Sunday, February 27, 2011

True fall of the bone braised short ribs

So just coming back from a trip to Montreal, where I went to the famous Le Garde Manger restaurant. I was so excited to go having heard many a fabulous review on it, and having seen the owners show on tv. I loved the atmosphere, great music, smaller than I thought, which gave it a much cozier feel than what I had expected. I was with my sister and we had reserved, several weeks in advance, 2 seats at the bar, which was all that was available. I ordered a tomato and avocado salad with fried cheddar cheese to start and then their short ribs. The salad was ok, nothing at all to write home about, and the short ribs, well, disappointing is all I can say. They were served with a small pasta-like dumpling, which was also not bad, but needed a beautiful jus to soak up some flavour, and the ribs, dry. My sister, also not impressed began with a simple green salad that was doused in dressing, and then followed with the bavette and frites. How did this compare to the steak frites she had in a nothing little restaurant in Paris in the summer, it didn't. So I decided to share a recipe that I love for true fall of the bone, moist and delicious ribs.
Be forewarned that this recipe needs to cook in the oven for 3 hrs. So plan ahead. Why do I say this? Because after a few glasses of delicious wine on a cold winter weekend, I forgot, and at 8:00 realized that my dinner was now going to be served at 11:00. Ooops...but something you will learn about me, I tend to be very detail oriented but every once in a while, something slips through the cracks, and I make an error. Usually when this happens wine is involved. The first time I realized this side of myself, I was make a lemon meringue pie for a bet that I had lost. I had never made a lemon meringue pie before, and in typical form, decided to fulfill the bet while hosting my boyfriend at the time and 2 people from his family. Oh I made a lovely dinner, all from the famous Harry's Bar cookbook, but of course, had a few too many, and forgot the crucial step in the pie preparation process where it called for baking the pie shell, empty. At the end of the dinner, I had made my beautiful lemon filling added my meringue to the top and put it into the oven, for only 5-10 mins. Clearly not enough time to bake the shell. Needless to say, all was not lost, as we had a lovely lemon meringue pudding for dessert.

Just as with this recipe, all was not lost, but to help all of you avoid the mistake, I am telling you now so I don't forget, again, 3 HRS in the OVEN!!!

This recipe comes from a fabulous cookbook, recommended to me by my best friend, called Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Lucques is a famous restaurant in California. I have never been there, but oh, I can only imagine. They are all about eating local, seasonal and the slooooow cook and are famous for the Sunday dinners. So, when I feel like filling my home with rich beautiful scents and spending a day in the kitchen I cook with this cookbook. I highly recommend it. It is not necessarily difficult, but it is a commitment.

So, this time 'round, it was braised short ribs, with horseradish cream, swiss chard with oven roasted pearl onions and mashed potatoes. The results, despite the fact that it was 11:00 when we finally ate, and I was pretty well ready for bed, was fabulous! Melt in your mouth, full of beautiful rich flavours and served with a lovely medium-full bodied red wine, almost perfection! (Perfection would have been served at 8:00) Hope you enjoy it too!

Braised Short Ribs (for 2) with swiss chard & horseradish cream
Beef short ribs
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh thyme
2 whole sprigs fresh thyme
Fresh black pepper & salt
1/2 diced onion
3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup port
1 cup full bodied red wine
2-1/2 cups beef stock (preferably organic)
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 dozen pearl onions
extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard, cleaned, center rib removed
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 tbsp prepared horseradish (I like one with a bit of a kick)

  • Using your hands to coat the meat, season the shorts ribs with the tbsp of thyme and cracked pepper. Then cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove the meat approx. 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Approx. 30 mins later, season them with salt on all sides.


  • Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  • In the meantime, toss the pearl onions with 1 tsp of fresh thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them onto a baking sheet and roast them for approx. 15 mins, or until tender. 
  • When the onions have cooled, slip off the skins with your fingers and set aside.
  • Turn oven down to 325 F

  • When you are ready to cook your ribs, heat a large saute pan over high heat (approx 3 mins.) Pour some olive oil into the pan, wait 1 min while it heats, and when it is so hot it is almost smoking, place the ribs into the pan, and sear until they are nicely browned on all sides. Be sure not to crowd the meat when searing and do it in batches if necessary. This will take approx. 10-15 mins. When they are nicely browned, put them into an oven-friendly dish and add in the parsley
  • Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery , thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Cook for approx. 15 mins, until the vegetables begin to caramelize. 
  • Add the vinegar, port and red wine. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
  • Pour over top of the ribs and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and place into the oven for approx 2-1/2 - 3 hours.


  • In the meantime, prepare your mashed potatoes (recipe not included), and the horseradish cream.
  • Combine the creme fraiche and horseradish into a small bowl, and season with salt & pepper .
  • The ribs will be done when it yields easily to a knife. At this point, remove them from the oven, and rest for approx. 10 mins. 
  • Turn the oven back up to 400 F
  • Place the short ribs back into the oven (without the sauce) and all them to brown for approx 5-10 mins.
  • Strain the sauce into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all the sauce. Skim the fat, and then reduce it over med-high heat until slightly thick. Taste for seasoning.
  • For the swiss chard, heat a large saucepan over high heat for 2 mins. Add olive oil and then the pearl onions from earlier. Then add in the swiss chard and cook for 1-2 mins, just until beginning to wilt. Add in a splash of water, and cover . Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently until ready.

Serve with potates & chard, then beef on top with sauce and a dollop of horseradish cream.

ENJOY!! And if you like this, pick up the book!

Monday, February 21, 2011

What is in a name?

Plump Pears - I guess I should share a little about my name. While on one hand, it is fairly obvious, but on the other, it may not be.

Plump Pears - while to me personifies the luscious, tantalizing ripe fruit, ready be eaten and dripping with flavour, it is also a little bit of me too. Although, I wouldn't exactly describe myself as luscious & tantalizing, let me explain. According to the online dictionary that I accessed for this, the definition of Plump is:

Plump (adjective) having a full rounded shape: the berries were plump & sweet, (of a person) rather fat.

As for the Pear, well, we all know what a pear is, but just to be consistent:

Pear (noun) a sweet yellowish-or brownish-green edible fruit which is narrow at the stalk and wider towards the base

Well, that is me too.  What do I mean by that?


Pear or spoon or bell (triangle upward)


The hip measurement is greater than the bust measurement.[1] The distribution of fat varies, with fat tending to deposit first in the buttocks, hips, and thighs. As body fat percentage increases, an increasing proportion of body fat is distributed around the waist and upper abdomen. The women of this body type tend to have a (relatively) larger rear, robust thighs, and a small(er) bosom.

So there you have it. Wait, you haven't figured it yet, I think of myself as a little bit "pleasantly plump" Why wouldn't I be? I LOVE FOOD! I believe in moderation, but I enjoy food. I am all about butter and cream and cheese and all of that wonderfully tasty stuff that is, yes, full fat. Yes, I do like to find the more calorie friendly version of cooking, but if it is going to change the flavour...no thank you! Yes I know, my macaroni & cheese is probably about 1,500 calories per serving, but oh that decadent cheese, why cut corners? (recipe to come soon, I promise!) Just don't eat it every week. It is for that reason, that my dream of one day having a body like Jennifer Aniston will never happen, but in the meantime, I am working on embracing my 'junk' and feel in pretty good company with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Kristin Davis and Shakira, now if only I could hire celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak! Until next time...

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Who said brussels sprouts are not good?



Most people I know can’t stand brussel sprouts. And to be perfectly honest, I never used to like them either. I am sure if we were all in a room and we asked how many people grew up eating their sprouts boiled we would find the majority of the room would raise their hands. Well to me, eating boiled brussel sprouts is almost as bad as when my dad used to break open the cod liver oil pills and make us drink the liquid just like that. YUCK! 
So, when I moved out of the house, I never cooked them or ate them. Until I discovered their nutritional value. They are extremely high in Vitamin C, iron, folate (for all you pregnant ladies) and also phytosterols which help lower cholesterol. They are a bit of a wonder vegge.
So, my first foray was roasted brussel sprouts, 
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
  1. Wash well, cut a a cross into the base of the sprout. I do find this a really helpful tip. It helps the sprouts cook evenly.
  2. Toss into a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and I like a little garlic powder, but that is not necessary. 
  3. Evenly coat the sprouts and then place them into a preheated 350 degree oven for approx. 30 mins. 

This recipe was the beginning to a new world of brussel sprouts. Until I discovered braising them. MMMMMmmmm is all I can say. The first time I made these, my family was out when they came out of the oven. I was curious to try them so I did, and ended up eating all of them. So I tried making them at Christmas this year. At my families Christmas, there were 10 kids, of which “were popping the sprouts like candies’ as my step-daughter Emily said. So, I guess you could say, pretty tasty. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Let me know if you are a convert.

Braised Brussel sprouts (serves 4 as a side dish)
Butter
Salt
Brussel Sprouts (approx. 10-12)
Parchment paper
Oven & stove top friendly dish
Preheat oven to 375F
  1. After cleaning and prepping your sprouts, but them into a pot of boiling water and cook for  approx 5 mins. 
  2. In the meantime, cut your parchment paper so that it will fit into your dish
  3. Butter your dish and all sides and also the parchment
  4. Place the parboiled sprouts into your dish and heat on med heat on the stove, as they start to sizzled shake them about so that they get coated with butter, about 5 mins. then remove from heat
  5. Drop approx. 2-3 tbsp of butter onto the sprouts and sprinkle with salt. Place the butter parchment loosely on top, butter side down, and place into the oven for approx 30 - 40 mins. 
  6. Remove from the oven and enjoy!!!