Sweet & Spicy Supper w/ Rock-n-Molé

Here are the recipes for our February Supper Club, including Alex's Rock-n-Molé.

Alex's Molé recipe is very intense so I made everything else and decorated our apartment and the table with a Valentine's Day like theme. Pictures to be added soon.

It was a cold night so the theme was perfect and it helped keep down the temperature in our apartment. Enjoy! It's pretty insane making all this food in two days with a one-year old to entertain, but we pulled it off. It was pretty amazing having more counter space and having a living room separate from a kitchen that can fit a table for 12 without moving the couch was priceless.

Corrine & Alex's Sweet & SPICY Supper

APPETIZERS

Jalapeño Poppers (recipe link)

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips (recipe link)

(I did not add Kiwis since they are kind of impossible to find in February)

Spiked Hot Chocolate

3 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

a bunch of brandy or rum

In a sauce pan bring the milk and cram to low boil, dump into blender. Add sugar & cocoa then blend until sugar is dissolved. Add booze and vanilla stir again.

MAIN COURSE

Stuffed Artichokes (recipe link)

This is one recipe where is was really helpful to have a video to watch since I had never tried this before.

Sweet Salad

1 bunch Baby spinach leaves

1 bunch Arugula & mixed greens

10-15 Strawberries, chopped

1 cup Shaved carrots

1 cup Cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup Sliced almonds

1/4 cup Sweet balsamic and olive oil dressing

Prepare all ingredients in advance. Mix and add dressing right before serving

Pesto Potato Mash

1 Bag Red Potatoes

2 Red Peppers, chopped

2 Small onions, chopped

1 Cup Pesto - basil/garlic (We bought the pesto!)

Heavy cream

Butter (about 4 tablespoons)

Milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute Onions and Red Pepper in pan with olive oil and salt & pepper until onions are translucent, while boiling potatoes. When Potatoes are soft add onion/pepper mixture with pesto, cream, milk and butter. I never measure with mashed potatoes I just keep adding cream and milk while mashing until I get the right consistency. Keep the mash bumpy and DO NOT OVER MIX. I just use a potato masher. Since this was such a large batch, I actually made one batch earlier in the day and kept it warm in the crock-pot. Shortly before people arrived I boiled the other half of the potatoes, added the ingredients and blended the two together. The potatoes did not get starchy and it freed up a pan for Alex's mole.

Alex's Rock-n-molé

Step 1. The Chili Base (can make several days ahead of time)

All chiles, stemmed, seeded keep them intact enough to be grabbed out of oil with tongs

6 oz dried mulato

3 oz. dried ancho

3 oz. dried pasilla

Step 2. Aromatics

10 ounces (5-7 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

10 ounces of tomatoes OR 1 can of tomatoes drained

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1 large onion, chopped into 1" hunks

8 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cloves

2 slices firm/stale white bread, darkly toasted (pretty black) and broken into several pieces

2 ounces Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped

Step 3. Stock

1 cup unskinned almonds

1 cup peanuts (shelled)

3 quarts chicken broth

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

Step 4. Meat

3-4 pounds pork shoulder

2 pounds of lard

4 limes

salt

To do this right you will need lard, lots of lard. You will spend at least 6 hours standing up and much time stirring, surely that counts as some part of a workout… also you don't have to eat the whole damn thing yourself.

First and foremost you are going to be devoting a lot of time to this meal. This recipe is an immersion into emulgent. You will be cleaning up splatters of molten chili-lava regardless of your oil choice. The oil you use can impart flavor or just do the job. A well seasoned lard will impart flavor. If you have never used lard before go find a rubber band buy some cheesecloth and a big jar, clean it out and dry it because once you are done you'll want to save this beautiful liquid for next year (or your next holiday meal). Use the rubber band to hold the cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar, pour in cooled but still liquid lard when done. If you also are a fan and collector of rendered fat, buy a small jar too.

The first step to any molé is the chili. Your dehydrated chilies need to bloom and give up their flavor and capacin contents up for the greater good. You want to take dried chilies and stick them in hot lard until they bloom (no more than 30 seconds!). I've broken everything down into steps so you complete this on your own schedule.

DON'T OVER HEAT THE LARD, you don't want black burnt lard you want nice soft aromatic amber colored nectar. Use just enough to cover 3 or so chilies at a time. Use a dutch oven or something with high sides because things tend to spit.

OPEN UP YOUR WINDOWS!! TURN ON YOUR OVEN FAN!! You are frying chills, there will be some smoke, if you do it right it won't be horrible but it may make your eyes water. Take notice of your smoke alarm, it may go off, don't panic. If you do it wrong you over-heat the chilies they burn and smoke. Your eyes will water and shit wont be so fun. Don't panic, just keep your heat medium-low to medium and take your time. The chilies should pop back to life and look like nice soft, formerly dried chills.

If you want to practice your technique start on the raisins. They will eventually need the same treatment, you can start with them and watch them bloom (they puff back up) then fish them out of the hot oil with a metal slotted spoon. This makes great practice.

If you want to get a head start on Step 3 process the cups of nuts so they are into irregular sizes, not powder. Toast with sesame seeds on a dry pan. remove from heat. Keep some almonds intact for Step 2.

As you bloom each chili remove to a bowl of hot water while taking care to allow oil to drip back into the pot. You need the water so DON'T FILL the bowl with hot water, start a little at the bottom and work your way up, adding chillies and water at the same time. Once the chilies are all soaking in the hot water let sit for at least 30 minutes.

While this is happening start on Step 2 if making the same day.

