Chili Poblano Pie
Fire-roasted poblano chilis line the pan as the crust, filled with a silky Monterey Jack and egg custard made with homemade crema fresca. A crustless Mexican pie that’s golden, smoky, and rich.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
50 minREADY
60 minNo pastry needed. The poblanos ARE the crust.
Twelve fresh poblano chilis get charred over an open flame until blackened and blistered, then peeled, seeded, and opened flat. They line the bottom and sides of a buttered pie pan, creating a smoky, tender shell. The filling is a silky custard of Monterey Jack (or Chihuahua cheese), eggs, onion, and garlic blended smooth with homemade crema fresca.
It bakes until golden brown and just set in the center. Serve it hot or at room temperature.
Chef Tips
- Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame, turning with tongs until blackened on every side. The steam-in-a-bag step loosens the skins for easy peeling.
- Make the crema fresca a day ahead. Heavy cream and sour cream need at least 8 hours at room temperature to thicken properly.
- Arrange the chilis skin-side down with the tips pointing toward the center and the tops extending slightly above the rim so you can fold them over the filling.
- Cover the chili edges with foil partway through baking if they start to brown too fast.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the Crema Fresca ahead of time: mix cream and sour cream together. Cover and let stand at room temp. until thickened, 8 hours or overnight. Chill until ready to use.
Char the chili peppers over a gas flame until blackened on all sides. Wrap them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam. Peel and core the chilies. Remove seeds, rinse and pat dry.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Generously butter a 9” pie pan (preferably porcelain or stoneware with 2” sides).
Open up chili peppers and arrange around sides of pan skin side down, point toward center of pan, extending about ½ inch above rim.
Cover bottom of pan with chilies.
Finely grate cheese with onion and garlic in a processor using on/off pulses, about 30 seconds.
Add eggs and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, about 15 seconds.
Mix in the Crema Fresca (the Mexican equivalent of creme fraiche). Pour this filling over the chilies. Curl the edges of the chilies over the filling.
Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Cover chili edges with foil to prevent burning, if necessary.
Cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Serves 6 main course servings.
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