Most versions of this recipe call for either the addition of demi-glace or glace de viande. Both are highly reduce, rich glazes that are traditional corner stones of French haute cuisine. Unfortunately they are very involved and difficult to make at home. You may be able to find demi-glace on-line or at Whole Foods Market but I use a beef base product. Admittedly it is not the same but it offers satisfactory results. You can also use canned beef stock with a bullion cube dissolved into it per 2 cups of stock.

INGREDIENTS:

For the steaks

• 2 (10 – 12 oz) beef tenderloins
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup red wine (burgundy works well)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Better Then Bullion® beef base
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Season the steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter then add the flour and gently stir continuously to make a roux. When the roux is about the color of caramel, add the onion and mushroom and cook for a 2 – 3 minutes until the onion begins to wilt. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 500°F. Heat the olive oil in a large iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear the steaks in the skillet to a nice color on both sides, turning only once. When they look seared and yummy, transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook the steaks for 3 – 4 minutes for medium rare, 5 – 6 for medium and don’t even think about cooking them well done.

Serves 2

Heat Factor

Chilorio is a pork dish from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is most often used as a filling for tacos, burritos or tamales. While it is similar to my spicy, citrus infused East Coast Carnitas, this chilorio recipe has a mellow, satisfying, more rustic taste.  I guess this is Mexican comfort food in my book. I don’t know how authentic the recipe is but I know it works. Slow cooked pork simmered until tender then made crispy with a quick fry in pork fat and homemade chile sauce.

A few things to keep in mind. Keep the pork covered with liquid during the simmer. Add water if you run short of vegetable broth. Also I run the chile sauce through a colander with small holes to filter the larger bits of chiles that my food processer will not break down. If you have a professional grade processor or blender this will not be a problem. Serve this slightly crispy shredded pork in tacos with refried black beans and Mexican avocado creama for full effect.

INGREDIENTS:

For the pork

• 2 lbs boneless pork roast
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup rendered pork fat back or bacon fat (you can sub vegetable oil)

For the chile sauce

• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoon fresh Mexican oregano (sub 1 tablespoon dried)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:

1. Place the pork roast in a large pot, cover it with the broth and then cover the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for 2 hours. During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, toss in the dried chiles to rehydrate them. When the pork is done simmering, drain off the liquid but reserve 1 cup. Remove the chiles and stem and seed them after they have cooled to the touch. Pull the pork apart using two opposing forks. The meat should shred very easily.

2. In a food processor combine the rehydrated chiles and the reserved liquid with the remaining sauce ingredients and puree until smooth. Get it as smooth as you can get it.

3. Heat the fat or veggie oil large pan or pot. Fry the pork in the fat until browned and just a tad crispy. Drain most of the fat from the pan and add the blended chile sauce and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the flavors have melded together.

Serves 8 plus

Heat Factor

In a previous post I tried to emulate the migas dish found at Magnolia Cafe in Austin Texas, famously known as “Love Migas”. I truly believe that if God walked the earth for a day he would eat migas for breakfast and most certainly migas from Magnolia Cafe. Provided he could get a table.

This is hands down the favorite weekend breakfast for the Chili family and especially during the holidays. Realizing that not everyone, especially me, has the time on a hectic holiday to prepare much of anything beyond frozen waffles, I thought some refinement and much needed durability was in order. So why not a Migas Quiche? This way you can prep all the way up to step 3 the night before and finish it off in the oven the morning of. Let’s just say that this was a huge hit at this year’s Mothers Day brunch. Huge! And it was easy as most of the work was done the night before. Sneaky.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 tablespoons butter (salted)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Serrano peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup tortillas chips, crushed
• 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2/3 cup grated jack cheese

PREPARATION:

1. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the water, chili powder and cumin and set aside. Do not over beat the eggs or they will be tough.

2. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla chips and sauté until they start to soften. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and Serrano’s and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour the egg mixture into a quiche or casserole dish and add the onion and pepper mixture. Stir slightly to incorporate. Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggs are set. Top with cheese, and tomato dices and bake for an additional 5 minutes or so until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas and prepared black beans. You have got to have the beans.

Serves 4

Heat Factor

I couldn’t imagine visiting New Orleans and not spending at least one mid-morning eating beignets and drinking Cafe au Lait at Cafe du Monde. Thankfully Terry Thompson included recipes for both in her book “New Cajun-Creole Cooking”. Not sure if it is still in print.

As for beignets, I have not met a single soul that didn’t fall in love with these tasty treats. They are sort of like donuts only better and you can’t eat them without getting the powdered sugar all over yourself.

