a cooked custard base, with the final addition of tequila, to make the blueberry flavor sparkle.

Here's the recipe:

Blueberry-Tequila Ice Cream

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup half-and-half
2 cups (10 ounces) blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
The zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons blanco (silver) tequila

1.    Set up a double boiler. We find it easiest to start with a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which we nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl.  Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat while youre preparing the custard base.  
2.    Cook the base.  In the stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined, then whisk in the half-and-half. Reduce the temperature under the pot to maintain a gentle simmer.  Set the bowl of custard base over the simmering water, and whisk frequently, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 5 minutes. [KIRSTEN: I dont think this seems long enough]  The custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.  (You can also test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the custard, then running your finger through the custard:  if the line holds clearly, the custard has thickened sufficiently.) For the finest texture, pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a similar-size stainless steel bowl.
3.    Cool the base.  Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Nestle the custard into the ice and whisk regularly until completely cool.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.  
4.  Finish the ice cream. In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries and sugar.  Stir over medium heat until the berries have released their juices, about 8 minutes. In a loosely covered blender, combine the warm berries, cream, lime zest, lime juice and tequila.  Blend until smooth. Cool completely, then add to the cooled custard base.  Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions. Scrape into a freezer container and freeze for several hours to firm. 

Sincerely,
Rick

Thursday 7

From Nick:

Dear Rick,
I am completely frustrated with one of your recipes, Street Style Red Chile Enchiladas, from One Plate at a Time. I follow your directions exactly, but when I dip my corn tortillas in the red chile sauce and sizzle them in the skillet for 20 seconds a side, they turn to mush!!! They are just a big soggy pile of broken apart slop. I tried this with all 12 tortillas and more, even changed heat and duration. All I created was a huge waste of time, an even bigger mess in my kitchen, and no dinner! Please help me.

Ouch!  I feel terrible--not that there isn't an explanation, only that I caused you so much consternation (and nothing to fill the belly).  Your tortillas weren't right is my (educated) guess.  Probably to soft (meaning they were the really fresh ones used for eating like bread along side your main dish) or ones made from powdered mix (masa harina--which tends to make a crumbly tortilla).  Those are my favorite enchiladas, bar none.  So my suggestion is that you collect together several brands of tortillas (they're cheap, so the investment isn't great), preferably from a Mexican grocery store--though I've made those enchiladas with frozen Azteca brand tortillas from a regular grocery store and they worked.  And don't forget that the fire under the pan is quite high; too low a fire and the tortillas will soften before they sizzle and firm.



Sincerely,
Rick

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