Dublin Dr. Pepper Braised Short Ribs with Queso Fresco Corn Whipped Potatoes and Caramelized Tobacco Onions

I cooked this once and everything turned out great. I especially love the potatoes.
From the Idaho Potato website.

 Photo courtesy of the Idaho Potato Commission

Recipe courtesy of Dean Fearing, Chef/Partner, Fearing's at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, TX

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

    •    2 lbs Beef Short Ribs, cut 2-inch x 2-inch
    •    1/4 C Celery
    •    1/4 C Carrot
    •    1/4 C Onion
    •    1 sprig Thyme
    •    1 tsp Sage
    •    1 Bay Leaf
    •    2 each Ancho Chili, seeds and stems removed
    •    1/2 tsp Cumin, ground
    •    1/2 tsp Coriander, ground
    •    1 tsp Smoked Paprika
    •    1/4 C Smoked Onion
    •    1/4 C Tomato
    •    1/4 C Red Wine
    •    1 tsp Jalapeño Pepper, rough cut
    •    4 C Dublin Dr. Pepper
    •    2 Qts Chicken Stock
    •    6 Large Idaho Russet Potatoes, peeled
    •    1/2 stick Butter, melted
    •    1 pint Heavy Cream
    •    1 T Butter
    •    2 cloves Garlic Cloves, minced
    •    1 Shallot, minced
    •    2 ears Yellow Corn, shucked and kernels removed
    •    3 oz San Pedro Cheese or Queso Fresco
    •    1 T Vegetable Oil
    •    1 Spanish Onion, peeled and julienne
    •    1 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
    •    1 T Paprika
    •    To Taste Salt and Pepper
    •   


Directions

Dublin Dr. Pepper Braised Short Ribs

    1.    In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, season short ribs with salt and pepper and sear with vegetable oil, fat side down.
    2.    After 3 minutes, turn the short ribs over and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
    3.    Remove the short ribs from the pan and set aside.
    4.    Add the celery, carrot, and onion to the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.
    5.    Add the spices, smoked onion, jalapeño, and tomato and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
    6.    Add red wine and reduce the liquid by half. Then add Dr. Pepper and reduce by half. Add chicken stock, season and add the short ribs back to the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and place in a 300°F oven for 4 to 5 hours until tender.
    7.    Remove the short ribs from the oven and set aside. Strain the remaining liquid from the pan through a fine mesh strainer and into a medium size sauce pot. Place the sauce pot over medium high heat and reduce liquid by half. Season to taste.

Queso Fresco Corn Whipped Potatoes

    1.    Place potatoes in a large soup pot or kettle and cover with water.
    2.    Bring water to a boil, and bring down to a simmer and cook potatoes for about 25-30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.
    3.    Place into a large bowl and mash by hand if you like your mashed potatoes a little lumpy, or with an electric hand mixer if you like them smooth.
    4.    Add heavy cream and butter, stirring well after the addition of each ingredient.
    5.    You may want to add the cream a little at a time, just to make sure you don't get the potatoes too thin. Keep warm.
    6.    Bring medium sauté pan to medium high heat and add butter.
    7.    Add garlic and sauté to very light brown, about 1 minute.
    8.    Add shallots and sauté for 1 minute.
    9.    Add corn kernels and cook for 2 minutes.
    10.    Remove pan from the heat and add mixture to mashed potatoes.
    11.    Fold in cheese, stir to combine and taste for seasoning.

Caramelized Tobacco Onions

    1.    In a medium size sauté pan over medium high heat, add the oil and the onions.
    2.    Continue to cook the onions, while stirring, until caramelized or medium brown in color.
    3.    Season with cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
    4.    Remove the onions from the heat and reserve.

To Serve

    1.    Separate the short ribs into 4 equal pieces.
    2.    On four warm plates, place an even amount of Queso Fresco Corn Whipped Potatoes in the center.
    3.    Over the potatoes, place one short rib.
    4.    Place 2 tablespoons of the reduced short rib sauce over the top of each plate.
    5.    Garnish with the Caramelized Tobacco Onions on top of the short rib.