If you did this right your lard will be darker and a bit spicy, you should keep using it. If it's black and contains burnt chilies and carbon then discard. Fry in the hot oil for about 1 minute the raisins, garlic, onion, and remaining almonds. BE CAREFUL FRYING RAW ONIONS! They have a high water content and tend to spit, THEY MAY EXPLODE IF OIL IS TOO HOT. Start small and do a chunk at a time and remove layers as they separate. Stick all of this in a bowl and set aside.

With the chilies done soaking remove them to your blender. Taste the remaining liquid. It should look like coffee and be spicy and full of flavor. If it's bitter discard, you over cooked the chilies! If it's nice and non-offensive, but very spicy and earthy save it. If you made the chili liquid too bitter just use water.

Blend the chilies in 2 batches add 3 cups of the liquid to each batch. Process as smooth as possible. Take this liquid and run it through a medium strainer or chinoise. Use a wooden spoon to keep the liquid moving by further pulverizing remaining seeds and skin. Throw out anything but the liquid. The liquid will be an awesome milk-chocolate brown.

Stick it in the pot you are using for the molé, heat that put up fast and throw the liquid on there. It will get to be a hot molten bubbly mess. You want to reduce this down to a tomato paste like consistency. Stir often and it may be a good idea to wear long sleeves. Use a screen or the cover (let steam escape!) to prevent too much splatter, but it will burp and splatter. Depending on your needs you may choose to reduce this fast or slow, slower and stable is better than burning. The ideal is to keep it bubbling and steaming at a reasonable pace. Once it gets to the right consistency and considerably darker you can refrigerate and call it good for the day or power through in time for supper.

Step 2. Peel and rise your tomatillos and tomatoes. Cut off the tops and bottoms so they sit flat. Cover a baking pan with olive oil, also cover the tops of the fruits with olive oil. Broil both sides until well cooked, soft and juicy with a fair amount of char.

If you already fried aromatics earlier take the items from the bowl and throw them in blender. If you are prepping this together don't rinse the blender (yum!). Add the cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chocolate and toast. Blend it all together making it as liquid as possible use some of the extra soaking fire water to keep things liquid. You will likely need to do this in two batches as well. Get your strainer and spoon assembly nice and clean because you have to repeat that process as you add this blend to your perfect dark brown molten mass. Reduce this down to about half as well.

So now you have a chocolaty aromatic bubbly mess of a bunch of things, you are stirring them and loving them and keeping it from burning tho the bottom of the pot… because really who wants to scrape the bottom of a pot after all this work. In between loving sirs, attempting to clean up the brown spatters and cursing because the mess has made contact with your skin you'll want to start on step 3.

Step 3. Take the toasted peanuts and seeds and blend in 2 batches. Use the chicken stock as liquid and get it as close to chicken flavored peanut butter as you can manage. I hope you cleaned your strainer and spoon because it's totally that time again. Bring to a boil and …. reduce by half.

As you reduce you will notice the flavors change and evolve. Initially the nuts will make it very nutty and a little bitter. Let it cook for an hour or so before adding sugar then add a little more. By now you've tasted a whole gamut of flavors that have left your tongue numb, you will be able to tell what direction you are going. Keep the molé simmering slow and low.

Step 4 now you want to get ready to add the pork. Get pork shoulder, because it's fatty and delicious. Cut it into 3" hunks. Don't trim off the fat! TRUST ME. Salt pork hunks and cover in the juice of 4 limes. Let it sit for an hour and mix at 30 minutes so everything is evenly limed.

You will need about 2 pounds of lard. If you save your bacon grease add that too. Heat lard again to medium-low. You want lazy slow bubbles. You will be slow cooking this pork for 2 hours followed by 20-30 minutes of fast frying to finish. Make sure the pork is covered with liquid gold If you fall short of your lard allotment you can top off with Canola oil. The oils should boil with the pork in a an even and peaceful manner. It shouldn't be like a deep fryer at McDonalds or chaotic. We're taking it easy. The fat will render and the pork will soften. After about 2 or maybe less the pork should be nicely cook. Crank up the heat (but not enough to burn the lard!) to get the pork to a crispy restaurant like finish.

Remove pork once it looks golden crispy and amazing. Set it on a rack, let cool and then shred with your hands. Throw it in the molé, mix and let simmer until it's time to serve.

DESSERT

Old-Fashined Chocolate Layer Cake served with Ice Cream

1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting pan

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup NONALKALIZED cocoa

2 coffee powder

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, position oven rack to the middle. Generously grease two 8 inch round cake pans (I think mine are 10inch and it was fine), cover the pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Grease the parchment round s and dust the pans with flour tapping out the excess.

2. Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar; beat until the mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3-5minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time beating 1 full minute after after addition.

3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa and coffee powder in a medium bowl. Combine the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer at the lowest speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed by a third of the milk mixture, mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat the process twice more. When the batter appears blended stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixer to low speed; beat until the batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. With a rubber spatula, spread the batter to the pans sides and smooth the tops. Bake the cakes until they feel firm in the center with lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a crumb - 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool for 10minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of each pan, inver the cakes on the the racks, and peel off the paper liners. Reinvert the cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.

Rich Chocolate Frosting

16 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1/3 cup of light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to t a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour over the chocolate. Add the corn syrup and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth; stir vanilla. Refrigerate 1-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the mixture reaches a spreadable consistency. This frosting does not keep well, so it should be served with in a day.

I made the cake the day before and the frosting the day of. Since we had some strawberries leftover I added slices to the top of the cake for decoration. It was delicious.