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Coffee Braised Short Ribs

As many of you may know, I am a big fan of short ribs. A few years ago, we had enjoyed dinner at a restaurant in Bar Harbor, ME called Havana. I ordered vanilla infused coffee short-ribs and they were to die for. Since that trip, I have been looking for a repeat of that meal. I've combed the internet for recipes but have not been able to find anything like it. I did have a culinary disaster with Coffee and Chocolate Braised Short Ribs, which we were able to salvage but it was initially dubbed "mocha meat".

I like to cook ribs on Sundays since it takes a few hours, leaving the flavors to sit for a day or two before we finally serve it. I found this recipe on the Food Network called Michael's Coffee Braised Short Ribs and thought I could once again try my hand at coffee flavored short ribs.

This recipe was quick to put together but demands about 4 hours of cook time. I enjoy when I can make these recipes on a Sunday and then use them as meals later in the week. When I finished cooking the ribs, I found them to be a little bland. I was making a tomato sauce the same day and had a can of tomato paste open. I mixed 3 tablespoons of tomato paste into the sauce and that was just what it needed. I'm not sure if the flavor was effected by the strength of the coffee or it just demanded more flavor.

The coffee braised short ribs were a big success. Sadly, no seconds on this recipe and letting it rest for a day or two makes for a flavorful sauce. The polenta was a great "starch" for sopping up the "gravy".

I know it wasn't as good as Havana, but I'm getting closer. If I were smart, I should just e-mail the chef and ask for the recipe and then make the short ribs I'm dying for!

Ingredients: 

3 pounds of boneless short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons hot or mild chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of beef broth

Polenta (prepared according to directions)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Warm the oil in a large dutch oven (we use our Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. 

Add the ribs and brown until golden, turning them once, about 8 minutes. 

Transfer the ribs to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the wine and coffee into the dutch oven. 

Cook over high heat, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom, until the sauce is reduced by one forth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Put the ribs, onion, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, the chili powder and oregano into the pot. 

Place the dutch oven, covered, in the oven for 3-1/2 hours. 

Uncover and add the tomato paste. 

Cook, covered, until the ribs are falling apart, about 45 minutes more. 

If the sauce remaining is light, add some beef broth. 

Transfer the ribs and sauce to a serving dish and serve.

We served ours over prepared polenta.

Chocolate-Stout Brownies with a Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

Last Friday night, I invited some friends to a Pinterest Party. There is nothing better than delicious food, some great girlfriends and teaching them how to "pin" their favorite pictures, ideas and websites. It started when a few people had asked me for invitations into Pinterest, then came the comments on Facebook. How do I use this? How do I pin pictures? How do I sign in? Will you have a party?

In my real life, I teach social media marketing. Whenever there are new networks setting trends, I'm usually fully engaged. I try and learn as much as I can, knowing that in a very short period of time, I will be teaching people how to use the network. If you would like, you can follow me on Pinterest.

I was looking for a brownie recipe and came across a chocolate-stout brownie recipe from Bon Appetit. The combination of beer and chocolate piqued my interest so I was going to try these chocolaty treats. The picture reminded me of a Texas sheet cake. I was heading to the liquor store so grabbing a can of Guinness Stout would be easy. 

The brownies were easy to make, but watch the stout while you are reducing it on the stove. As mine started to boil, it bubbled over (ugh! what a mess). Once I got it under control, it reduced fairly quickly. As I read the reviews on the Bon Appetit website, people suggested that the cooking times were incorrect. I have a convection oven and mine took about 45 minutes. In a conventional oven, I might go closer to an hour. I started checking at 35 minutes but they do take longer than suggested.

The brownies came out perfect. We used bittersweet chocolate which gave the brownies a very dense and rich taste, not overly sweet. Everyone enjoyed them saying they loved the wonderful chocolate flavor that wasn't overpowering. I did make an observation though, they tasted better the second day. If you have the opportunity to make them a day ahead, I would make that suggestion. I found they were still dense, but less sticky. The next day, everyone kept eating little slivers of the brownies, trying not to admit they wanted a big piece. The chocolate-stout brownies disappeared with ice cream as well as large glasses of milk.

Who says beer and chocolate aren't a good combination.

Ingredients:

1 cup of stout beer (we used Guinness - * UPDATE * Recently we used a Spiced Sweet Stout called Mexican Radio from Bluejacket in DC - AMAZING! Don't be afraid to try different types of stout.)

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup of butter

1-1/2 cups of sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

Glaze

4 ounces of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or bits)

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup of reduced stout

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9x2" metal baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2" overhang.

2. Bring stout to a boil in a medium sauce- pan, watch to make sure it doesn't boil over; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes.

3. Let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup of stout for glaze.

4. Stir 12 oz. chocolate and 1 cup butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

5. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, then 1/4 cup stout from pan.

6. Fold in flour and 1 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake brownies until surface begins to crack and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes. (We cooked ours a bit longer more like 50-60)

8. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.

Glaze:

1. Stir remaining 4 oz. chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a sauce-pan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

2. Add reserved 1/4 cup reduced stout, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1/4 tsp. salt; whisk until well blended.

3. Pour warm glaze over brownies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 40 minutes.

 

Monday Night Chef - B&M Catering - Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

St. Patty's Day is next Saturday and what better a meal than Corned Beef and Cabbage. And what better a place to get an amazing recipe than from Brian and Mickey Doherty, the owners of B&M Catering Company. I have known Brian for about 3 years and have tested and tasted many of his amazing dishes...especially the shipped clambakes. I'm going to step back and let Brian take the blog and tell us about his famous Corned Beef and Cabbage. Thank you for being my Monday night Chef!

As told by Brian Doherty - 

In New England, corned beef and cabbage are often referred to simply as, a boiled dinner. As a kid growing up in Boston, a boiled dinner could consist of either smoked shoulder or corned beef, (whichever was on sale) and lots of vegetables.

Though popular with  generations of Irish Americans immigrants, a corned beef dinner was not a meal commonly served in Ireland. And, as with everything else involving the Irish, even a simple meal such as this comes with endless discussions, the most contested of which is that of Red vs. Grey. Though most corned beef is a cut of brisket, there are two means of curing the beef. One, and the most popular is with the use of sodium nitrates, which preserve the meat and help it retain it's red color. The other, and older of the two, is done by simply placing the briskets in a salted brine. This tenderizes the meat and causes it to become grey in color. As Bostonians, the grey is what we were weaned on.

To follow is a simple recipe that we hope you enjoy. Amounts of vegetables used can vary according to your particular likes, and remember, that as a rule of thumb, in the cooking process your brisket will shrink by 40-50% of it's original weight, so please keep this in mind. 

Ingredients for a family of twelve:  Just kidding, how about for four!

6-7 lbs of corned beef

1 head of cabbage

2-3 lbs of potatoes (Red Bliss are nice)

2  lbs of carrots

1 yellow turnip

1 lg onion

Preparation:

Place brisket in pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil, then dump water and recover with fresh water. This keeps brine from being too salty.

Bring to a boil then lower heat and allow to simmer for 2 1/2- 3 hrs. (Or until fork tender)

While corned beef is simmering, core and cut cabbage into wedges. 

Cut potatoes

Peel and cut carrots

Peel and cut turnip

Peel and cut onion into wedges

When corned beef is tender, remove from brine and put in the vegetables. Simmer veggies until tender.

Slice corned beef by cutting across the grain of the meat, not with it.

Make a plate and have a pint.

Slainte!!!

Brian & Mickey Doherty