As for the Cafe au Lait, well beignets are just not the same without it. You can drink Cafe au Lait without eating beignets but you can’t eat beignets without drinking Cafe au Lait.

Warning: Both of these can be kind of messy to make at home so be prepared to initiate some help with the clean up. I am sure the recipient(s) of this wonderful combination will gladly oblige. If not, kick em out!

INGREDIENTS:

For the beignets

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast
• 3 cups or so soft southern wheat flour such as White Lily® brand or sub all-purpose
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• vegetable oil
• powdered sugar

For the Cafe au Lait

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups brewed hot dark roast coffee with chicory

PREPARATION:

For the beignets

1. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the water, the 2 teaspoons sugar and evaporated milk and heat to 110°F. Pour into a glass bowl and stir in the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 – 10 minutes.

2. In a food processor, combine 3 cups flour and the remaining ingredients except the veggie oil and powdered sugar and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add the yeast mixture and pulse 3 or 4 more times. You should have a fairly smooth, nonsticky dough. If not gradually add more flour until it is. When it looks right, process for about 15 seconds to knead. Deposit the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and return to the floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter cut 2 inch squares but on a diagonal to form diamond shapes. Place  the completed diamonds onto an ungreased baking sheet about 1/2 apart. Cover with more plastic wrap and let rise for 45 more minutes.

3. Heat about 3 inches of oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven to 365°F. Carefully slide 3 or 4 beignets into the hot oil. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry until puffy and golden brown, turning once with tongs, or about 2 – 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Sift the powdered sugar over the hot beignets and serve.

This makes 30 plus beignets which serves 8 – 10

For the Cafe au Lait

In a small pot, bring the milk to a slow boil. Meanwhile place the sugar in a LARGE pot over medium heat. Cook until sugar caramelizes, stirring only once or twice after it begins to dissolve. When caramel is a deep hazelnut color, about 7 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and slowly add the boiling milk. Be careful and this is why the pot needs to be so large because the milk will freak out when it hits the caramel and foam up and spit everywhere. Again use a large pot and go slow to avoid overflow, which can result in serious burns if it gets on you. After all the milk has been added, wait for the foam to subside then stir until blended. Add the coffee and stir.

Serves 4

Well I guess if by some means of udder confusion a few vegetarians frequented my blog, this week and especially this recipe should pretty much scare them away for good. Not that it was intentional mind you. I think I was just iron deficient or something but here comes another big slab of meat. “That’s what she…” Never mind, too easy. I suspect we still may have a few vegans from time to time peeking in on all the luscious meaty recipes found on CCF late at night when nobody is watching. Just to see how the other side lives.

I call these Frankenstein Ribs for the following reason. First; I have officially lost the meager amount of creativity I pathetically clung to and this is all I could come up. Second; Halloween is this week and it all ties in, I guess. And finally, these ribs are big and ugly, just like Frankenstein. Yep, the creativity has dried up faster than 4 day old jack-o-lantern in the 90° Florida sun. Oh well, there is always my day job as Jon Gosselin’s life coach. Who cares what you call these ribs anyway because they are D-lish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 – 5 lbs beef back ribs (the bigger and uglier the better)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• juice of 2 oranges
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 bottles dark beer
• 1 dissolved beef bullion cube or 1 tablespoon beef base
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 habanero, cut into quarters and seeded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed

PREPARATION

1. Season the ribs liberally with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot or skillet over medium high heat. Working in small batches, brown the ribs until they have a nice sear to them. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange the ribs in large roasting pan with a rack. Mix the allspice, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small dish. Sprinkle this mixture over the ribs. Next drizzle the agave nectar equally over the ribs to coat the tops. In a medium sized bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour this mixture into the bottom of the roasting pan being careful to not pour directly over the ribs. Cover the pan with foil tightly and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the rib meat is falling off the bone. Baste the ribs with the pan sauce mixture during the final 30 minutes. To serve, plate the ribs and pour a bit of the pan sauce over them, including the onions and garlic pieces, but avoiding any of the habanero. Boo!

Serves 4 – 6

Heat Factor

Argentinian Tira De Asado is sometimes translated as short ribs that are long, somewhat thin, strips of cross cut (or flanken style) chuck ribs. While this is a very traditional cut of beef in Argentinian barbeque and the namesake of the recipe, I find that the tri-tip (a.k.a Santa Mari steak or colita de cuadril) steak works just as well, if not better.

You can use either cut just be extra careful to not over cook the tira de asado or it could toughen up pretty easily. (Ask your butcher for help if you can’t find these cuts readily available.)

