The Rogue Estate

text encapsulated epicurean elitism

Best party snack ever

I had a party to cook for and was in the frame of mind for a finger-food aesthetic with real-meal fulfillment. This plan for large southwestern influenced snack-wraps was my solution.

These are time-consuming, but the raving of the party guests days and weeks later has proven beyond all doubt that this dish is worth the effort.

The protein portion of the program is chicken breast which I had prepared with a sweet & spicy rub, than slow smoked over cherry wood until cooked through and left to rest until cool before slicing to fajita sized strips. If you don’t have the time to slow-smoke chicken, definitely use Penzey’s Smoked Paprika as part of your seasoning to heighten the flavor of the chicken.

The software:

• 2 Red Bell Peppers
• 3-4 tbl Olive Oil
• 16 oz. Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup fresh Cilantro leaves, picked and muddled
• 12 Green Onion tops
  
• 1 Lime, halved for juicing
  
• 1 lb. Smoked Chicken Breast
• 12 large flour tortilla flats (I used spinach and tomato colored wraps for visual interest)
  
• 1 Cup Spicy Mayonnaise (A made my own, the recipe is included below.)
• Penzey’s Salsa Spice Blend for mild
• Penzey’s Fajita Spice Blend for added heat
  
• Cocktail picks to use as fasteners

Quarter the Bell Peppers, coat with Olive Oil and fire-roast until the skins begin to char, leaving the meat still firm. The pre-roasted peppers tend to be mush, so use the peppers raw if you can’t roast them.

With the Chicken and Bell Peppers cool, slice to thin Fajita size strips. Thinner is better, it will be easier to work with and you can certainly double up during assembly to your desired quantity.

Prepare your work area with a sheet of wax paper. Lay out a Tortilla flat and apply a thin coat of Spicy Mayo. In the center of the flat, arrange a line of Chicken, Onion, Cilantro and Bell Pepper. Give it a quick squeeze of Lime Juice, sprinkle liberally with Shredded Cheese and Salsa or Fajita spice blend and then roll tightly.

Visually divide into thirds, and secure the roll with a cocktail pick in the center of each third, then with a sharp large chef knive, make your cuts. Move the three rolls to your serving dish and repeat for the remaining flats.

Since Mayo is involved, serve these sooner rather than later. They’re best at room temperature, but if you must wait, Refrigerate!

This Spicy Mayonnaise, which is a hundred-fold better than any pre-packaged concoction on the market is as follows:

The Software:

• 1 Cup Plain Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Ancho Chile Powder
• 1 tbl Aleppo Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder (for color)

Mix all of the above together until smooth and uniform in color and refrigerate for an hour. Remove when you’re ready to assemble the wraps and give the Mayo a second just before use.

Avocado, Bacon, Jalapenos etc all have great potential, as does a good dose of ground cayenne pepper for added heat – however I’m unable to include them in this recipe as first hand experience. If you come up with some good variations, let me know how they turned out in the comments.

Enjoy!

-///

Chef’s Bookshelf:

Food can be art. There is some debate on this in the culinary world right now, but in my mind there is no question. To me it comes down to the very definition of the term, aesthetically pleasing. Be it to the ears as with music, the eyes as with paintings and sculpture, or multiple senses as with film. Food transcends all of those in that it engages all of the senses! The sound of a steak searing in a hot cast iron skillet or on a grill, the smell of garlic, the texture of the perfectly mashed potato, the artistic visual composition of a plate…. and let’s not forget the taste… the MOST important aspect!

As a child I thought (and so did most of my family) that I would grow up to be an artist. My grandfather, a hobbyist woodworker, made me my first easel for my 4th birthday. That’s how early I was showing the creative impulse. In high school I took every art course they offered and my father had instilled in me a great appreciation for music, so there are more than a few bands in my history as well. But a few short years after graduation I lost the urge for visual art, painting, drawing, sculpting ect. By this time I was already years into my current career as a chef, but that background has served me very well. Mostly in the way I think about food, as a composition.

I had been rolling the comparisons to fine food and fine art around in my head for some time when I happened upon this book.

“Culinary Artistry”

Needless to say, the first chapter immediately caught my attention, and after acquiring it (birthday gift from the perfect woman, thank you Sara!) I was NOT disappointed! I read it twice, cover to cover. Half way through the first time I thought, “I should be bookmarking this! Every other page is amazing!”. Filled with interviews with chefs at the top of their game, seasonal ingredient charts, classic food and wine pairing lists, menus from the aforementioned chefs, and discussions on the validity of comparing fine food and fine art, I fell in love with this book! It’s another essential for aspiring chefs, and foodies alike. The contributors list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of American chefs, and the last chapter alone is worth the price of admission.

So it looks like I grew up to be an artist after all. I just hope I can live up to that moniker.

Jack

http://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857

http://www.becomingachef.com/