I recently teamed up with Toronto Taste to help spread the word about the incredible work they do for Second Harvest food rescue. Along the way I tried making some of the recipes from their cookbook and fell deeply for Carbon Bar’s Tostadas. Tender brisket, hot cheesy queso, spicy salsa fresca all loaded on top of a freshly fried tostado – YES PLEASE!
When considering what to make this Father’s Day for dinner this dish came to mind immediately. Though it has a laundry list of ingredients, the brisket is make ahead and you can also pre-prep the salsa fresca and opt to by pre-fried tostados (though nothing beats the crisp of a fresh fry!) Making it in phases makes it less daunting and gives you more time to enjoy the process.
The recipe is based around a smoked prime brisket but unfortunately I don’t have a smoker so instead opted to use my slow cooker and I was still happy with the results – who doesn’t love a so-tender-it-falls-apart-with-a-fork-brisket? Plus a slow cooker seriously just makes life easier – set it and forget it! I found the tostados hard to find in Toronto and when even the local Mexican tortilla spot was sold out I opted to fry up some fresh corn ones and they were delish. I love La Tortilleria’s corn tortilla’s!
This recipe is awesome for a crowd and perfect for Father’s Day. Here’s how:
Ingredients:
For the brisket:
- 3-4 lb USDA prime brisket, cleaned
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 red or white onions chopped
- ground pepper
- 2 cups of beef broth
- 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of tamari or soy sauce
For the queso:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced then crushed
- 3 jalapeños, seeded and diced
- 2 chipotle chiles, diced (canned in adobo sauce)
- 3 cups, 10% cream
- 1 tbsp sweet Spanish paprika
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
- 16 oz smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tbsp salt
Salsa Fresca
- 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes diced
- 3 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed into paste
- 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
- 2/3 cup chopped parsley
- 4 limes, juiced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp cracked pepper
How To:
The Brisket
- As I mentioned, I deviated from the recipe here and didn’t use a smoker. I used this easy slow cooker recipe instead.
The Salsa Fresca
- Chop all of the chopped and diced ingredients into a large mixing bowl
- Mix well
- Once combined cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
- (you can make this the day before or at least 30 mins before serving)
Queso
- saute shallots, garlic and jalapeños in butter over medium heat in a heavy bottom pot
- once the shallots are translucent add in the cream and reserve 4 tbsp
- add in the paprika and chillies and stir
- in another saucepan add the remaining 4 tbsps of cream and whisk in the cornstarch
- once the mixture comes to a simmer, lower the temp to medium low
- add the cornstarch mixture to the large pot
- stir in the cream cheese and mustard
- slowly start to add the shredded cheese while stirring
- stir until the sauce comes together
- salt to taste
- *note this recipe makes quite a bit of queso but who doesn’t like a little extra queso for dipping?
To Assemble
- pull apart some of the brisket into bite sized pieces and place on the tostado (Carbon suggests two slices of brisket per tostado)
- pile on some salsa and top with a generous drizzle of queso
To learn more about Second Harvest and the amazing work they do, check them out HERE.
xx,
Coco