Roasted Corn Soup, Chorizo-Goat Cheese Quesadilla, Filet Mignon with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

These are the first three courses of our wonderful dinner at our meeting with the NASTA Boyz.

Copyright 1999 Bobby Flay. All rights reserved.

Roasted Corn Soup:

6 ears corn, roasted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Spanish onion, finely diced
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
Fresh chives, finely sliced

Scrape the kernels from each ear of corn with a sharp knife. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Raise the heat to high, add the wine and cook until reduced. Reduce the heat to medium, add the corn and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Place the mixture, in batches, into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream and cook, until hot, about 1 minute. Divide among 8 bowls and garnish with chives.

Chorizo and Goat Cheese Quesadilla:

8 ounces chorizo
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the chorizo for 10 to 12 minutes. Peel and slice thin. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place 4 tortillas on an ungreased baking sheet. Divide the cheeses, chorizo and cilantro among the 4 tortillas and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stack to make two 2 layered tortillas and top with the remaining 2 tortillas. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until golden brown and cheese has melted. Slice into sixths and serve along side soup.

Filet Mignon on Charred Onions and Zucchini with Basamic Vinegar Sauce
1 cup plus 2 tbsp red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir)
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, peeled and halved
1 tbsp butter, cut into 2 pieces
Meat and vegetables
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced 3/4 inch thick
4 trimmed filets mignons (4 oz each) or top-round steaks (use organic meat, if possible)

For sauce:
In a saucepan, cook wine, vinegar, and shallot over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from heat; discard shallot. Whisk in butter, one piece at a time. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For meat and vegetables:
Place a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tsp oil. Place onion in skillet and cook until lightly charred on each side but not blackened.Transfer to paper towels. Season zucchini with salt and pepper. Return skillet to high heat. When very hot, add 1 tsp oil and sear zucchini until brown on each side. Transfer to paper towels. Brush meat with remaining 2 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Return skillet to high heat. When skillet is very hot, sear meat 2 minutes on each side (for rare) or to taste. Arrange 3 zucchini ovals on each of 4 warm plates. Place 3 or 4 onion rings over zucchini. Put a filet on top of onion. Spoon 2 tbsp sauce around each filet, top with a few more onion rings and serve.