Latin Americana Dinner

All recipes serve 8 people

First course

Avocado Vichyssoise with Tart Crema and Cayenne Drizzle

Main Course

Rolled Chicken Breast with Sundried Tomato and Spanish Chorizo With Jicama and Roasted Corn Slaw

Dessert

Lemon Pound Cake with Brandied Peaches and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 SOUP 

 To make stock: Peel, rinse and dice 6 large Russet potatoes. Cover with 4 cups chicken stock and add 2 cloves minced garlic. Simmer until tender. Add one bunch well cleaned spinach and 1/2 bunch cilantro. Cover to wilt veggies. Remove from stove and carefully puree in blender in batches.  (Use a towel to hold the blender top as soup will be hot.) Strain puree and chill; this can be done day ahead. To finish soup: In blender, puree three small, peeled and seeded avocados, 1 pint heavy cream, a tablespoon salt and a pinch of cayenne. Thin with stock if needed. Add to remainder of stock and season to taste. Drizzle with ½ pint crema (or sour cream) thinned with freshly squeezed key lime juice and cayenne pepper sauce.

CHICKEN

In food processor, add 3 cloves garlic, 1 7-ounce jar of sundried tomatoes and 4 links of coarsely chopped Spanish chorizo (you can substitute summer sausage or pepperoni). Pulse until mixture forms a coarse paste. Butterfly and pound 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to ¼-inch thickness. Salt and pepper the chicken and add 3 tablespoons of the tomato mixture to each breast. Roll each breast and transfer to a plate. Drizzle each with red wine and olive oil. Wrap and chill (this can be done a day ahead). Bake in oven at 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or slow smoke with mesquite at 200 degrees for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Let rest 15 minutes before serving, slice into ½-inch rounds to serve.

 JICAMA SLAW

Wash 3 ears of fresh corn, leaving husks attached. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or in a smoker for 2 hours. Remove husks and silk and slice corn off cob. Place in a large bowl. Dice 1 red onion, rinse and add to corn. Peel and dice 1 large jicama and finely dice 1 bunch of cilantro; add all to corn mixture and chill. For dressing: In separate bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons key lime juice, 3 tablespoons honey. Whisk to incorporate, drizzle and whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fold into salad. This can be made day ahead. Chop 1 large red bell pepper and add before serving.  

 BRANDIED PEACHES

Score and blanch 4 large peaches. When skin begins to separate, place peaches in ice bath. Remove skin and slice peaches. In small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boil, brushing down sugar from pan sides; reduce to a ¼ cup. Turn off heat and add 1 cup of brandy. Carefully flame mixture and reduce by ½. Cool to room temperature and pour over peaches.

LEMON POUND CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 1-quart loaf pan or bundt pan. In a bowl, combine 1 cup cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine ½ cup of softened butter and 1 cup sugar. Beat with a mixer until fluffy. Add 3 eggs, mixing one at a time. Add ¾ teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Mix well. Fold in flour mixture and beat until just incorporated; pour batter into pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out and cool completely. Serve cake slice with a scoop of vanilla bean sorbet or ice cream and peaches with sauce.

Recipes by Toby Tindall

Tim Matheus (in black shirt standing near windshield) and his pink Caddy on the Bass Hall sidewalk.

Cliburn competitor Vassilis Varvaresos

The 29 Cliburn competitors (and their hosts) gathered as a group for the first time at Bass Hall this morning, to pose for a big photo, get pep talks from the jury chairman and Cliburn execs, and face the media.
Chatting with the host families, it’s obvious that this year’s party pad has already been established: The place to be is Tim and Susan Matheus’ home outside of town. They’re hosting Israeli pianist Ran Dank, who Tim says is enjoying kicking back and watching Lakers games with the family on an enormous 30-foot screen he’s rigged in his back yard. Dank’s Juilliard roommate, Vassilis Varvaresos of Greece, who is staying with Andrew Power and family, is hanging out a lot with Ron and helping form an early nucleus of competitors who like to play hard after all the piano practice is done.
Hosts Tim Matheus and Andrew Power are helping set the tone: They were seen whooping it up outside Bass Hall with Tim’s awesomely pink 1959 Cadillac and a stash of cowboy hats to let competitors from around the world pose for cheesy-but-fun Texas photo ops. They’ve already taken their pianists out to eat at Fort Worth’s finest: Reata, Angelo’s and Joe T. Garcia’s. A few other hosts, though, said ruefully that all their competitors are doing so far is practicing. The music starts Friday, and you can watch every note at www.cliburn.tv.

- Marilyn Bailey

Sept. 28 FALL REPERTORY (with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra) Balanchine’s Scotch Symphony and Petipa’s Raymonda, Bass Hall
Dec. 18-20 THE NUTCRACKER (with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra), Texas Hall, the University of Texas at Arlington
March 15: SPRING REPERTORY (with pianist Geb Ivanov and violinist Eric Grossman): Les Promenades (Vladimir Vasiliev), For Five and Cafe Victoria (Paul Mejia), and a world premiere by Mejia and Alexander Vetrov. At Bass Hall.
June 19: SUMMER REPERTORY (with Fort Worth Symphony) Balanchine’s Apollo (PICTURED) and Yuri Grigorovich’s Spartacus, Bass Hall

The fine print: Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available now at Metropolitan Classical Ballet at 500 West Abram in Arlington, or by calling (817) 465-4644. Individual tickets are $45, $38 and $12 and are available through Bass Hall at (817) 212-4280 or www.basshall.com. The Nutcracker tickets are available only through Metropolitan Classical Ballet.

 - Marilyn Bailey