Tuscan-Style Spareribs with Balsamic Glaze

I forgot the balsamic glaze and it was still amazing.  I will remember next time!

 

From: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tuscan-style-spareribs-with-balsamic-glaze

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
1  tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped sage
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
6 pounds pork spareribs
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, preferably one aged for at least 5 years

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt, fennel, black pepper, sage, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper, coriander and allspice. Rub the spice paste all over the spareribs and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°. Arrange the ribs on a large, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast the ribs for 2 hours, or until tender.
3. Preheat the broiler. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with the balsamic vinegar and broil 6 inches from the heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut between the ribs and serve.

Fruit Salad

I made this for a brunch today and very well received.  Love the orange/vanilla flavor!

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• Juice Of 1 Orange
• Zest Of 1 Orange
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans, Caviar Scraped Out (or 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract)
• 4 pints Strawberries, Hulled And Halved
• 2 pints Blueberries
• 2 cups Red Grapes, Halved
• 2 cups Green Grapes, Havled
• Mint Leaves

Preparation Instructions

Place the sugar, water, orange juice and orange zest into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 to thicken slightly. Set aside to cool, then store in the fridge until cold.
Mix together all the fruit in a large bowl and pour the syrup over the top, tossing gently. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jeff found this on the Serious Eats Blog and loves them.   Worth the extra work.

 

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield:	Makes about 28 cookies
Active time:	30 minutes
Total time:	1 day
Special equipment:	baking sheet, whisk, rubber spatula, 1 ounce ice cream scoop
This recipe appears in:	The Food Lab: The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rated:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 standard ice cube (about 2 tablespoons frozen water)
• 10 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
• 5 ounces (about 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 ounces (about 1/2 tightly packed cup plus 2 tablespoons) dark brown sugar
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped with a knife into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks
• Coarse sea salt for ganish

Procedures

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, gently swirling pan constantly, until particles begin to turn golden brown and butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue swirling the pan until the butter is a rich brown, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a medium bowl, whisk in ice cube, transfer to refrigerator, and allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. (Alternatively, whisk over an ice bath to hasten process).
   
2. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Place granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed until mixture is pale brownish-yellow and falls off the whisk in thick ribbons when lifted, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Fit paddle attachment onto mixer. When brown butter mixture has cooled (it should be just starting to turn opaque again and firm around the edges), Add brown sugar and cooled brown butter to egg mixture in stand mixer. Mix on medium speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just barely combined but some dry flour still remains, about 15 seconds. Add chocolate and mix on low until dough comes together, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate dough at least overnight and up to three days.
   
4. When ready to bake, adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 325°F. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or a spoon, place scoops of cookie dough onto a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet. Each ball should measure approximately 3 tablespoons in volume and you should be able to fit 6 to 8 balls on each sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown around edges but still soft, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top and bottom half way through baking.
   
5. Remove baking sheets from oven. While cookies are still hot, sprinkle very lightly with coarse salt and gently press it down to embed. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for remaining cookie dough. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container, plastic bag, or cookie jar at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Salad

Hi Natasha,

This is the salad I made for Thanksgiving.  It can be served with
lettuce or without, like a chopped salad.

It was nice being able to spend Thanksgiving with you and your
family.  The boys are really wonderful; so sweet, smart and
growing up!  I was glad to hear you were able to join the others
last night for dinner and the show.

Enjoy the holiday season, and your new kitchen!

Jean



Red cabbage cubed NOT shredded
Chopped apples (soak in lemon water to preserve color) Fugi are best for holding crispness
Golden raisins, crazines, or dried Mango or some of all
Nuts  I used hazelnuts, slivered almonds or pecans are equally good
Orange, red, or yellow but NEVER green pepper.
Celery
(I added  organic dried figs, cut in fourths) jean


Dressing I usually just eye ball it but I would guess it is
2 tea. Fig balsamic
1/3 to ½ cup olive oil
½ to whole teaspoon sea salt
Squeeze or two of lemon juice

At the time of serving, I mixed this with Spring Mix lettuce or can use without lettuce
as a chopped salad

Spinach and Cheese Strata

I found this recipe on a blog recently and made it for a brunch.  It may not be too healthy, but it was a definite hit!


Spinach and Cheese Strata
Adapted from Gourmet (sniffle), February 2003
Serves 6 to 8
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.
Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.
Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.
The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Gumbo

Modified recipe from Alton Brown: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shrimp-gumbo-recipe/index.html 

Love how all parts of shrimp are used.  No need for chicken broth as in many gumbo recipes.  A great weekend evening winter meal.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces vegetable oil
• 4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds raw, whole, head-on shrimp
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• cayenne pepper to taste (typically < 1/4 tsp)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and browned
• 1 tablespoon file powder

Directions

De-head, peel and devein the shrimp.  Place the heads and shells in a 4-quart saucepan along with the 2 quarts of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce to 1 quart.

Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine.  Cook on medium heat, whisking periodically until chocolate brown.

Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic to roux and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Gradually add the shrimp broth while whisking continually. Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and sausage and stir to combine. Add the file powder while stirring constantly. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over rice.

* Add sausage earlier to lower the spiciness of sausage.

Black Pepper Spice-Rubbed Roast

We made this for a dinner party last night and it was amazing!  Spices give a unique Indian flavor without being overbearing.

Based on the following recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Pepper-Spice-Rubbed-Beef-Tenderloin-354976

I could not find tenderloin, so I bought a Kobe beef tri-tip roast instead.  Super tender and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds (preferably brown)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 green cardamom pods, crushed, reserving seeds and discarding pods
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
• 1 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 (2-pounds) trimmed and tied center-cut beef tenderloin roast, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

 

Toast spices with salt in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mustard seeds begin to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool completely, then grind in grinder and mash in mortar.

Pat beef dry, then rub spice mixture all over it (including ends).  Before cooking let it come to room temp.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in same skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Brown beef on all sides, about 10 minutes total. 

Transfer beef to a small roasting pan and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into center of meat registers 130°F, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.