portland peppery goodness

My sister and niece, Sloane and Raina, had a long-weekend getaway to Portland, Oregon last month. I had the task… I mean the pleasure… of dog-sitting for their pooch, Bubo. When I say that Bubo is a spoiled brat, that is just glancing the tip of the iceberg. Yeah, he’s cute, and that is the only thing that kept me from ringing his little neck. We (as in Dave, my dad, and I) can’t agree if he is deaf, stupid, or just a brat. Bubo will NOT come when you call him; Dave thinks he can’t hear, Dad thinks he doesn’t know his own name – making him an idiot, I know that my sister has just spoiled him to pieces and that Bubo loves to be chased after. Ugg!

I am pretty hardcore when it comes to spoiled brats … Bubo did NOT sleep on our bed as suggested by Sloane, or even in our room for that matter. No – since he is a dog – he slept on his little pillow on the tile in the gated-off area of the breakfast room/kitchen/laundry room, and he was just fine with that… no whining or complaining, just sleeping all night. Although my sister brought over a bagful of various doggie treats, he only received one a day, not one every single time he looked up wistfully at me. He was not allowed to bite at my toes and fingers or tear into my shoes… you get the idea – I straightened him out, but I’m certain he’s back to his old antics… right, Sloane?

When they returned home, Sloane posted some pictures from the trip on Facebook. One photo was of a delicious-looking plate of food and her caption read, “This was the best dish of the trip…The Tin Shed…roasted peppers, berry jam, black beans, and creme fraiche…amazing! Maybe my sister can remake!” Sure, I can do that!  The Tin Shed calls it the Berry Garcia. It consists of roasted red peppers, jalapenos, black beans, Tillamook cheddar, and berry jam in a grilled tortilla, topped with jalapeno crème fraîche and fresh cilantro, it goes for $6.25. Yum!

The Tin Shed Berry Garcia Knockoff

Jalapeno Crème Fraîche
1 large jalapeno pepper; roasted, peeled, cored, and very finely minced
2 large garlic cloves; dry roasted, peeled, and very finely minced
1/2 cup crème fraîche

Four 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup berry preserves, divided
8-ounces Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper; roasted, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers; roasted, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
15-ounce can black beans; drained, rinsed, and drained
1/4 cup minced cilantro

Jalapeno Crème Fraîche: In a small bowl, blend together the minced jalapeno and garlic with the crème fraîche; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large skillet, one at a time, dry toast the tortillas on one side only. Remove from the skillet and spread the toasted side of each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the berry preserves. Divide half of the cheese evenly between the tortillas, covering just half of each tortilla. Top the cheese with roasted bell peppers, roasted jalapeno, and black beans, dividing evenly. Finally, top each with the remaining cheese.

Fold tortillas over, press down, and return two at a time to the skillet, toasting on one side, and then flipping over and toasting on the other until the tortillas are browned and the cheese is melted.  Remove from skillet and repeat with the remaining two.

Transfer to serving plates, drizzle with jalapeno crème fraîche and sprinkle with minced cilantro.  Serve while hot.

Makes 4