Burger Night is Back!

05/11/2009

Friday nights, 5:00-7:30pm. Delicious Niman Ranch beef, ground fresh here, served on freshly baked brioche buns from City Bakery. Come enjoy the tastiest burger in Denver! On the sidewalk at the market, corner of 17th and Clarkson. $6.99.
“Best Edible Community Service. Fridays at Marczyk's are pure urban bliss!” Westword Newspaper

Mother’s Day was this weekend, and on a holiday like this, when most of us enjoy a day with our families, I realize how lucky I am to have a great family, including the market family: our staff.  The Delgado clan has worked for Marczyk’s since we opened. (We used to joke that we might have to rename the store “Delgado’s Fine Foods”.) They grew up in Guadalajara, and many of our delicious salsas and Mexican themed dishes have come straight out of their memories. They cooked a beautiful buffet for Paul and Cheriese’s wedding, and Solstice posole for Pete and me. Their mother just recently passed away, and I asked them to bring in one of her recipes to share with you. See below for Flan Napolitano.
Seafood
Pete and I cooked the pumpkin swordfish last weekend, he dropped his silverware at the first bite. Outstanding! The fresh fish Paul orders from Hawaii is unbelievably good. This past Friday we recieved:
Hawaiian swordfish. High in Omega 3 oils, great on the grill with a lemony mint butter. Or how about blacken swordfish? See the recipes section.

New for Summer
Pancetta wrapped scallops. One of the world’s tastiest combos.
Pesto Lobster tails: A lobster tail cut in half and brushed with pesto, great for grilling.

Small luxuries
It really is the small things that count, like Esprit du Sel salt. Sea salt elevates every dish we use it on. Sprinkle it over soft sweet butter and dip bread sticks into it. On a green salad, it’s a wonderful surprise to feel that crunch.
On the sweet side, La Perruche pure cane rough cut sugar cubes will make your morning coffee or afternoon tea positively inspiring! The ultimate pick-me-up: a shot of espresso with a pure cane sugar cube melting in the bottom. Very Café Cubano.
Bee Raw single varietal honey is…amazing. For the foodie in the family, this is a beautiful gift. The buckwheat honey over blue cheese, or the yellow clover on toast, is a world away from the plastic bear. Try it.

Flan Napolitano ala Seňora Delgado
Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
2 T water
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. evaporated milk
9 oz cream cheese
250 g of cheese double crema (Mascarpone is the Marczyk version)
10 Eggs
2 T vanilla extract

Directions:
For the caramel: Combine 1 cup sugar with the 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the sugar begins to melt, swirl the pan over the heat about 10 minutes, watching for it to darken to a honey-amber color. Remove from heat and immediately pour into a flan mold, tilting it so the caramel coats up the sides and the bottom evenly. Place the mold in a large roasting pan and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325º. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil and keep it hot. You’ll use this for a water bath.
Thoroughly combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese, crema, and vanilla in a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, but don’t allow it to come to a full boil. Remove from heat.
Cream together the eggs and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Whisk vigorously until thick and pale yellow in color. Gradually whisk the cream into the egg mixture, but be careful not to add it too quickly as the eggs will cook. Pour the custard into the caramel-coated flan mold.
Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan so that it’s about halfway up the mold’s side. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, though it may take longer depending on the oven. If you notice during this time that the surface is starting to turn golden-brown but it’s not fully cooked yet, cover it with foil so it doesn’t burn. You may also periodically insert a knife in the center of the flan to check it’s consistency. When the knife come out clean, it’s done. When the custard is just set and slightly jiggles, it’s time to take it out.
Let it cool in the water bath. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
To serve, run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the flan. Place a serving plate over the mold and invert it to pop the flan out.