Ancho Chili Cream

From the famous Reata restaurant in Fort Worth, TX, "Reata, Legendary Texas Cuisine" cookbook. The bitterness of ancho chili peppers varies, but you can easily adjust the taste with an additional teaspoon or two of honey. When you leave out the heavy cream, this mixture becomes the Ancho Chili Sauce that is used in the Chicken Chili Rellanos.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 16  dried ancho chili peppers, seeded
• 6 -8  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 yellow onion, diced
• 1⁄3 cup honey
• 2  cups water
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1  roma tomato, diced
• 1  cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Rinse the chili peppers under cold running water, making sure all the seeds are removed.
2. Place the peppers, garlic, onions, cumin and honey in a large stockpot. Add the water and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the diced tomato. Let the mixture cool thoroughly.
4. When thoroughly cooled, place in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
5. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining pulp or seeds. Place the strained liquid in a saucepan, add the heavy cream and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool thoroughly. Allowing it to thicken will make assembling the enchilada easier.