Bobby Flay Inspired Dinner

When I was in Las Vegas in September I ate at a variety of delicious restaurants including Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. I was so impressed with my meal at Mesa that I ordered the restaurant's cookbook as soon as I got home. Since then I have made a few things out of the book and was very impressed with all of them. Last weekend Jordan and I had my friend Mandy and her fiance Jason over for dinner. They are both HUGE fans of southwestern cuisine so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to prepare a meal from this book. I combined my own recipes with Bobby's (I like to pretend we are on a first name basis) to make the following menu:

• Ginger and Pineapple Mojitos
• Fresh Guacamole and Salsa served with Fresh Tostones
• Warm Cornbread with Honey Butter
• Shrimp and Corn Tamales with Roasted Garlic Sauce
• Chipotle-Honey Glazed Steak with Roasted Pepper Relish
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Ancho Chili Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Warm Chocolate Cakes with Dulce de Leche

The tostones, tamales, steak and chocolate cake recipes were all from the cookbook which can be bought on Amazon.ca . You can also find a lot of the recipes published online on various food websites.

Here are the recipes for the dishes I made:

Ginger and Pineapple Mojito
Makes 4 Glasses

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3-4 slices of fresh ginger
• 4 shots (about 1.25 oz or 2.5 Tbsp each) dark rum 
• a bunch of mint
• 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup finely diced pineapple
• ice
• 2 cups club soda

1. In a small saucepan combine the water, sugar and ginger. Heat over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved and the liquid is just simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the ginger to steep while the mixture cools. (this step can be prepared ahead of time)
2. Set up 4 tall glasses. In the bottom each combine, 1.5 Tbsp of the ginger syrup, 1 shot of rum, a few sprigs of mint, 1 Tbsp. of lime juice and a 1/4 cup of the pineapple. Using a pestle or a spoon, muddle the ingredients together.
3. Top each glass with some ice and 1/2 cup of club soda

Fresh Guacamole
Serves 4 as an appetizer

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and quartered
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 Tbsp. red onion, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, diced (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
• juice of 1 lime
• course sea or kosher salt

1. Combine all the ingredients into a mortar or into a large mixing bowl. Using the pestle or a fork mash all the ingredients until the desired consistency is achieved.
2. Season with salt and garnish with some more cilantro and diced tomatoes. 

Fresh Tomato Salsa
Serves 4 as an appetizer

•  6 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, dice (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
• juice of 1 lime
• sea or kosher salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season with salt.
2. Let rest for at least minutes before serving.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4

•  2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 head of garlic, roasted and pureed 
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)
• salt and pepper

1. Place the cubed potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water. Season with salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiled, lower the heat and cover. Let simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and place back in the pot. Add the butter, cream and mashed garlic. Using a garlic masher, mash the potatoes until smooth the fold in the chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Ancho Chili Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Serves 4

• 1 lb. brussel sprouts, tough leaves removed and cut in half lengthwise
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl toss the brussel sprouts with the oil, chile powder, paprika and a couple of pinches of salt. Spread out onto an aluminum lined baking sheet.
3. Bake in the oven in tender and brown, about 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally.