Peanut Butter and Julie

Ancho-Coffee Braised Short Ribs

A few weeks ago, through Eric's work, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Bon Appetit Grand Tasting Sip and Stroll, which was part of Uncork'd, the magazine's food and wine celebration week, which is held each year in Las Vegas.  During this event, over 40 of Las Vegas's best restaurants were represented, each with a booth located around the perimeter of a ballroom, at which chefs prepared their signature dishes or latest creations for the lucky attendees.   

What made this event extra special was that most of the restaurants' celebrity chefs were also there, mingling with the guests, posing for photos, signing autographs, but ironically, not cooking  (I suppose they are allowed a night off....).  I recall looking to my left and seeing Daniel Boloud having an animated discussion with Joel Robuchon.  To my right was Cat Cora, in all of her Iron Chef glory.  I took a few steps forward and almost ran over Guy Savoy, which would have been embarrassing, although not surprising, as I tend to do that sort of thing more often than I'd like to admit. 

The highlight of the evening was meeting Mr. Spago, Chef Wolfgang Puck himself, who I have watched and admired since his early Food Network days.  I'm not usually the one to approach a celebrity and ask for a photo, but he was right there, so I couldn't resist.  It was a true relief to find that he is just as friendly in the flesh as he is personified on T.V.   I can't imagine how many photos he has had to pose for over the years, but he happily posed for one more with me (sorry, it's a bit blurry--Eric took it while balancing his plate and while being jostled by the crowd.)

I thought that Eric put it very eloquently when her described the event as "Julie's Superbowl," and since I won him a trip to see his Patriots play at the actual Superbowl earlier this year, I guess we are even. 

The gourmet fare during the event was plated in amuse bouche-sized portions, so that we would be able to try as much as possible.  We managed to make it to each restaurant's booth, although there were some (anything with the dreaded mayonnaise, cream cheese, or scallops, which I am allergic to) that I skipped.  While everything was delicious, it was apparent to me that the superstar chefs didn't all get together and have a big pow-wow about who was going to make what.  It was also clear that there are certain menu items which are currently considered "hot."  Many items, although prepared in different styles, were a common theme throughout the event.  There was an abundance of tartare, lots of flan,  and pea soup was well represented.  The one dish that seemed to pop up the most, however, was short ribs.  To be fair, I think the chefs were just being smart.  I mean, who doesn't love a slowly braised, falling-off-the-bone short-rib?  I took it upon myself to sample them all, and not a one disappointed.  My compliments to the chefs.

Ever since that evening, I have been wanting to create my own version of short ribs at home.  One of the best flavor combinations that I have recently tasted is an Ancho-chile and coffee based sauce.  I though this would taste heavenly with the short ribs, and it did.  The spiciness from the chiles mellows out over time and the sauce becomes thick and rich as the ribs simmer.  Serve them over polenta or with lots of good bread for mopping up the sauce.  Here are some extra tips for tall on flavor short ribs:

• If possible, prepare the ribs one day in advance.  Ribs improve if flavors have time to develop.  After braising the ribs, let them cool completely, uncovered, and then chill the ribs in the pan, tightly covered with a lid or with foil.  Remove any solidified fat from the top prior to reheating in the pan.
• Do not be alarmed if the sauce tastes bitter or spicy prior to braising the ribs.  The flavor really mellows out during the braising process.
• If you like a thicker sauce, combine 2 tablespoons of the liquid with 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch, and mix well to blend.  Add this mixture back to the sauce in the pan, stir, and simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens to your desired consistency. 
• To maximize moistness, rotate the ribs a few times during the braising process.
• I like to serve the ribs over soft polenta that has been cooked in chicken broth and seasoned with chopped fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper.  I'll either stir in soft goat cheese, grated parmigiano-reggiano, or smoked cheddar for extra flavor. 

Ancho-Coffee Braised Short Ribs

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons Ancho chili powder

1 medium yellow onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper

6 pounds beef short ribs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso

1/3 cup red wine (recommend Zinfandel or Cabernet)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  In a blender, combine the ancho chile powder, broth, onion, garlic, chipotles and adobo sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Puree the mixture until smooth.

Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then brown the ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch.  As they brown, transfer the ribs to a casserole pan or dutch oven large enough to hold the ribs in 1 layer. 

Carefully transfer the chile puree to the same skillet (be careful as the sauce will splatter a bit), and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.  Add the coffee and wine, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes longer. 

Pour the liquid over the ribs in the pan.  It should reach at least halfway up the sides of the ribs.  Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil.  Roast at 350F for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 300F, and braise the ribs until very tender, 2 1/2-3 hours longer.  Serve the ribs with the sauce over polenta, couscous, or mashed potatoes.

Bravo! Daring Divas (Bakers) Take On L'Opera

It all started with an unopened bottle of Limoncello.  I don't know how it became part of our liqueur collection--perhaps it was a hostess gift or an impulse buy during Eric's trip to Italy.  What I do know is that the beautiful, slender bottle with the bright yellow accents has been sitting in our bar area, collecting dust, for over 5 years.  Since we don't really drink hard liquor, our supply is often  used to flavor my kitchen creations.  As I scanned the labels for inspiration, passing over my go-to bottles of Chambord, Kahlua, and Grand Marnier, my eyes fell upon the Limoncello, and I had my "aha" moment.

But I am getting ahead of myself.  This month's Daring Baker's challenge, my third, was the famous French dessert, Opera Cake.  I was thrilled with this selection, as this recipe has been patiently sitting in my Epicurious Recipe Box for years now, and I have simply needed a reason to make it.   While the challenge version hails from a different source, based on Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets rendition, I would still be able to check it off my baking bucket list after completion. 

Very little is known about the genesis of L'Opera, as it is called in France.  Its creation is credited to Louis Clichy in the early 1900's, which is why it is also often referred to as Clichy Cake.  The famous French patisserie, Dalloyau, is attributed with popularizing the dessert as we know it today.  There are five elements to an Opera Cake: joconde or sponge cake, sugar syrup for moisture, buttercream, optional mousse, and a finishing glaze.

The recipe, as the Daring Bakers prepared it, can be found in full on fellow DB Ivonne's Cream Puffs in Venice site.  We were tasked with creating a version that only used lighter colors, no dark chocolates, coffees, or cocoas in the buttercream, mousse, and glaze.  This is where the Limoncello  came in.  I used it to flavor my simple syrup only, but it set the precedent for each of the other components: lemon zest in the buttercream, a dash of lemon juice in the glaze, and yellow-hued decorations.  I also love the flavor combination of coconut and lemon, so I decided to up the ante on the filling by sandwiching the buttercream between a thin layer of lemon curd and a sprinkling of shredded coconut.  The whimsical decorations just seemed perfect for the cheery yellow color.

For as complex as this recipe looks, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it wasn't all that difficult, just long.  I broke it up into sections, making the syrup and buttercream one day, the joconde the next, and assembling with the glaze last night.  I actually cut the recipe in half to make a rectangular cake, and it worked very well.  The joconde baked very quickly, about 7 minutes, and the buttercream, which I couldn't stop sampling, came together beautifully, with none of the curdling that I usually experience with true buttercream recipes.  I look forward to preparing this again, perhaps with a different flavor profile, for a special occasion or dinner party.  It's that kind of dessert.  And the Limoncello?  Well, it's back in its original spot, waiting to inspire another recipe.  Here are some of my tips for making a standing ovation-worthy Opera cake:

