Recipe of the Week

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Servings: 6

Courtesy of: "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show" cookbook Photograph by: Your's Truly

I love, love, love America's Test Kitchen recipes! They almost always turn out just like they are supposed to; this recipe being no exception. I served this over wide egg noodles. Delicious! 

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Vegetable peeler

Large Dutch oven

Medium bowl

Wooden spoon

Small bowl

Tongs

Aluminum foil

Fine-mesh strainer

Fat separator (optional)

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

Make sure that they are at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. If you can't find boneless, buy 7 pounds of bone-in. To bone you simply take a chef's knife and run it as close the bone as you can, then just trim the excess hard fat and silver skin from both sides. 

- Table salt and ground black pepper

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 2 large onions, sliced thin from pole to pole (about 4 cups)

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled

- 2 cups red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cotes du Rhone

I buy the 4-pack of the small bottles. That way you don't have to crack open an entire bottle (unless you would like to drink the rest!)

- 1 cup beef broth

- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

- 4 sprigs fresh thyme

- 1 bay leaf

- 1/4 cup cold water

- 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
This is used to replace the body that the bones connective tissue would have added to the sauce.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of the beef and cook, without stirring, until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the beef and continue to cook on the second side until well-browned, 4 to 6 minutes longer, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the beef to a medium bowl. A bowl is important here to catch all of the juices. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (If the onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to the pan.) Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it browns on the sides and bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot; cover and bring to a simmer. The meat should be half-submerged in the liquid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, using tongs to turn the meat twice during cooking, until a fork slips easily in and out of the meat, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top; let stand at least 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the meat and carrots to a serving platter and tent with foil. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a fat separator or bowl, pressing on the solids. Allow the liquid to settle for about 5 minutes and strain off the fat. This is an important step. Short ribs have a tremendous amount of fat. Return the cooking liquid to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the meat and carrots and serve.

Turducken

A chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey....WITH stuffing? All of the birds must be de-boned.

First of all, I had no idea that a chicken could fit inside of a duck. I figured it would be the other way around. And you have to wonder what made the inventor of this dish even TRY it? 

Apparently, turducken (even the name sounds gross...."turd") was invented by Junior Hebert and his brother Sammy in Maurice, Louisiana. A farmer came into their butcher shop with all three birds, freshly killed, and wanted them stuffed. It didn't gain much traction in the south, but has somewhat of a cult following elsewhere. 

You can get them from Dean & Deluca for $100 a pop or drive to your nearest Costco who sells them during the holidays. I think I'll pass. 

Eating Raw Cookie Dough

What is this world coming to? I'm seeing headlines all over the place that say that it is unsafe to eat raw cookie dough, particularly if you buy it "ready-to-bake" from the grocery store.

I've honestly never thought about the fact that I am actually eating raw eggs along with my wonderfully yummy raw dough. Raw eggs are potentially hazardous because they can serve as sources of harmful bacteria, including salmonella, which can cause serious illness. Apparently, unpasteurized flour can also be harmful.

What kind of mother AM I? Will Dairy Queen take the Cookie Dough Blizzard off the menu?

So what about making cookies from scratch? According to some, if you use pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg products, you should be ok. I think I might just give my little guys a warm, soapy bath before cracking them.

As for the store-bought dough, scientists are urging manufacturer's to reformulate their products to make them safer to eat raw. You can see the entire article here.

Funny Celebrity Chef Moment

My favorite singer hosted "Live! with Kelly" at the end of last week. There was a very funny situation with celebrity chef Anne Burrell that I have to share. She was on the show promoting her new cookbook "Cook Like a Rock Star" and she and Josh were attempting to demonstrate one of the recipes in her book. She got a little flustered.....


 

 You can purchase a copy of Anne's new book here.

How do you plan your holiday feast?

I often wonder if I'm becoming more and more OCD when it comes to planning/prepping/preparing Christmas dinner. Each year I learn something new - which is always a good thing - but with each passing year, I seem to make it harder and harder for myself.

Last year we had 12 guests for dinner. This is kinda how it went:

I chose the menu from the thousands of recipes that I have collected over the past several years (I'm not exaggerating), about two weeks in advance. There wasn't one thing I chose that I had prepared before. Mistake!

I printed out all of the recipes and prepared a shopping list. I ordered the items the way I normally shop the store (starting at deli, around to bakery, then to produce, etc.). I also made a schedule, beginning two days before, on what could be prepped ahead of time, the oven schedule, what order I should cook things in, etc.

Shopping day was split into two days: The first day for items that are non-veggie and then the veggie items I bought the evening before. Yes, Christmas Eve. Another DUH! EVERYONE was at the store at the same time and they weren't nearly as prepared as I was (that might be a subject for another post).  :)

The major prep started the night before. I had every size bowl imaginable with measured out ingredients. They were all nicely labeled and carefully placed in the refrigerator or on the counter in the order they were needed. I'm talking down to the "6 slices of cooked bacon" I needed for the mac & cheese (yes, bacon AND mac & cheese is amazing!)

Christmas day was a complete and utter zoo. Dinner was scheduled for 5:30 and I literally stood in that kitchen THE ENTIRE DAY and still didn't get the meal on the table in time. What was I thinking peeling/sectioning and juicing a dozen nectarines? Cleaning/trimming and shredding a truckload of brussels sprouts? 

Alright, so as I mentioned, I learned a lot and will make many changes this year. #1 lesson - K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). I enjoy cooking, but when I am missing out on my son playing with his toys and watching football, something has to give. 

In case you are wondering how it turned out....very well! Rave reviews from everyone - or maybe they were just being generous. I am sure that the entire ordeal was written all over my disheveled face. 

How do you prepare for your holiday feast?