Crema de Chile Poblano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Gas burner or hot broiler for charring chiles
• •Heavy 4-quart cazuela de barro or Dutch oven
• •High-powered blender
• •Wooden spoon
• •Small whisk for tempering the crema

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the poblanos

   Set the poblanos directly over the open flame of a gas burner, or under a hot broiler if you do not have gas. Turn them with tongs as the skin blisters and blackens, every couple of minutes, until every side is charred. You want the skin to look ruined. That is the point. The flesh underneath softens at the same time and takes on the smoky note that defines this soup.

   Do not skip the open flame for the convenience of the oven if you have gas. The direct fire chars the skin without overcooking the flesh, and that contrast is the difference between a poblano that tastes alive and one that tastes stewed.
2. 2

   Sweat and peel

   Drop the blackened chiles into a plastic bag or a bowl covered tightly with a plate. Let them sit for 15 minutes. The trapped warmth loosens the skin from the flesh. After that, rub the skin off with your fingers under a thin stream of cold water, then split each chile open and pull out the stem, seeds, and the white veins inside. Do not be precious. A few flecks of char left behind are flavor, not failure.

3. 3

   Sweat the onion and garlic

   In a heavy 4-quart cazuela or Dutch oven, melt the manteca over medium heat. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent and sweet but takes no color. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. La manteca es el sabor. This base is what gives the crema its body before the chile and the cream do their work.

4. 4

   Blend the chile base

   Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a blender. Add the peeled poblanos, 1 1/2 cups of the warm caldo de pollo, the epazote leaves, and the salt. Blend on high for a full minute, until the mixture is completely smooth and a vivid, even green. The color should make you stop. That is the poblano showing you what it is.

   Epazote in small quantity. A few leaves give the crema a herbaceous backbone that cilantro cannot replicate. Too much and it overwhelms. If you cannot find fresh epazote, leave it out entirely. Dried epazote is a compromise that does not pay off here.
5. 5

   Fry the puree

   Return the same cazuela to medium heat. Pour the green puree back in. It will sputter at first. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the puree darkens slightly, thickens, and the fat starts to bead at the edges. This is the same principle as frying a salsa or a mole. Raw blended chile tastes flat. Fried blended chile tastes like a finished sauce.

6. 6

   Add the corn and the rest of the caldo

   Stir in the corn kernels (holding back 1/2 cup for garnish) and the remaining 3 1/2 cups of warm caldo de pollo. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. The corn should just turn tender and sweet. The broth should taste of chile, corn, and stock in equal measure. Adjust salt now. The crema you add at the end will round it but it will also dull it slightly, so the broth should taste a touch assertive at this stage.

7. 7

   Temper and finish with crema

   Lower the heat to the gentlest simmer. In a small bowl, whisk the crema mexicana with the milk until smooth. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot soup into the crema, whisking constantly. This warms the crema without breaking it. Pour the tempered crema back into the cazuela in a slow stream, stirring as you pour. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, never letting the soup come back to a boil. Boiling now will split the cream. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and pull the cazuela off the heat.

8. 8

   Serve in barro

   Ladle the crema into warm clay bowls. Top each with cubes of queso panela, a small pile of the reserved toasted corn kernels, and a thin drizzle of crema mexicana. Send warm corn tortillas to the table in a woven servilleta. The panela will soften but not melt. That is the texture you want. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Choose poblanos that are heavy for their size, glossy, deep green, and with thick walls. Thin, pale poblanos give a watery, grassy crema. The chile is the dish. If the mercado is not selling good poblanos this week, wait until next week.
• •Crema mexicana is not sour cream and it is not creme fraiche. It has less acid, more fat, and it does not break as easily over heat. Look for the cultured Mexican brand at a Latino grocer. If you must substitute, creme fraiche is closer than sour cream, but you are making a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Queso panela is a fresh, mild white cheese that softens in hot soup without melting into a puddle. Do not substitute mozzarella, monterey jack, or any aged cheese. If you cannot find panela, queso fresco is acceptable. Cheddar is not. Nothing about this soup is Tex-Mex.
• •No me vengas con atajos. Do not skip charring the chiles over open flame and do not skip frying the puree. Those two steps are the soup. Without them you have green cream and that is not crema de poblano.

Advance Preparation

• •The chiles can be charred, sweated, and peeled one day ahead. Store them whole in a covered container in the refrigerator and finish the soup the next day.
• •The soup base, through the frying of the puree, can be made one day ahead. Reheat gently and add the corn, caldo, and crema the day you serve.
• •Once the crema mexicana has been added, the soup should be served the same day. Reheating cream-finished soups over too high a heat will split them. Warm gently and never let it boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 490g)