I will be posting more pictures soon I PROMISE!! The internet is very slow here and it’s hard to upload pictures :-/ You would think the military would dish out a few extra dollars on some decent wifi for us deployers.
Soft Pretzels with Queso Poblano Sauce and Mustard Sauce
Queso poblano sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Mustard sauce:
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
- Honey, to taste
Soft pretzels:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown muscovado sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
- 3 quarts water
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
- Coarse sea salt
Directions
For the queso poblano sauce:
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, poblano chiles, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place the queso sauce into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped poblano.
For the mustard sauce:
- Whisk together the mustard and honey, to taste, until combined. Let sit at least 30 minutes before serving.
For the soft pretzels:
- Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper and spray liberally with vegetable spray.
- Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
- Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape: take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Dip into desired sauces.
After the hurricane came through last week, a TON of the highways and roads were closed. I had to drive back to school from New Jersey using all back roads. The benefit? I got to drive through a bunch of farmland, and skidded to a stop when I passed a farmer’s market. I picked up a couple of…
Root Beer Baked Alaska @ Steakhouse 55 on Flickr.
Root beer ice cream topped with meringue, accompanied by toasted angelfood cake and a shot of root beer float. (via Foodspotting)
