Roasted Poblanos in Cream Sauce (Rajas con Crema)

The first time I had poblanos in a cream sauce (rajas de poblano con crema), it was at the breakfast buffet at a resort in Ixtapa, Mexico. Now, as you can tell from the photo, this isn’t the most attractive dish in the world. But I promise you, if you like poblano chile peppers, this is a fabulous way to serve them.

There’s a good reason spicy Mexican food is often served with dairy. Milk proteins neutralize the spicy capsaicin molecules in hot chilies. So you get less of the bite of the chile and more of the actual flavor of it. Meaning you will be able to better taste the wonderful roasted poblano chiles if they are bathed in a creamy sauce.

In this case, the sauce is made with Mexican “crema”, a sort of sour cream that’s a lot like crème fraîche, along with milk, and Monterey Jack cheese. First you roast the poblanos directly over flame to get them charred, for flavor and to make the easier to peel. Then you cut them into strips, and simmer them with sliced onions in the cream sauce. Serve them as a side to Mexican dishes, or rolled up in warmed tortillas. So good!

Poblanos in my garden

Most of the recipes I’ve found online for this dish have the strips cut fairly thin, about 1/2 inch thick or so. But in Ixtapa, where I was first introduced to poblanos in crema, the peppers were sliced thick, one or two inch wide strips. So that’s how I’ve reproduced them here. You can find Crema Mexicana at any Mexican market, or in California, any major grocery store. If you can’t find it where you are, you can substitute with creme fraiche, which is very similar.

Roasted Poblanos in Cream Sauce (Rajas con Crema) Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 fresh poblano chiles
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 white onion, sliced lengthwise (root to tip), 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Mexcian crema (Mexican sour cream) or crème fraîche
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

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