Yummy! Enjoy.

Green Chile Heaven

I have learned all about delicious fire roasted New Mexico green chiles from my wife. Here is great recipe to use them in. This recipe comes from the The Haute Kitchen blog.

Green Chile Pork Pozolé

Ingredients:

    •    Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    •    1 largish Onion, chopped
    •    4 Garlic cloves, chopped
    •    3 stalks of Celery, chopped
    •    2 lbs Pork Tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
    •    5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth, plus maybe a little more if the sauce gets too thick
    •    12 oz Tomatillos, coarsely chopped
    •    1 15 oz can Hominy, drained – white or yellow is fine
    •    4 4 oz cans diced Green Chiles, drained (freshly roasted Green Chiles is better if you have them)
    •    4 tsp ground Cumin
    •    4 tsp Chile Powder
    •    Salt & Pepper to taste
    •    Fresh Cilantro

In a nice big stockpot over medium-high heat cook the Onions, Garlic, and Celery until they get softish – about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the Pork with Salt & Pepper and add it to the pot. Cook it just until it’s no longer pink on the outside stirring frequently, just a couple of minutes.
Add the Chicken Broth, Hominy, Chiles, Tomatillos, Cumin, and Chile Powder. Bring it all to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low.
Simmer until the Pork is tender and cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened – about an hour.


Add the Cilantro just before you serve it, in fact you might want to just add it to individual servings since you’ll likely have tons of leftovers and it loses it’s pretty green color and bright flavor after a bit.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops (Maiale in Agrodolce)

I have cooked this a couple of times and it tastes great every time. This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #128.

Honey and balsamic vinegar are the sweet and sour agents in this recipe.

4  10-oz. bone-in pork chops, frenched
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1  sprig fresh rosemary, torn into 1" pieces

1. Put pork chops on a plate; drizzle with oil; season generously with salt and pepper; let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Combine vinegar and honey in a 1-qt. saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1⁄4 cup. Stir in butter and rosemary and set aside.

3. Put pork chops on grill and cook, occasionally turning and basting with balsamic mixture, until browned and cooked through, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

SERVES 4

Day 1

Ok, so this is Day 1 of my food blog. I am excited to get to write about cooking, eating and finding new recipes. I have a lot of recipes that I have found already and that I really enjoy. I will share as many as I can with all of you so you get to enjoy them as well. I continue to find new recipes everyday. My main goal is to create a delicious menu for my family, made up of tasty recipes that I enjoy cooking.

Usually I don't cook the same recipes over an over again because I am still in my experimental phase of finding recipes that I enjoy to make and that are delicious.  Many of the recipes that I obtain are from various websites and magazines. I 'll do my best at sharing my source information for each recipe.

Feel free to experiment with me and try the recipes that I list. I'll try to point out any tips that might help along the way. If you have any recipes that you would like to share feel free.

My first recipe that I will share is...French Lemon Tart. It is quickly becoming a favorite for everyone that tries it. It comes from Saveur Issue #23. I usually just buy a pie crust from the grocery.

French Lemon Tart

MAKES ONE 8'' TART

The crust for this tart is very flaky. If you have dough left over after rolling out the shell, use it to make a crisscross pattern over the top of the tart.

FOR THE CRUST:

2 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces 
FOR THE FILLING:1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
10 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
Juice and minced zest of 2 lemons

1. To make the pastry, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives (mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal). Sprinkle with just enough ice water, about 3 tbsp., so that dough holds together, then form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, then flatten and roll into a 9'' round. Ease dough into an 8'' tart pan, prick bottom with a fork, cover with aluminum foil, and chill for at least 20 minutes. Fill tart shell with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes more. Set aside to cool.

3. To make the filling, beat sugar and eggs together until mixture is pale yellow. Gradually add melted butter, mix well, then stir in lemon juice and zest. Spoon filling into tart shell and bake until crust is golden and filling is set and lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before serving.