Would you just look at the time.
It's half past November, Thanksgiving is knocking at the door, and the annual holiday rush of parties — formal and impromptu — is looming.
You can handle the impromptu parties easily enough, but yikes! What do you serve at your "party of the year" for friends and family?
You need appetizers and nibbles, something scrumptious, preferably with a Southwestern flair.
The recipe Steve Schultz offers today is one that soon will be on the Red Sky Cafe menu.
His favorite go-to local ingredient for appetizers?
"Pomegranates," he says without hesitation.
He uses the fruit itself and the juice.
"You can juice them yourself, but it's not easy," he says. Which is why he buys a concentrate at G & L Imports-Export Corp., 4828 E. 22nd St.
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He uses the seeds in dishes or as garnish (as he does in today's recipe), and he also combines the juice with honey for a delicious vinaigrette.
Ancho Chile Spiced Sirloin Tips with Warm Goat Cheese and Corn Salsa Fresca
Yield: 4 servings
* 1 pound sirloin, cut in half-inch cubes (other beef or chicken may be substituted)
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon pomegranate concentrate
* 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
* 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 8 ounces goat cheese
Salsa
* 2 cups baby corn, cut into small pieces
* 1 tomato, diced
* 1/2 red onion, diced
* 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon lime juice
* Tabasco sauce to taste
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* Fresh pomegranate seeds
Toss meat with the balsamic vinegar and pomegranate concentrate.
Combine chile powder, garlic, salt and sugar; mix well and liberally sprinkle over the meat.
Grill or cook in a frying pan. Set aside.
Cut cheese into medallions and place in a baking pan. Warm in a 350-degree oven for two to three minutes. Just until warm, but not melted.
For salsa: Combine the baby corn, tomato, onion and cilantro and add lime juice, Tabasco, salt, pepper and olive oil.
To serve: Schultz suggests individual serving dishes with a scoop of the corn salsa topped with the warm goat cheese and some of the meat to one side. Garnish the plate with pomegranate seeds.
You could also heap the salsa in the middle of a large serving platter; top it with the warmed goat cheese and surround it with the meat. The pomegranate seeds would garnish the platter around the rim.
Provide small plates and toast rounds for guests.
Tips: An easy way to cut a log of goat cheese is with unflavored dental floss — emphasis on the word "unflavored."
The higher quality meat you use, the more tender it will be.
Steve Schultz, chef/owner Red Sky Cafe and Luna Bella Italian Cuisine & Catering The recipe Jale Tweedy of Petite Pea Catering & Fine Foods chose is "simple yet stunningly delicious," she said.
"I served a similar item when Hillary Clinton was in town, and she enjoyed it," Tweedy said.
We asked her favorite Southwestern ingredient, and she had to think about it — she loves them all. She finally decided on chipotles.
"Chipotles are definitely on top of my list for their smoky spiciness," she said.
Mini-Peppers with Chipotle-Glazed Chicken
Yield: 10-12 Servings
* 30 mini-peppers (sweet peppers, available at grocery stores, including Safeway, Sam's Club and Trader Joe's)
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
* 2 teaspoons puréed chipotles
Toss the peppers with canola oil, salt and pepper, and cook in a non-stick pan over medium heat until the peppers have a few black spots but still are firm. Set aside.
Mix the shredded chicken with puréed chipotles and add salt to taste.
Cut the peppers lengthwise to create a pocket. Stuff with the chicken mixture.
Black Bean Cream Sauce
* 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 cups whole milk
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* Salt to taste
Place the black beans in a food processor; pulse a few times until some of the black beans are puréed but some of them are still whole. Set aside.
In a non-stick frying pan melt the butter, add the flour and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the mixture starts forming bubbles — about 4 minutes.
Add the milk and continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Add the garlic, black beans and salt to taste and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve warm with the stuffed mini-peppers.
Jale Tweedy, Petite Pea Catering & Fine Foods
Ramiro Scavo, corporate chef for Market Restaurant Group, loves autumn.
"It's my season to live life," he says. "It's when I feel the cool autumn breeze for the first time that I know we are entering a new season and the last harvest of fruits, herbs and vegetables. For after this season Mother Nature will rest for the winter, limiting the variety and amount of fresh produce."
He has a couple of favorite Southwestern ingredients with which to cook.
"Fall squash is like no other, the sweetness and richness from butternut squash and acorn squash are as good as it gets. It is also the time of year to take advantage of all the great mushrooms that will be picked, absolutely the peak season."
But a beautiful tree adorned with leaves changing color and plump apples and pears really typify fall for Scavo.
"When I think of fall, (that's) the picture I see in my head," he says.