• Because there are so many components to this recipe (joconde, buttercream, simple syrup, optional mousse, and glaze), it is very important to pace yourself and allow plenty of time to create your masterpiece.  Everything but the glaze can be prepared at least one day in advance, so dividing the recipe into portions will make the process much easier. 
• For the buttercream, one set of directions said to heat the sugar syrup to 225F degrees, while the other (in the cookbook) said 255F degrees.  I picked a temperature in the middle, 235F, and the buttercream turned out beautifully.  I imagine that either end of the spectrum would have worked just as well, as long as the sugar granules are thoroughly dissolved and the syrup is hot to the touch.
• If you have not made real buttercream prior to this recipe, do not be alarmed if the mixture appears to look curdled after you have added all of the butter.  Continue to mix at medium-high speed, and the buttercream will eventually come together and achieve a satiny smooth texture.
• This recipe can be easily halved, but I recommend making the buttercream as directed, in the event that you need more.  Buttercream can be frozen for up to a month, so if you have extra, you can just save it for another recipe. 
• The joconde recipe calls for eggs and egg whites at room temperature.  To quickly bring eggs up to temperature, simply submerge them in warm water for a few minutes.  Room temperature eggs are easier to aerate and result in a fluffier product/

Spiced Honey Bee Cookies

Summertime is almost here and the bees will soon be a buzzin'---or will they?  If you happen to watch the entire evening newscast, or if you read the paper from cover to cover, perhaps you have come across a buried story about the gradual disappearance of our honey bee population.  It hasn't exactly made the cover of Time, but that doesn't make it unimportant. 

The Western honey bee population has depleted by more than 25 percent over the last several years.  Now, you may be thinking: "Good--I was stung really badly one summer, and I'll never forget it.  Plus, I don't care much for honey."  Well, do you like raspberries? pears? almonds?  How about the 100+ other crops, nuts, and seeds that we rely on honey bees to pollinate?  In fact, the honey bee is responsible for over $15 billion is U.S. agricultural crops each year. 

As a cook and a food lover, news of this "Colony Collapse Disorder", as it is called, really struck a chord with me.  I now come inside and happily report to Eric when there are lots of bees swarming around our Meyer lemon trees, and thanks to them, we are going to have our biggest crop ever this year.  While scientists don't yet know what causes it, they are working hard at researching several theories.

Unless you are happy to resign yourself in the future to a diet of Slim Jims, Cheetos, and other foods not reliant on honey bees, you might want to read a bit more about this issue (on the other hand, if this diet sounds ideal to you, you can just skip down to the cookie recipe.)  The good people at Haagen-Daz have taken it upon themselves to set up a site called Help the Honey Bees, which contains all sorts of information about this topic, including what little things can be done to help.  My favorite?  Buy a pint of one of their many "Bee-Dependent Flavors" , such as Rocky Road or Strawberry, and Haagen-Daz will donate funds to honey bee research.  O.K.......twist my arm.  I suppose I could bring myself to eat ice cream, seeing as it's for a good cause and all.

This recipe serves as a tribute to the hard-working honey bees.  I saw it in an issue of Martha Stewart a few years ago, and I bought the bee-shaped cutter when I was buying other shapes for the holiday baking season.  "Bee" careful not to eat too many--they are addictive!  Here are some extra tips for these buzz-creating cookies:

• I buy many of my cookie cutters, including the bee-shaped ones for this recipe, from the Sugarcraft web site.  They have every shape imaginable.  You can also purchase the sanding sugar for this recipe here.
• Royal icing is a combination of egg whites, confectioners' sugar, and water, and it is ideal for decorating cookies because it dries very hard.  You can find a recipe for royal icing in my Superbowl Football Cookies post.
• If you don't have a bee-shaped cutter, then you can just use the dough to make rolled spice cookies of another shape.  Another option is to cut out small circles and make cookie sandwiches by spreading with raspberry jam after baking.
• For rolling out the dough, waxed paper may be substituted for the parchment paper. 

