Beer Battered Chiles Rellenos With Warm Chipotle Salsa

cookiedog's Note:

After a few minutes of silent chewing, I nervously asked my DBF what he thought of this new way of making chiles rellenos. Some things you just don't mess with- and because chiles rellenos are his favorite dish, I thought I might have pushed the envelope a little too far. I thought he was trying to think of a polite way to say, "Yuck!" A smile spread across his face and he said he liked these even more than the chile rellenos I usually make. I'm still undecided - but between you and me, I think I like the standard recipe with the egg batter, just a tad bit better. If you have never made chiles rellenos before, I would recommend starting with a different recipe. This batter is more crispy than light and fluffy. If you are looking for a chiles rellenos recipe that is a bit different, give this one a try. From Williams Sonoma American

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 chiles

Beer Batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup lager beer (or as needed)

Rellenos

• 8 poblano chiles
• 1/2 lb monterey jack cheese (you may need a bit more)
• 1 cup fresh frozen corn kernels or 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernel
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Warm Chipotle Salsa

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 finely chopped small yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 14 1/2 ounces chopped tomatoes, and their juice
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. To make the batter: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, egg, oil, and salt. Whisk in just enough beer to make a thick, clinging batter. Do not overmix. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place a broiler (grill) rack about 6 inches (15 cm) from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Broil (grill) the chiles just until most of the tops are blackened and blistered, about 5 minutes. Turn and broil to blacken the skins on the other side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the chiles to a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until the chiles are cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Leaving the stems on and trying to keep the chiles as intact as possible, peel off and discard the blackened skin. Using a small, sharp knife, slit open one side and remove the seeds from each chile.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the cheese and corn. Fill each chile with the cheese mixture. Using wooden toothpicks, close up the slits in the chiles. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 200F (95c) Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Pour oil into a large saucepan to a depth of 2 inches (5cm). Heat over high heat to 360F (182c) on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, dip the stuffed chiles in the batter, letting the excess batter run back into the bowl (you may need to thin it a bit with the beer). Carefully place in the hot oil and deep-fry over high heat, turning once, until golden brown, transfer the fried chiles to the wir rack on the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you fry the remaining chiles.
5. Reheat the chipotle salsa gently over low heat. Spoon equal amounts of the warm salsa onto individual plates. Top with the fried chiles and serve immediately, garnished with cilantro if desired.
6. Salsa: In a nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 can diced tomatoes with their juice; chipotle chile in adobo, and dried oreganol Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Set aside until needed.