Poblano Peppers with a Creamy Goat Cheese and Walnut Sauce (Chiles en Nogada)

This beautiful and colorful dish is from Mexico and it is as beautiful as it tastes. Normally this dish includes fruits, I normally never add them as I personally do not like the mix of fruits and meat, I just add more meat to the mix.

This recipe is for approximately 6 people.

INGREDIENTS:

6 Poblano Peppers

FOR THE FILLING:

3 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
500gr. minced pork tenderloin
50 gr. of finely chopped Serrano ham
500 gr. of roasted tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups of chicken broth
1 small pinch of powdered cloves
1 small pinch of powdered cumin
1 small pinch of powdered cinnamon
1 granny smith apple peeled, seeded and cut in small cubes (optional)
1 pear peeled, seeded and cut in small cubes (optional)
1 fresh peach cut in small cubes (optional)
30 gr. of re-hydrated raisins (optional)
40 gr. of chopped almonds
1/2 cup of dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste.

FOR THE BATTER:

3 eggs
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
vegetable oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

100 walnuts fresh and peeled (to peel the nuts let them soaking the night before on room temperature water)
200 gr. creamy goat cheese
20 gr. of white bread, soaked in milk
50 ml of dry sherry
2 cups of milk

FOR DECORATION:

seeds of 1 pomegranate
parsley leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

THE PEPPERS:

1. In a pan with frying oil at medium heat, add the poblano peppers 2 by 2. after approximately 15 seconds flip the peppers and fry for 15 seconds more.

2. Remove the peppers, sprinkle them with salt and put them inside a plastic bag for about 5 minutes.

3. Take the peppers out of the bag, peel the skin off. Make and incision lengthwise and remove the veins and seeds.

THE MEAT STUFFING:

1. On a pan heat the oil and start cooking the garlic and onion. Add the meat and serrano ham, add tomatoes. Once cooked add the broth and cook until the liquid evaporates and the meat is tender.

2. Once all is well cooked, add spices, fruits and raisins, almonds, and sherry. Season with salt and cook a bit until it thickens.

FOR THE SAUCE:

1. Blend the walnuts, cheese bread and sherry. if the sauce is too thick dilute it with milk.

FOR THE PEPPER BATTER:

1. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks, mix in the egg yolks and flour.

PREPARATION:

Fill the prepared pepper with the meat stuffing. pass them through the pepper batter and fry them on very hot oil. Once the batter is cooked, take them out and drain them on paper towels.

Serve the peppers at room temperature, cover them with the walnut sauce and sprinkle pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts and parsley.