Hell's Backbone Grill

Matt and I took a trip down to southern Utah this weekend. Our destination was Boulder, Utah - a quiet tiny town (population of about 180) on Utah's Highway 12. You wouldn't think it would have any good restaurants, let alone one of the best in Utah. But it does. Hell's Backbone Grill makes fabulous food, mostly with local and/or organic ingredients. Many of the vegetables they use were grown on-site in their own organic garden. According to their own website, "Hell's Backbone Grill serves regionally-based cuisine: a blend of Western Range, Pueblo indian and Southwestern flavors."

All I can say is that their Cowgirl Meatloaf is the best I've ever had. And they have a chocolate-chile cream pot that will make you want to fall over and die. If you're ever even remotely close to Boulder, you have to eat here. Just be sure to make reservations since the restaurant is small and fills up fast, and bring a lot of $ to spend because this place is not cheap. You shouldn't expect anything super formal or fancy, but this restaurant is really worth the money and the trip.


Chocolate-Chile Cream Pots

Unbelievably rich and luscious, we pretty much have to keep it on the menu year-round, because returning diners complain if they can't order it. It's a certain cure for whatever emotional ill ails you.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 9 ounces of good quality sweet chocolate
• 2 ounces of good quality unsweetened chocolate
• 6 large egg yolks (we use local farm eggs for this - substitute free range and organic store-bought)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. of powdered hot Chimayo chile
• Heavy cream - whilpped with a little sugar and vanilla to taste

Put the egg yolks into a blender and whip them thoroughly. Set them aside in the blender. Carefully heat the chocolate, the cream and the half and half together in a heavy-bottomed pot, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted and bubbling and the mixture is a very even consistency and color. Add salt and chile powder and let it simmer a little bit more.
Pour the very hot chocolate mixture into the whirling blender of egg yolks and blend them until thick and completely smooth. If for any reason the custard doesn’t thicken up properly, just put it into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook it on very low heat. It may temporarily break, but another quick go in the blender will fix the problem.

While the chocolate is still hot, pour it into dessert cups (we use small white ramekin dishes--a little bit of this dessert goes far). Top it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. We garnish this dessert with grated Abuelita Mexican Chocolate and edible flower petals or a whole small, dried red chile from our garden (although one time a guest ate the chile and nearly fainted . . . now we have the servers warn the guests about the garnish because it looks too pretty to leave off).