Mar Y Tierra Recipe

rehydrate pasillas

Place dried pasilla chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with very hot (not boiling) water. Soak 20–25 minutes until pliable. Drain, remove stems and seeds, and reserve soaking liquid.

Transfer rehydrated pasillas to a blender with 2–3 tablespoons of the soaking liquid and 1 tablespoon of chicken stock. Purée until completely smooth. Pass through a fine mesh sieve if desired. You should have about 1/3 cup of purée; measure out 1/4 cup for the sauce and reserve any extra for other uses.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add half of the minced garlic (about 1 clove) and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to brown.

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce by about one-third (3–4 minutes).

Stir in the 1/4 cup pasilla purée and simmer 1–2 minutes to marry flavors.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add 1 cup heavy cream. Stir and simmer gently until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5–7 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons reserved soaking liquid or stock.

Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Taste and adjust. Keep warm on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally.

Prepare poblanos (rajas): roast poblanos over an open flame, under a broiler, or on a hot skillet until skins are charred and blistered all over, about 8–10 minutes, turning. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a sealed container for 10 minutes to steam; this loosens skins.

Peel off charred skins, remove stems and seeds, slice flesh into 1/2-inch strips. You should have rajas ready (approximately the equivalent of 2 medium poblanos).

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and remaining minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions soften and begin to brown, about 6–8 minutes.

Add the poblano strips (rajas) to the skillet, season with a pinch of salt, and sauté 2–3 minutes until heated through and nicely combined with onions. Remove from heat and keep warm. These will be plated with the steaks and lobster.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) if finishing lobster in the oven. Pat lobster tails dry. Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the top shell toward the tail, stopping at the tail fan. Gently pull meat up through the shell, resting it on top (but still attached at the base).

Brush lobster meat with melted butter (1 teaspoon per tail), sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice per tail. Option A: Sear then oven-finish — Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high, add 1 teaspoon olive oil, sear lobster meat 1 minute until lightly golden, then transfer skillet to preheated oven for 4–6 minutes until opaque and just cooked through (internal temp ~140°F/60°C). Option B: Pan-roast only — Sear in skillet 3–4 minutes per side until opaque and cooked through. Do not overcook; meat should be tender.

Remove lobster from heat and brush with a little more melted butter. Keep warm.

Remove steaks from refrigerator 30–45 minutes before cooking to bring to near room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (use proportions above).

Heat a heavy skillet (cast-iron preferred) over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and immediately add the filets, spacing so they are not touching. Sear without moving 2–3 minutes until a deep brown crust forms.

Flip steaks, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and baste continuously with melted butter for another 2–3 minutes for medium-rare (internal temp 125–130°F / 51–54°C). Adjust time for desired doneness (rare: shorter; medium: longer). Use a probe thermometer for accuracy.

Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest loosely tented with foil for 5–7 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

While steaks rest, reheat the pasilla cream sauce gently if needed and stir the rajas & onions to warm through briefly in their skillet.

To plate each portion: place a rested filet mignon in the center of the plate. Spoon a generous 1/4 cup of pasilla cream sauce over or beside the steak. Arrange a lobster tail next to the steak (or halve lobster tails and place two halves per plate). Spoon some rajas and caramelized onions beside the proteins.

Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro and microgreens. Serve immediately.