Blooming Chicken Quesadilla Ring with avocado dipping sauce, cucumber from our garden, and a lovely Sauvignon blanc. “This is pretty good,” Keith said. A precursor to our warm, 4th of July gathering of neighbors here at #Vanaprastha. Recipes and stories tomorrow morning on my Substack.
Very warm—in the upper 90s—and “hot,” which is 100 or over in Texas terms. A nod to my twenty-seven years living in the Dallas area. More trees here in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and better chance of summer rain and cooler temperatures. Long way of saying, inside for Friday Happy Hour and our 4th of July, neighbor gathering. BTW, the menu for today: burgers and dogs with condiments and fixings, Keith’s award-winning baked beans, neighbor and dear friend Sharon’s mid-West salad (a family favorite—and mine), zucchini medley, and a red-white-and-blue dessert of strawberry and blueberry crisp topped with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Last night’s first-time recipe was a hit. Prep times took longer because of the learning curve and interruptions from two very interested dogs and simultaneously freezing the two batches of ice cream for today’s celebration. Earlier in the day, I’d picked the chicken (meat in the plastic container) and boiled the bones up for broth, which we pour over the dogs’ kibble. Nothing wasted. There are leftovers, but that’s okay around here. Breakfast, lunch, supper, snack… Anyway, this turned out great in terms of flavor, and presentation (crafts and decorating not my forte) was pretty good, too, if I say so myself. You be the judge.
Blooming Chicken Quesadilla Ring – Recipe based on Southern Living Magazine
Active Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Servings: 10 to 12 as appetizer
Ingredients:
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup store-bought jalapeño pimiento cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro – I used a bit more.
1 Tbsp. hot sauce (such as Cholula) – I used Frank’s.
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
6 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups) – I used the entire 8 oz.
16 (6-inch) flour tortillas – 20 to use up the package‑‑and for dog sampling.
Cooking spray
Avocado Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a 4-inch-wide ovenproof ramekin in center of prepared baking sheet; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together chicken, pimiento cheese, cilantro, hot sauce, kosher salt, and black pepper; set aside. Stir together pepper Jack and Cheddar cheeses in a medium bowl; reserve 1 cup cheese blend in a small bowl.
Cut tortillas in half. Working with one at a time, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the medium bowl’s cheese blend in an even layer over the tortilla half; top with 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture. Fold in one corner of tortilla to cover half the filling. Fold over again to enclose the filling and form a cone shape; place seam side down. Repeat the process with remaining tortilla halves, cheese blend, and chicken mixture.
Arrange half of tortilla cones, seam side down, in an even layer around ramekin on prepared baking sheet, with pointed ends against ramekin. Sprinkle half of the reserved cheese blend over cones. Repeat with remaining tortilla cones and cheese blend, arranging cones, seam side down, on top of first layer. Sprinkle the other half of reserved cheese blend over the cones and spray with cooking spray.
Bake in preheated oven until cheeses are melted and edges are crispy and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with Avocado Dipping Sauce; garnish with cilantro – optional. I replaced the hot ramekin with a fresh one to keep dipping sauce cool.
Avocado Dipping Sauce (made while quesadilla ring was baking)
Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 minutes Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 large avocados, pitted and peeled
1 medium jalapeño, stemmed and seeded – I used Serrano, on hand
¾ cup sour cream – I used plain Greek yogurt – yum!
½ cup fresh cilantro – I used more to use up the bunch and accentuate the flavor.
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice – I used two small limes.
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
Directions: Process avocados, chile, sour cream (yogurt), cilantro, water, lime juice, and salt in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.
That’s it for today. Stay cool, and see you next week! -C.D.
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