Tag appetizer

Throw a Triple Threat Cinco de Mayo Fiesta with Parties That Cook!

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. People are out and about (if not at work) making their Cinco de Mayo plans – and there are plenty of options! From authentic Mexican restaurants and drink specials, to street festivals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Zumba-thon included), finding something to do is easy! If you find yourself in San Francisco tonight, you can even come out to the Ferry Building and support CUESA and La Cocina at Hecho En San Francisco! Olé!

If you would rather celebrate at home, invite your friends and their appetites as Parties That Cook brings THREE Mexican recipes to the table!  Introducing our tres amigos that, together, create a killer Cinco de Mayo menu (recipes below):

The Appetizer: Pork Taquito Cups with Avacado and Sour Cream
The Main Course: Chipotle Garlic Chicken Breasts with Cilantro
The Dessert: Cinnamon Churros with Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce Recipe

Pork Taquito Cups with Avocado and Sour Cream Recipe
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
24 won ton wrappers
Olive oil spray
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground pork
3/4 Tablespoon ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of allspice
1 small chipotle in adobo, seeds remove and finely chopped
½ teaspoon adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice, plus additional wedges for garnish
2 Tablespoons minced cilantro, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 avocado, cut into ¼-inch cubes

Methods/Steps
Won Ton Crisps: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray won tons with olive oil and put wrappers in mini muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. (Can burn easily so watch carefully).

Taquito Filling: Heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and pork. Cook until onion is translucent and soft, about 5 minutes and the pork has rendered its fat. Drain off the fat. Return to heat and add chile powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, chipotle, adobo and salt. Cook for 30 seconds. Add vinegar and lime juice. Remove from heat and add cilantro.

Assemble: Scoop a generous tablespoon of the pork mixture into the won ton cup. Sprinkle with some shredded cheese. Transfer cups to a warm oven to let the cheese melt. Once out of the oven, sprinkle with cubes of avocado and spoon a small dollop of sour cream on top. Garnish with a tiny lime triangle and serve immediately.

Serves/Makes
Serves 24

Chipotle Garlic Chicken Breasts with Cilantro Recipe
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in our Main Dishes Section!

Ingredients
Brine:
2 quarts water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon black peppercorn, coarsely smashed
8 6-ounce boneless chicken half breasts, skin on, tenders removed
Canola oil for searing

Chipotle Garlic Cream Sauce:
1 head garlic
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for roasting garlic and 1 Tablespoon to sauté onion
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeds removed
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 cup cream, reduced by half
1 cup chicken stock, reduced by half
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Garnish:
Cilantro sprigs

Methods/Steps

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Brine: Mix water, salt, sugar, garlic and black peppercorns. Immerse the chicken in the brine and refrigerate for 1/2 hour-1 hour. Remove from the brine and pat dry.

Roast the Garlic: Take a head of garlic and cut off the top of the stem end. Place the garlic bulb in a piece of foil and drizzle it with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap it tightly and roast it in a preheated oven until completely soft and caramelized, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Prepare Chipotle Garlic Cream Sauce:
Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan. Add chopped onion and sauté until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the toasted and ground cumin and cook 1-2 minutes. Transfer the onion/cumin mixture to a blender. Squeeze the garlic bulb into the blender. Add the chipotles (with seeds removed), crème fraîche, reduced cream and chicken stock, and salt. Process until pureed, about 2 minutes. Pour the puree into a saucepan. Set aside.

Sear then Roast: Preheat an outdoor grill or an indoor, ridged grill until very hot. Brush the grill with canola oil. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down on the grill. Top with a baking sheet with the rim facing up. Place a brick on the top of the baking sheet and let cook until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the brick and baking sheet and transfer the chicken to a sheet pan, browned side up. Finish browning the remaining chicken breasts then transfer the chicken to the oven. Roast chicken in the oven until a knife inserted in the center encounters no resistance (about 150ºF), about 10-15 minutes.

Finish Sauce: Bring chipotle garlic cream sauce to a simmer and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

Serve: Place a chicken breast on the plate and ladle 3 Tablespoons of sauce on top. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and serve immediately.

Serves/Makes
Serves 8

Cinnamon Churros with Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce Recipe
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in our Dessert Recipes Library!

