Chiles en nogada is the Mexican national dish — poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo (ground meat braised with fruit and warm spices), draped in a walnut cream sauce, and showered with pomegranate seeds. The three colors of the Mexican flag on one plate. It is not a casual choice.
Fernando Ruiz, who runs Escondido in Santa Fe, brought it to Bobby's kitchen in 2019. The picadillo is the recipe: ground pork and beef braised with golden raisins, candied citron, pear, plantain, almonds, and a whisper of cinnamon and clove. The nogada is the technique: walnuts peeled — every brown skin removed by hand so the sauce stays white — then blended with crema, queso fresco, sherry, and a pinch of sugar.
Bobby skipped the peeling. The sauce came out gray. The dish failed on color before it failed on flavor.