Spiced Honey Bee Cookies

Makes about 8 dozen

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey or dark corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg

Sanding sugar

Yellow royal icing

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup (or honey), and vanilla at medium speed until smooth.  Beat in the egg.  Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour mixture, beating until just combined.  Turn out the dough and shape into a disk.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold, but not hard, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough in half.  Roll out each half between 2 sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness.  Chill in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.  Using a "bee" cutter, cut out shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.  Gather together the scraps, reroll, and cut out more shapes.  Bake the cookies until pale golden brown, 14-16 minutes; let cool completely.

Brush water on the wings of the bees and then immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar, shaking off excess.  Decorate the bodies of the bees with royal icing, if desired, and then immediately sprinkle the icing with the sanding sugar, shaking off excess.  Let icing set for 2 hours. 

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Memorial Day is the first of the two "bookend" holidays, the other one being Labor Day, which mark the beginning and end of the summer holidays in the United States.  This weekend, everyone from professional ribmasters to folks who have no business being within 20 feet of a grill will fire up their Webers and officially kick off the 2008 barbecue season.  Whether you're a fan of the beer-can chicken method or your just a simple hot dog and mustard kind of guy/gal, chances are pretty good that at least one of your meals over the next few days will be served to you with tongs onto a paper plate (or custom-made Memorial Day tableware, if you happen to be celebrating at Martha's estate.)

Nothing says "cook-out" like a good old-fashioned hamburger.  Usually, there is so much focus on the burger itself--how much seasoning, turkey or beef, what type of cheese--that the bun is all but forgotten about until the very last minute.  Those pathetic  and flimsy little grocery store versions are always too thin, become too soggy, fall apart after the first bite, and besides, have you seen the price of bread lately??  Here is your golden opportunity to take you burgers to the next level, with fresh homemade hamburger buns.

Imagine how great this scenario would be:  Your most hard-to-please family member asks you which bakery made the incredible hamburger buns.  You breezily reply, "Oh those?  I just made them myself this morning, as I was doing other things of course."   Priceless.  These buns don't require much labor or attention, just ample time to rise, so if started first thing in the morning, they really could be ready for lunch.  Make a triple batch and freeze them to enjoy throughout the summer months--and have a safe and happy Memorial Day!  Here are some extra tips for making these bakery-style burger buns:

• When you first combine the yeast and warm water, if the yeast doesn't foam after five minutes, then throw it out and start over.  This indicates that the yeast is no longer active, and the dough will not rise.
• One 1/4-ounce package of yeast is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons, so for this recipe, you will need 4 1/2 teaspoons yeast.
• This recipe can be made using all white flour instead of a mixture of white and whole wheat flours.
• If you don't have an standing electric mixer, just stir all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.  Then, knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• The baked buns can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month.
• If you don't have a 3-inch cookie cutter, then use the top of a glass to measure the rounds.

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Makes about 16

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup water (about 110F degrees)

2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast

1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar, divided

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon salt

3 cups flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Bring the milk to a low simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and cool until the temperature reaches between 105F and 115F degrees.

Meanwhile, stir the warm water, yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Add the butter, warm milk, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to the yeast mixture and mix with the paddle attachment at low speed until the butter has melted.  Mix in the eggs until well combined.

Add the salt, 2 cups regular flour, and 2 cups whole wheat flour to the bowl and mix, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary, until the flour is well incorporated.  Switch to the dough hook and beat in the remaining cup of regular flour and the remaining cup of whole wheat flour at medium speed until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 2 minutes.  Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.  Beat for 5 minutes longer; dough will be sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 1/2 hours.

Butter 2 large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.  Punch down the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin.  Roll to a 14-inch round, about 1/2-inch thick.  Cut out as many rounds as possible with a floured 3-inch cutter and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Gather and reroll scraps; cut out more rounds.  Loosely cover the buns with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until they hold a finger mark when gently poked, 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees with racks in upper and lowed thirds.  Brush the buns with the egg wash and bake, switching positions halfway through baking, until tops are golden and undersides are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 14-20 minutes.  Cool completely.