30-Minute Mole

Mole: a notoriously time-consuming sauce can in fact refer to any number of sauces in Mexican cuisine. Iterations on this legendary liquid are endless, and even those recipes closely associated with a particular region, such as Puebla, birthplace of the chocolate-laced mole poblano, vary from household to household, generation to generation. Seeing that mole's rich history involves so much variation, it's not all that iconoclastic to cook it in a pressure cooker. We love using pressure cookers to develop deep flavors quickly, so we figured why not try it to cut down on the total time it takes to make this most mesmerizing sauce? From our first batch, complex and delicious, after only 30 minutes on the stove, we knew we'd landed on the right equipment. Though the recipe took a little more tweaking (finding the right combination of peppers and chocolate is no easy task), we eventually landed on that, too.

Though it is definitely not traditional, it's delicious in Carnitas Tacos (recipe available at chefsteps.com, as part of our Cooking Sous Vide: Beyond the Basics class). Pour it over leftover chicken thighs or pulled pork, or mix it with black beans and rice. However you serve it, this lip-smacking, sweet-and-spicy sauce is sure to impress.