October 19 Meal: You Can't Go Wrong with an Enchilada

We have great friends.  They are fun, good people.  Every once in a while our friends Ricky and Julie take care of our dog, Hailey, while we are out of town. One weekend Julie watched Hailey while we were in Florida, so we wanted to repay them with a dinner (especially since Hailey was uncharacteristically poorly-behaved).  From the menu of options I gave them, they picked Shrimp Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips.  Good choice!  You really can't go wrong with an enchilada, and this one was maybe the best recipe for them I've made.  On the side I sauteed some corn and then for dessert we had an Apple Cider and Maple Cream Tart with Maple-Cranberry Compote.
Shrimp Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

I'll be honest, the addition of parsnips to this dish didn't sound that great to me at first.  I've used sweet potatoes in a Mexican-style taco dish that was in Bon Appetit a while back, so I knew they would be great.  First, roast parsnips, sweet potatoes, and red onions cumin, oil, chili powder, oregano, and salt.  Next, make the sauce.  I already has some tomatillo sauce in the freezer since I couldn't pass up those tomatillos at the farmer's market a few weeks before.  My sauce already had tomatillo, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime, but this recipe called for additional cilantro, green onions, and green chiles.  everything gets pureed in the food processor and then added to a skillet with sour cream.  Then, prep the tortilla shells.  I was a bit concerned when mine started getting a bit too hard.  These were organic packaged corn tortillas that were thicker than the normal fresh corn tortillas.  Finally, put it all together. A bit of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, roll the tortillas with the vegetable mixture and feta, and then add the rest of the vegetable mixture, feta, and sauce to the top and bake.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $20 for 5 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:30 hours for prep and 2 hours total. I spent about 1 hour for prep and 1:20 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was delicious!

Apple Cider and Maple Cream Tart with Maple-Cranberry Compote

This was a pretty easy dessert to make (relatively).The night before, I boiled half a gallon of apple cider until it reduced to 3/4 cup. Then, the day of I made the crust by processing flour, sugar, salt, and butter and bake.  The filling is just a combination of the reduced cider, maple sugar, whipping cream, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and maple extract.  Everything goes into the oven for a precise 33 minutes.  Really, where did they get that timing?    Lastly, and importantly, is the Maple-Cranberry Compote.  Boil frozen cranberries, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, cranberry juice, and lemon peel.  It's the perfect tart topping to this sweet tart.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $17.75 for 10 servings

Time: Tart: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 3:50 hours total. I spent about 30 minutes for prep and 2 hours total. Compote: Bon Appetit said 20 minutes for prep and 2:20 hours total. I spent about 20 minutes for prep and 2 hours total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, it was a great dessert for the season.