Steps in Preparation

01:52 – Preparing Flan
11:37 – Preparing Sweet Potatoes
20:12 – Preparing Tenderloin
23:42 – Preparing Muffins
30:47 – Preparing Demi-Glace
41:13 – Preparing Green Beans
45:13 – Plating Meal

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Southwestern Christmas with Chef Mica Chavez

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Get some new twists on your next holiday meal with Chef Mica. This class includes the whole meal from start to finish! It includes Sweet Potato Mash, Green Beans with Almonds, Golden Raisins and Shallots, Corn Meal Biscuits with Chipotle and Cheddar, Sliced Beef Tenderloin Rubbed with Red Chile, Cinnamon and Coffee with Mushroom Pan Sauce and Eggnog Flan.

Vanilla Bean Paste, Santa Fe Ole Roasted Medium Green Chile Medium heat, Chipotle en Adobo, Ancho Chile Powder, golden brown sugar, pecans (chopped), butter, red-skinned sweet potatoes, eggs, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, greens beans, golden raisins, extra-virginal olive oil, shallots, smoked almonds, black pepper, flour, yellow cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, honey, honey, buttermilk, cheddar cheese (grated), ground coffee, kosher salt, garlic powder, beef tenderloin, shallots, portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, morel mushrooms, red wine, condensed milk, milk, eggnog

Brown Sugar and Pecan Sweet Potato Mash - Serves 6

Preheat oven to 350º

  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 2 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup NM green chile, roasted, peeled and chopped

Mix sugar, pecans, and butter in small bowl. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain. Let stand in colander 15 minutes. Purée sweet potatoes in processor.

Beat eggs, syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and salt in large bowl. Mix in puréed sweet potatoes and green chile. Transfer sweet potato mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle pecan topping evenly over mixture.

Bake until sweet potato mixture is set and topping bubbles, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.

Green Beans with Almonds, Golden Raisins and Shallots - Serves 6

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound green beans, trimmed
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins, a generous handful
  • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots
  • 1/2 cup chopped smoked almonds
  • Black pepper

On medium heat, place butter in a sauté pan and melt, add shallots and cook until soft and have a little color. Remove from pan. Chop beans into 2-inch pieces. Place beans in the same pan and add boiling water to cover. Cook beans in boiling water 2 to 3 minutes, add raisins to pan and cook 2 minutes more to plump up the raisins. Drain beans and raisins. Place skillet back on the stove over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to skillet then drained beans and raisins. Toss beans, raisins and shallots with almonds and turn off heat. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer beans to a serving dish.

Corn Muffins with Chipotle and Cheddar - Serves 6

Preheat oven to 350⁰

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon chipotle en adobo
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Line muffin pan with muffin paper cups, set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, chipotle powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together honey, eggs, butter, buttermilk and cheese until combined; stir into flour mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beef Tenderloin with Cinnamon, Ancho Chile and Coffee Rub - Serves 10-12

Preheat oven to 425⁰

You can cut the tenderloin in half and freeze it or cut this recipe in half to serve the same number of people as the other recipes call for.

  • 6 Tablespoons finely ground coffee
  • 6 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Ancho chile powder
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 beef tenderloin, trimmed (about 5 pounds)

To prepare beef:

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Combine coffee, brown sugar, Ancho chile powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Rub the mixture all over the tenderloin. Transfer to the prepared pan. Roast the tenderloin until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 130 degrees for medium, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Wild Mushroom Sauce for Beef

  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 2 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 ounces morel mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 6 fluid ounces beef demi-glace
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté shallots briefly, then stir in all the mushrooms. Sauté until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in red wine, and simmer. Stir in demi-glace, and simmer until sauce has thickened.

Egg Nog Flan - Serves 6-8

Preheat oven to 375º

For the Caramel:

  • 1 cup Sugar

For the Flan:

  • 14 oz can Condensed Milk
  • 1/4 Cup Milk
  • 3/4 Cup eggnog
  • 5 eggs

To make Caramel:

In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat the sugar and let it melt until caramel forms.

Pour the caramel in ramekins.

To make Flan:

In a blender combine the condensed milk, regular milk, eggnog and eggs over medium speed. Pour the flan mixture on top of the caramel Cover the cake pan with aluminum foil. Bake on a double boiler with at least 1 inch of water for around 40 minutes. Flan should be firmer with a little jiggle.

Remove from oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. Serve with fresh berries.