This cake was made at the Pace Salsa Chef’s Challenge at the 2012 Fiery Foods and BBQ Show. Recipe courtesy of chef Kaitlin Armstrong.
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Red Chile Ganache
Mary Jane’s recipe is based on one by the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten), but the shoeless TV cook wouldn’t dare to use red chile powder! You will need a springform pan for this cake since it would be difficult to get it out of a regular cake pan in one piece. If desired, you can use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet in the filling, and the cake will be slightly sweeter.
New Mexico Red Chile Sauce
The chiles that are traditionally used for Chile Colorado (red chile sauce) are the ones that are plucked off the ristras. Ristras, those strings of dried chiles that adorn houses in New Mexico are not just for decoration they are used for cooking also. This is a basic sauce that is used in any Southwestern recipe that calls for a red sauce such as enchiladas or tamales or as in the above recipe for Posole.
Green Chile Tortilla Pinwheels
These are very popular appetizers New Mexico and are served at just about every holiday party. A number of fillings can be used, but green chile cream cheese is by far the most favored. This is an all-purpose filling that goes well on crackers, as a dip with chips or vegetable crudities, as well as on tortillas. For those watching their fat intake, substitute light cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese. It is important to tightly roll and refrigerate the rolls or they won’t stay together after they are sliced.
Chile de Arbol Salad
Jicamas are a bulbous root vegetable with thin brown skin and a crisp, crunchy, sweet flesh rather like a water chestnut. In Mexico, jicamas are a popular snack food sold by street vendors who cut them into sticks, douse them with lime juice, and sprinkle them with chile. Sometimes called a Mexican potato, it’s good both raw and cooked, although it is usually served raw as an appetizer or in salads such as this one. This spicy salad dressing goes well with a number of fruits and vegetables so experiment with your own combinations.