Tag tomatillo sauce

Parties That Cook Welcomes Summer Intern: Meet our Newest Marketer

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , June 18th, 2013 @ 11:13 am

This week, the Parties That Cook team is excited to welcome a new Marketing Intern! As with any PTC intern, we’re showing her the ropes and teaching her what it really means to be a corporate events company. It’s only day 2 of her 3-month stint with us, and we’ve already shipped her out to see our San Francisco team in action. As we tell most folks who are unfamiliar with our hands-on cooking parties, the best way to fully grasp what we do is to experience it, first-hand. I’ll let her introduce herself – take it away, Erin!

Hey all,  I cannot even begin to express how thrilled I am to be working with Parties That Cook for the summer! This is a company that, after only one day, has proven to be even more amazing than it looked on paper — err, online. There are many reasons to come to San Francisco, but first and foremost for me is to learn. I first heard about Parties That Cook through my college, Bibby Gignilliat’s alma mater. I first thought, “How could one company manage to take everything I love about life (food and people) and spice it up by making a career out of it?!” Luckily, they selected me for the internship, and now I get to spend the summer here.

I have been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. What began as an excuse to eat cookie dough has morphed into a journal of recipe clippings, “Iron Chef” parties complete with judges and secret ingredients, and more recently, elaborate and elegant dinner parties with parents and friends. Basically, the kitchen is where the party’s at.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, I’m already impressed with the San Francisco food scene. There are so many restaurants to experience and enjoy. And so much SUSHI! It actually reminds me of Boulder, CO. Walking down Pearl Street, you can satisfy just about any craving you can think of – delicious and exciting! Still, my favorite eateries are the local hole-in-the-walls.

If you ever find yourself in the Denver area, I recommend checking out El Tejado, a local go-to for Mexican fare (IF you are in the know, that is). They might just make the best Carne Asada I’ve ever tasted. I’m drooling just thinking about it! And their Tomatillo Sauce… YUM. One great thing about tomatillo sauce is that it goes with practically everything: scrambled eggs, tamales and especially quesadillas, a college girl’s best friend. In fact, while I was browsing through the PTC recipe library, I came across this gem of a Quesadilla Recipe: Cheddar, Bacon and Leek Quesadillas with Tomatilla Sauce.  If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen!

Spicing Up Your Crab Season

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General Tagged with , , , , January 14th, 2010 @ 3:28 pm

It’s crab season and we here at Parties That Cook are ready to provide you with a unique way to use your crab. From Santa Cruz to San Francisco, the temperature of the ocean creates a perfect habitat for crab season.

Although crab tastes delicious plain and dipped and butter, would you ever think of adding it to a quesadilla? Well we have, and it’s one of our favorites!

Crab Quesadillas:
1 pound of fresh crabmeat, picked through to remove any shells or cartilage 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup green Pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds), toasted in a dry pan for 3 minutes
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh marjoram, chopped
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
4 ounces Cotija cheese, grated
7 ounces Monterey Jack, grated

Salsa:
3 dried chipotle peppers, stem and seeds removed
1 cup boiling-hot water (for steeping peppers)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut in half
1/4 small white onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons lime juice

3-5 Tablespoons canola oil (for cooking)
10 eight-inch flour tortillas

Garnish:
Cilantro leaves

Methods/Steps:
Quesadilla Filling/Crab: In a medium bowl, mix the crabmeat with the lemon juice and salt.  Set aside.

Quesadilla Filling/Other: In a bowl, combine the pepitas, marjoram, parsley and the grated/crumbled cheeses. Mix.

Salsa: Put tomatoes on a sheet pan and broil them, turning once, until blackened on both sides (about 3 minutes a side); remove and discard skins. Remove stem and seeds from the chipotles.  Toast chipotles in a small dry sauté pan, pressing with a spatula, until they turn deep red and smell aromatic, about 30 seconds a side.  In a medium bowl, put peppers into the hot water; cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until soft, about 15 minutes. Purée peppers, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro in a food processor until smooth.  With machine running, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream.  Season with salt.  Put in serving bowl.

Assemble/Cook Quesadillas: Add 1 Tablespoon of canola oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Lay a tortilla flat in the pan. Place some cheese and crab filling on top, and cover with another tortilla.  Cook for a few minutes until golden, then turn and cook until toasty on the other side.  Remove from heat.  Repeat until all ingredients have been used.

Serve: Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles. Place on the serving platter, surrounding the salsa. Garnish with leaves of cilantro.

These are perfect for an appetizer or could even be made larger for a main course. Get to cooking because the best crab comes during the winter.