A great idea is to grill both cuts along with a flank steak and some fresh chorizo for an incredibly meat centric meal, Argentinian style. Oh and please don’t use bottled chimichurri sauce in this instance. It will just not be the same as this fresh spicy version.

INGREDIENTS:

For the rub

• 1/2 cup fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

For the ribs

• 6 – 8 lbs cross-cut beef short ribs or tri tip steaks
• 2 bottles of dark beer

For the chimichurri sauce

• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 bunches flat –leaf parsley, stems trimmed
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Set up grill for indirect heat and preheat medium. Mix the rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the meat and place the meat on the grill not directly over the heat source. Pour the beer into a small bread pan or similar container and place directly over the heat source. Grill with the lid closed for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check in on them in the last 30 minutes, being careful to not over cook them. If for some reason they begin to char or become browned quickly during the process you can simply warp the in foil and return them to the grill.

2. Meanwhile in a food processor, blend the garlic and onion. Next with the motor running, add the parsley, lemon juice and pepper flakes. Add the oil in a steady stream. The mixture should become thick and somewhat smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Move the ribs directly over the heat sources for the final minutes or until just a bit crusty. Serve with the chimichurri sauce.

Serves 6

Heat Factor

We add cayenne to the sugar when making the caramel for a hint of heat and the addition of lime zest in the custard delivers a nice mild zing. The combination of flavors offers a delicious twist on this classic recipe. You can easily control the heat by adjusting the amount of cayenne. These are really easy to make but be warned, clean up can be a challenge.

INGREDIENTS:

For the cayenne caramel

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For the custard

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 7 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• zest of 1 lime
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION:

For the cayenne caramel

Pour the water in a small pot over medium heat. (do not use a nonstick pot) Add the sugar and cook without stirring for about 15 minutes. The mixture will turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the cayenne, then pour into the bottom of 8 small ramekins. Set aside to cool.

For the custard

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the milk, half-and-half, in a medium pot over medium heat and warm the mixture just until it starts to steam and bubbles form around the edges. Beat the eggs, yolks, sugar, vanilla, lime zest and salt in a large bowl. When the milk mixture is warm; temper the egg mixture by adding 1/2 cup of the warm mixture and whisking. This will keep the eggs from cooking when you add the rest. Now add the rest of the milk mixture and whisk to incorporate. Pour the mixture into the ramekins over the caramel. Grab a roasting pan and place the filled ramekins into the pan. Fill the pan with water, half way up the ramekins. Bake for 30 -40 minutes, or until the custard sets. When done, allow to cool to room temperature and unmold by running a knife around the edge of the custard to loosen. Place a serving plate over the top of the ramekin and flip over holding both tightly .Viola!

Serves 8

Heat Factor

This is wonderfully easy and extremely tasty way to cook a whole chicken and is great for tailgaters. The chicken cooks slow and low so for the most part it’s hands free for about two hours giving you ample time to throw back a few bruskies and talk football.

Splitting a smaller (4 pounder or so) chicken helps it cook more evenly. It’s a surface to mass ratio thing. Plus it makes for a great presentation and is super simple. Serve this bird along side a pot of baked beans and fresh grilled corn on the cob. Here is and idea. Grill a couple of these, if you have a big enough grill, and make several new friends.

To split the chicken simply cut down the length of the breast bone, without cutting through the back bone. Spread it apart, turn it over and press on the back until a few bones crack and it lays relatively flat.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (4 lb) whole chicken, giblets removed, washed and pat dry and spit
• 1 cup wood chips, soaked in water for 30 – 60 minutes

For the rub

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• zest of 1 lemon

For the baste

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon hot Asian chili oil
• 1 teaspoon honey

PREPARATION:

1. Mix all of the rub ingredients together in an small bowl. Rub the mixture onto the top and bottom of the cleaned, split chicken and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. Remove the chicken from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes prior to grilling.

2. Set your grill up for indirect cooking, giving yourself enough space on the grill grate for the chicken to reside without being directly over the heat source. Preheat to low heat or about 250 – 300°F. Place the chicken skin side up on the grill along with a small metal bread pan or something similar with about 2 cups of water in it. This will help keep the chicken moist. Cook with the lid closed for about an hour. Check the bird and add the wood chips to the hot coals. Add more coals if necessary. Cook for another 30 minutes with the lid close and then start basting every 10 minutes or so. After a couple of bastings, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken and when it reads 170 – 175°, it’s done. And now for the hard part. Remove the chicken from grill, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.

Heat Factor