Ingredients
Churros:
6 quarts canola oil, for frying
1 3/4 cups water
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 large egg white
Plastic wrap

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces Mexican chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Methods/Steps
Prepare Batter: In a frying pan, heat the oil to 375°F. In a large saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil with the butter and 1 teaspoon of salt. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir vigorously until incorporated. Using an electric mixer beat the dough at low speed for 1 minute, just until slightly cooled. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat in the eggs and egg white, one at a time. Transfer the dough to a bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface and put in the freezer until cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Scoop the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Topping: In a bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.

Fry Churros: Set a cooling rack on a half sheet pan. Squeeze 4-inch lengths of the dough into the hot oil, cutting them off with a knife. Fry about 6 churros at a time; they expand as they cook. Turn over once or twice, until browned, about 4 minutes. Drain the churros on the rack for 2 minutes then dust with the cinnamon sugar.

Make Chocolate Sauce: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the cream and milk until small bubbles appear around the edge. Add the chocolates, sugar, vanilla, cayenne and salt. Whisk over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Keep warm over very low heat.

Serve: Serve at once with hot chocolate sauce.

Serves/Makes
Makes 24

Nothing But Love For Pacific Community Ventures and PTC’s Ahi Tuna Tartare

On Tuesday, November 2nd, some of the Parties That Cook team attended the Pacific Community Ventures Annual Luncheon and Showcase. PCV is a non-profit organization that invests in small businesses, as well as offers entrepreneurs access to valuable business advising. Bibby had been asked to introduce George Beardsley, who was being honored as Advisor of the Year. George has recently provided PTC with some truly amazing guidance and advice in its endeavors, so Bibby was eager to help. Once again, Crissy was recruited to (wo)man the PTC booth. Carolyn, usually PTC’s operations manager, came out as our Lead Chef for the day.

We had a couple of tables set up with the usual marketing materials as well as an interactive cooking station! Passers-by were invited and encouraged to put on an apron, jump in and help us make Ahi Tuna Tartare for the crowd. We really did get some great volunteers! Visitors intrigued by the cooking station, and attendees interested in hearing more about our business kept us very busy!

It was great to reconnect with some familiar faces, as well as meet other showcasing companies, some of which included: Charles Chocolates (delicious AND represented by wonderful people), Fireclay Tile (beautiful designs, thanks for the tile!), Chile Lindo (glad you got the chance to make some tuna tartare with us!), Rhythm and Motion (dance classes look like SO much fun), InterSchola (brilliant idea), and SFMade (hope to see you again soon!) –they were all SO nice!

Everyone LOVED the Ahi Tuna Tartare on Wonton Triangles, so it only seemed right to share the recipe in a blog (it is also posted in our Appetizer Recipe Library). Fortunately, the wontons made the day before (triangles instead of cups) were crispy enough to last through the day (I made 200, and we still ran out!). This recipe will lead you to an appetizer with fresh, slightly tangy flavors that have just the right amount of spicy kick!

Ahi Tuna Tartare in Toasted Wonton Cups

Wonton Cups:
24 wonton wrappers
Olive oil spray
Salt for light dusting

Tuna Tartare:
9 ounces sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 Tablespoons green onions, green parts only, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (red chili sauce)
2 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 teaspoons lime juice
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Methods/Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make Wonton Cups: Spray mini muffin tins with olive oil. Spray (or brush lightly) both sides of each wonton wrapper with olive oil. Place wrappers in mini-muffin tins. Bake until golden, about 6 minutes. (They can burn easily so watch carefully.) Remove cups from pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and let cool on a cooling rack.
Alternatively, if you want triangles: Cut the wonton squares on an angle to make two triangles. Spray with olive oil, or brush lightly, on both sides. Arrange triangles on a baking sheet, and bake until golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt before cooling.

Prepare Tuna Tartare: Mix tuna, green onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, orange zest, Sriracha, cilantro and salt together in a medium bowl.

Assemble: Right before ready to serve, add avocado and lime juice to the tuna mixture (Do not add in advance or the texture will be compromised). Gently mix. Place a heaping teaspoon of the tuna tartare in each wonton cup. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Place on serving platter and serve immediately.

This original Parties That Cook recipe makes 24 wonton cups.
For other proven crowd-pleasing recipes, check out our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Check out a throw-back video of Parties That Cook founder and CEO, Bibby, giving a great tutorial on these wonton wrappers!