Flavor Trends, Strategies and Solutions for Menu Development

Flipping The Quesadilla Best of Flavor 2018 | California Milk Advisory Board With Alta Calidad | Pumpkin Blossom Quesadilla

California Milk Advisory Board with Alta Calidad offers a Pumpkin Blossom Quesadilla: Espuma over tortilla filled with pumpkin blossom, onion, Chihuahua cheese; garnished with ancho- chile activated-charcoal ash
PHOTO CREDIT: California Milk Advisory Board

Best of Flavor 2018
Alta Calidad is a Mexican small-plates concept from Chef/Owner Akhtar Nawab. With his Pumpkin Blossom Quesadilla, the fan-favorite quesadilla gets a format reinterpretation.

A creamy espuma is made from California crema, Serrano chile, California queso Oaxaca and burrata. These are blended together and siphoned as a mousse that melts over the hot quesadilla. Inside, the quesadilla is filled with sautéed pumpkin blossom, onion, Serrano chile and Chihuahua cheese.

Finally, the dish is garnished with a housemade ancho-chile activated-charcoal ash, providing an earthy flavor.

“I like the fact that the tortillas are able to stay crisp and still have the luxury of the cheese in a lighter form. Spice from the chile is more pronounced, and there isn’t the layer of fat or grease on the palate,” says Nawab.

“Anytime we chefs can take a dish people know and understand and rework it into something diners haven’t seen or something that looks new, it’s usually a winner,” he says. “In this case, it’s familiar, but still seems new.”

 

Akhtar Nawab

 

From the May/June Best of Flavor 2018 issue of Flavor & the Menu magazine. Read the full issue online or check if you qualify for a free print subscription.

 

 

About The Author