Grilled Apple and Pear Chutney with Roasted Poblanos and Spiced Cream
Yield: 6 servings
Cider Reduction
* 1 quart apple cider or juice
* 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Chutney
* 4 apples (Granny Smith, Fuji or Gala), cut into half-inch lengthwise slices
* 4 pears (Bosc or Bartlett), cut into half-inch lengthwise slices
* 1/2 of a medium size onion, cut in 1/4 -inch slices
* 3 large poblano chiles
* Olive oil, just enough to coat
* 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half-inch slices, brushed with olive oil
Whipped cream
* 1 cup heavy cream or Cool Whip
* 2 teaspoons chile powder
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (skip if using Cool Whip)
For the cider reduction: Pour the cider or juice into a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and heat over medium high heat until hot but not boiling. Turn heat down to medium, taking care that cider still is hot enough to reduce. Reduce liquid to 1 cup. Turn off heat and let rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.
For the chutney: Heat grill to medium high. Place apples, pears, onions and poblanos in a medium mixing bowl and lightly coat with olive oil; do not over-coat.
Grill the fruit and chiles on both sides and remove from heat. Dice the fruit, onions and chiles and place in mixing bowl.
Add chopped cilantro, salt and 4 to 6 ounces of the cider reduction to what is now your chutney and mix.
Coat sliced bread with olive oil and grill to a perfect toast.
Whipped cream: Pour the cream into a medium mixing bowl and add chile powder, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered sugar. Whip until firm with a wire whisk or electric mixer.
If using Cool Whip, add the spices and stir well.
To plate: You can build your chutneys on the bread topped with the whipped cream ahead of time or put the chutney and whipped cream in bowls with spoons and the bread next to them so guests can serve themselves.
Ramiro Scavo, Market Restaurant Group "When guests arrive, it is always nice to greet them with a tray of small, bite-size appetizers and drinks," says Odell Baskerville, executive chef at the Arizona Inn.
"This is an hors d'oeuvre that I would serve at just such a time."
In the fall, he turns to apples from Briggs & Eggers Orchards in Willcox.
"Delicious," he says.
Roasted Duck Breast with Pink Lady Apple Relish
Yield: 12 servings; 2 per person
Pink Lady Apple Relish
* 1/4 cup apple cider or juice
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/2 cup shallots, diced
* 1 cup Pink Lady apples, peeled and diced
* 1 teaspoon jalapeño, minced
* 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
* 1/2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
* 1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* Kosher salt to taste
* White pepper, ground to taste
Heat the cider and honey in a pan over medium heat until they reach a simmer.
Add the shallots and cook until softened.
Add the diced apples and cook until set (about one minute)
Remove from heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.
Place in refrigerator and allow to cool completely before serving.
Pastry Wafers
* Puff pastry dough, 12-inch square
* Chile powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lay out puff pastry dough on a cool surface or cutting board.
Cut dough into 24 wafers in desired shapes.
Sprinkle lightly with chile powder
Place puff pastry dough shapes on baking pan about 2 inches apart.
Place another baking pan on top of the dough and place in oven.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown (it helps to turn the pan once during the baking process).
When done remove from oven and allow to cool.
Duck (or chicken) breast
* 2 chicken or duck breasts
* 1 teaspoon chile powder
* 1 pinch cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, ground
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place the duck breast on cutting board and score the skin, creating a diamond pattern.
Mix the dry ingredients together and sprinkle over the duck or chicken.
Place the breast, skin side down in a cold sauté pan and place the pan over medium high heat.
Allow the fat in the skin to slowly render until the skin is brown and crisp.
Turn breast over and place in 350-degree preheated oven until breast is cooked (12 to 15 minutes for duck and a bit longer for chicken).
Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.
Green Herb Aioli
* 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
* 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
* 1 tablespoon spinach leaves, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped fine
* 1 cup virgin olive oil
* 2 egg yolks
* 1/8 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon cold water for thinning, if necessary
Place herbs, spinach, garlic and oil into a food processor and blend until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard and the lime juice.
While still whisking, slowly add the oil/herb purée into the egg mix until the mixture reaches the consistency of mayonnaise.
If mixture is too thick, thin down with water.
Season to taste.
Hint: In a pinch you can blend the herbs with purchased mayonnaise with satisfactory results.
To serve: Place a slice of duck breast on each wafer, then top with the apple relish. Put about a half-teaspoon of the aioli on top of that.
Odell Baskerville, executive chef, Arizona Inn
Tucson chefs who offered their creations:
• Steve Schultz, chef and owner of Red Sky Cafe and Luna Bella Italian Cuisine & Catering.
• Jale Tweedy, owner of Petite Pea Catering & Fine Foods.
• Ramiro Scavo, corporate chef for Market Restaurant Group, owner of the Zona 78 and Harvest restaurants.
• Odell Baskerville, executive chef at Arizona Inn.
Their recipes inside are suited for that big party you're planning, and all will ensure your reputation for unflappable hospitality.