What better way to start off a new year than with a new recipe? Try one of these sweet or savory award-winning recipes from our Creative Arts cooking competitions. Whether you’re tired of traditional holiday dishes or your New Year’s resolution is to learn to cook, these recipes will absolutely meet your needs and exceed your cravings!
TEXAS STYLE CHILI
Eileen Davis
Heath, TX
2nd Place–Tex-Mex Contest
Ingredients:
Beef:
2 T. bacon grease
2 ancho chiles, stems & seeds removed
2 guajillo chiles, stems & seeds removed
4 cascabel chiles, stems & seeds removed
4 lbs. boneless short ribs, cut into ½-Inch dice
Salt & ground black pepper 1 qt. beef stock
1 qt. chicken stock
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
Melt bacon grease over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Toast dried chiles in grease until they become fragrant and begin to puff. Add to a blender with enough boiling water just to cover. Let sit while you brown meat. Working in batches, brown meat In same pot over medium-high heat, adding a large pinch of salt and pepper to each batch. Return all meat to the pan and add stocks and tomato sauce, stirring to combine while scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Blend chiles until smooth. Add chile puree to meat, stir to combine, and cook covered, at a simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2-Hour Spice Dump:
1 T. onion powder
1 T. granulated garlic
1 T. paprika
1 T. Texas-style chili powder
2 tsp. ground New Mexico chili powder
1 tsp. jalapeno chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
After 2 hours, add all ingredients for 2-Hour Spice Dump. Cook 1 hour; chili should be just slightly looser than you want the final dish to be.
15-Minute Spice Dump:
2 T. Texas-style chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. red wine vinegar
Salt & ground black pepper
Add all ingredients for 15-Minute Spice Dump; cook for 15 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve.
BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
Jade Tunstall
Lewisville, TX
1st Place–Cooking with Cheese
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. broccoli crowns 2 c. sweet onion
1 c. celery
½ c. red bell pepper
1 ½ c. carrots
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
¼ c. butter
1 ½ tsp. Lawry’s seasoning
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ c. + 2 T. flour
1 c. heavy cream
4 c. vegetable stock
2 T. olive oil
½ tsp.sugar
12 oz. American cheese 4 oz. sharp cheese
¼ c. Parmesan
Cut stems and trim broccoli florets into tiny trees that can fit multiple on a spoon; set aside for a different use later. Chop up stems into small dice. Dice sweet onion, celery and bell pepper into medium dice, shred carrot, mince garlic and finely dice jalapeno. Melt butter in a pot on medium heat and sweat onion 5 minutes. Add broccoli stems and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add celery and jalapeno, cook 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of carrots and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon· Lawry’s and cayenne pepper and cook 1 minute. Add flour and mix until no lumps of flour remain. Add heavy cream and vegetable stock, bring to a boil. Add remaining ½ cup carrots to mini broccoli florets with olive oil, remaining ½ teaspoon Lawry’s and sugar. Bake at 425° for 15-18 minutes until they begin to brown. When soup is boiling, cook 5 minutes. Add American cheese and let it melt before adding remaining cheese to prevent it from splitting. Off the heat add sharp cheddar and Parmesan. Add the majority of roasted carrots and broccoli, saving some for topping soup. Serve warm.
TAMALE PIE
Anna Johnson
Fort Worth, TX
3rd Place–Speedy Dishes
Ingredients:
3 poblano peppers
7 frozen beef tamales, thawed
1 (15-oz.) can Stag Chill with beans
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. pico de gallo, divided
Grease a 10-inch pie pan. Preheat oven to 350°. Char and blister peppers on grill; remove skin, stem and seeds. Slice peppers and line pan. Remove husks, cut tamales into 4 pieces each and place over peppers. Top with chili and 1 cup pico de gallo, then with cheese, then more pico. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
ABUELA’S CHOCOLATE TRES LECHES CAKE
Ashlee Valdez-Hinz
Burleson, TX
2nd Place–Chocolate
Ingredients:
Cake Batter:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp: ground cinnamon
1 pinch kosher salt
Whipped Topping:
1 c. heavy cream
1 ½ T. granulated sugar
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 c. milk, divided
½ c. vegetable oil
2 Lg.eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. evaporated milk
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate shavings
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray, olive oil or butter. Set aside. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine. Add 2 cups of milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined and smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Set aside to cool 10 minutes while you make the three milk mixture. In a medium bowl, add remaining 1 cup of milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Whisk together to combine. Poke holes all over cake using a skewer or a large fork. Slowly pour the three milk mixture over cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to let cake fully cool and absorb the liquid. While cake cools, make whipped topping. In a large bowl, add the heavy ream, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. When cake has cooled completely, top with whipped topping and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.
CREME CARAMEL
Tonya Benson
Fredericksburg, TX
2nd Place–international Cuisine
Ingredients:
2/2 c. sugar
12 oz. heavy cream
2 vanilla beans, spilt
1 can condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
¼ tsp. caramel extract
¼ tsp. amaretto
3 egg yolks
Scald and cool, scrape beans from pod into cream. Set aside. Cook sugar in saucepan until golden, then pour in 1-1 ½-quart baking dish or mold. Cool. Set aside. Beat eggs and egg yolks well and strain. Mix heavy cream, vanilla beans, condensed milk, vanilla, caramel, amaretto, eggs and egg yolks together well and strain. Chill overnight with pods in mixture. Bring mixture to room temperature and preheat oven to 350°. Remove pods and strain into caramel coated baking dish. Cover with foil. Set In a water bath of hot water. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until tester Inserted comes out clean and custard is slightly jiggly. Remove from water bath and remove foil. Cool completely then refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Loosen edges of custard and turn onto a serving plate with an edge. Serves 8-10.