Can You Take The Heat? Raisin Serrano Quesadillas

Do flavor combinations in recipes sometimes give you a double-take? This one did for me: raisins, lots of serrano chiles, soy sauce and Monterey jack cheese in a quesadilla?!  I had to try it, the recipe was an entry in a contest I was judging for Sun-Maid raisins. But really, 10 serrano chiles in 4 quesadillas?

The flavors that sounded so hot and odd turned into ‘want-another-bite’ delicious! It’s become one of my very favorite Sun-Maid recipes. Salty soy sauce and creamy jack cheese, along with sweet raisins are a perfect antidote for very hot chiles.  Dairy also cools the heat, so the cheese and a dollop of sour cream do the trick.

Spicy foods can feel cooling on a warm summer day. So I dare you, fire up these quesadillas and I bet you can take the heat! And for another unconventional combination, check out Rita’s Banana Lime Salsa, it’s hot and sweet 🙂

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Raisin Serrano Quesadillas

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes 4 servings

10 (3 to 4 ounces) serrano chiles
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons regular or reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
four  8 or 10-inch flour tortillas
8 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
Sour cream
Cilantro for garnish

SLICE serrano chiles lengthwise in half. Remove seeds and veins. Thinly slice into lengthwise strips. (Wear gloves to protect hands.)
HEAT olive oil in a small frying pan. Add chile strips and cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until chiles begin to blister and soften. Add soy sauce and raisins. Cook 30 seconds or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside. (Be sure to work in a well-vented area.)
HEAT a wide frying pan over medium heat. Brown one side of one tortilla; flip tortilla over and place one fourth of the cheese and cooked chiles on half the tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling. Continue to cook over medium heat, turning once to brown the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
CUT in wedges and serve with sour cream and cilantro.

Recipe adapted for Sun-Maid by Rosemary Mark. Photo by Kelly Burgoyne