Creamy Polenta

Polenta? Never been a fan. We had the pleasure of taking a class at the Institute of Culinary Education in the city with Sabrina Sexton. Ms. Sexton's experience comes from having honed her skills at the Gramercy Tavern and other well known New York establishments. Her Best of Beef class is well worth it! This yummy polenta was made to accompany her short rib dish and we are big fans of it. Nice change of pace from mashed potatoes.

3 T. Butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup polenta

Sweat onions in butter until soft and translucent. Add milk, cream and water and season well. Bring the liquid mixture to a boil and slowly add the polenta, whisking constantly. As the mixture thickens, continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the polenta has thickened and the grains are fully cooked (about 3-4 minutes). Adjust seasoning.

Serve immediately or place a piece of plastic directly over the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Cranky Cook Rating: 1 out of 5 stars. Easy and yummy. Make sure to make close to serving.

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

After a night at the fight (Trinidad vs. Roy Jones) we decided to stay in tonight and cook. My cranky cook has been inspired this week! After a couple of misteps last weekend which I didn't post he is back in full effect. The week was peppered with brilliance beginning with a fantastic Pollo al Jugo followed by scrumptuous Shrimp Curry and a lovely salmon. Well, as if it could get any better, his star shone brightly tonight with a Daniel Bouloud classic right at home. Eat your heart out folks. Brindles, this is the dish for you when we arrange that adult playdate. Takes some time but the results are restaurant quality. Take a risk on the polenta. If you're too shy to try it go for some amazing heavy cream in your regular recipe for mashed potatoes to accompany. Cheers. Again credit to Mr. Boulud. This is a modified version of his inspiration.

Ingredients
1 bottle red wine (merlot)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
salt and crushed black pepper corns
Flour, for dredging
8 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, split, rinsed and dried
2 medium sized carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 ribs celery, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium sized leek (white and light green parts) coarsely chopped
10 cloves of garlic peeled
6 sprigs flat leaf parsley
2 bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 qt. chicken broth

Preparation
1. Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.

2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F.

3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust half of the ribs with about 1 tablespoon flour. Then, when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well-browned. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Repeat with remaining ribs. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add the wine, ribs and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and place in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Every 30 minutes, skim and discard fat from the surface. (It's best to make the recipe to this point, cool and chill the ribs and broth in the pan overnight; scrape off the fat the next day. Rewarm before continuing.)

5. Carefully transfer the meat to a platter; keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it has reduced to 1 quart. Season with salt and white pepper and pass through a fine strainer; discard the solids. (The ribs and sauce can be combined and kept covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently, basting frequently, on top of the stove or in a 350°F oven.)

6. To serve, spoon the polenta puree (see next entry) into the center of 8 plates and top each with a short rib. Pour the sauce onto the plate around the puree.

Cranky Cook Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Recipe takes a bit of work and is lengthy but well worth the effort.

Escargot a la Bourgninonne

My little girls (petite chefs) have been obsessed with the notion of making snails for the past couple of weeks so we did! Escargot, introduced at an early age by my dear daddy, is one of my favorite appetizers in the world! Here is an easy and delightful recipe. Voila! The herb butter can also be made in a bigger batch and used over fish on another day. Yum.

24 snails (can)
1 diced shallot
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c. red burgundy wine
1/4 c. pure olive oil
snail shells or

Open can of snails, drain, put in bowl, put in above ingredients, mix well, marinate for 1/2 hr. Drain from marinate and cook as follows:

Herb Butter:

12 tbsp. unsalted sweet butter
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
1 tbs white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. finely chopped Ritz crackers

Cream the butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in garlic, parsley, shallot, white wine and season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a teaspoon of herb butter in well of baking dish or shell, add 1 escargot and seal with another portion of butter. Sprinkle with crumbled crackers lightly.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes in oven. Serve very hot with Focaccia Bread, Pita Bread, or French Bread.

Mussels and Scallops in garlic, basil, wine sauce!

Ok, so our Cranky cook needed a much deserved rest. I decided to make a dish inspired by Raw Earl. You know who you are! Once upon a time, before they made the move to Florida, Raw Earl and his lovely, delightful wife used to come over and once in a while bring fresh ingredients to cook for us! An aromatic, delicious mussels in garlic and wine sauce has remained in our mind for the past years. This weekend I decided to replicate something in memory of those past times. Took 30 minutes and Wow! One of my best dishes EVER!

8 Tbs unsalted butter
1lb fresh live mussels (scrubbed clean)
1lb large scallops
31/2 tbs basil
1 cup white wine (chardonnay)
1/2 cup red onions
1/4 cup garlic

Heat in a large pot 6 tbs butter over medium high heat. Add onions for 2 minutes and then garlic. Cook until golden. Add wine and mussels. Cover and let cook for 4-6 minutes checking after four. When mussels are open, remove them to a bowl. Allow a couple of more minutes for remaining mussels to open. Any mussels that are not open at this point should be discarded. Add basil to butter mix in pot and scallops. Cover again until scallops are cooked through approximately 6-8 minutes. Turn over scallops during this time to ensure even cooking. When scallops are done, add additional 2 tbs butter and salt to taste. Add mussels back to pot. Serve a few mussels and scallops over pasta and pour sauce over them. Enjoy with some crusty bread to soak up that delicious broth!

Cranky Cook Rating: 1 out of 5 stars. A cinch plus he didn't cook!

Pernil Asado

Still in our holiday mood. Our cranky chef cooked up some pernil asado for Christmas. Delish! The key to the moist, falling off the bone delicacy is that he chose to soak his pork overnight in a garlicky brine before roasting it. Another key is finding the right piece of pork butt (ojo: sometimes you just see the generic pork shoulder- too much white meat for my taste, look in a few more places for the pork butt- the hind leg) with enough skin and fat. The beauty of this dish is that like thanksgiving turkey, leftovers in a sandwich or tacos keep us happy for a couple of days more!

• 1 tablespoon each of whole white and black peppercorns
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 serrano chiles, crushed
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• 2 cups warm water
• One 3-pound boneless pork butt
• About 6 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

1. In a small skillet, toast the white and black peppercorns over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer them to a work surface and using the side of a heavy knife, coarsely crack the peppercorns; transfer to a large, deep bowl. Add the 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt and the brown sugar, then add the serrano chiles, garlic and one-third of the jalapeños. Stir in the warm water until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the pork and enough cold water to submerge the roast. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Drain the pork and pat dry, then transfer to a roasting pan. Let the pork return to room temperature. Roast the pork for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning once; the pork is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165°.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the white vinegar, granulated sugar and table salt and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle over the pork. Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing thinly.

Cranky Cook Aggravation Rating: 3 out of 5 Preparation including the brine requires a little focus but once in the oven looking for the right temperature is all that is required. Comes out amazing!