Weekends with Julia ~ Beef and Onions braised in beer

Carbonnades a la Flamade

(Beef and Onions Braised in Beer)

This last week I decided for our Weekends with Julia experiment that I wanted some comfort food (Big surprise, huh?. If given the choice of comfort food vs. dessert. Dessert doesn't have a chance with me).

Comfort food that includes beer as an ingredient is just an added bonus. This was a slightly tedious but relatively easy recipe and really good, if not better the second or third day. I found that the slightly bitter beer flavor was a little too strong on the day it was put together but mellowed out after a day or so in the fridge.

I made relatively few modifications so I will give you the recipe and give most of the credit to Julia. If you can read and follow directions, you can make this recipe. As always I think that if get inspired to put your own stamp on it, don't be afraid. I could have seen carrots or mushrooms in this dish very easily. I think next time I will give carrots a go.

One more thing... This is a great one pot dish (that was my major difference with Julia's recipe) as long as the pot can be used on stove top as well as oven.

3lbs of chuck roast cut in to 2 in cubes

3tbls rendered bacon fat

1 stove top dutch oven (a nice Le Creuset comes to mind ;)

Brown the meat on medium high heat... Take as long as you need and do in multiple batches to get a good brown because the browning is what makes it taste good. As each batch finishes put it in a large bowl or plate with a rim. All of the juices that collect will be used later in the recipe so try to collect as much as possible. :)

6cups of sliced onions

4cloves of garlic - diced

Salt

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cut the onions in half and remove the dry skin and slice. When the last of the meat has been browned, remove and place the onions in the same pot and allow the onions to sweat. The liquid from the onions will allow you to scrape some bits from the bottom. After the onions have had a chance to brown (about 10 mins), make a little open space in the middle of the pot and let the garlic cook for about a minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the pot.

1 cup Beef Broth

3 cups light beer (Pilsner)

2tbls brown sugar

Herb bouquet (bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and whatever you have fresh and/or like)

Heat the pot to high and add the beef broth, beer, and brown sugar (say that fast 3 times) and scrap up as much 'stuff' as you can. Add back into the pot half of the beef. Add half of the onions and then repeat the layers one more time. Cover the pot and put in the lower half of the preheated oven for 2.5 hours.

1 1/2 Tbls Cornstarch

2Tbls Wine Vinegar

Just before the roast is ready to come out of the oven make a 'roux' with the cornstarch and wine vinegar (ie. mix them together to a light paste). Take the pot out of the oven, place on the stove and heat on high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch and vinegar mixture and bring to a boil. Boil for about 2mins whisking/stirring constantly.

Turn off the heat as the sauce begins to thicken and let rest until time for dinner or lunch or supper or whatever you want to call it.

Laundry, cute shoes, and THE DRESS

Do you enjoy doing the laundry? I don't mind it so much, but I get hung up on the folding. I was getting really behind on my laundry, and decided I needed to put a system back in place. Now I know everyone has their way of doing laundry, I'm just sharing what works for me.



1. We have two hampers, one on the main floor and one on the upper level. These must be emptied everyday before I throw a load in.



2. In the basement I have four baskets that the dirty laundry must be sorted into.

a. linens (napkins, table clothes, towels etc..)

b. lights (light colored clothing, and dress clothes)

c. darks (jeans, dark colored clothing, and dark socks)

d. underclothes, white socks, and jammies



3. Every day of the week has a certain set of clothes that is assigned to it.
Sunday: underclothes and white socks
Monday: linens
Tuesday: jammies
Wednesday: jeans and dark socks
Thursday: Misc...
Friday: darks and dark socks
Saturday: Sheets, and lights

4. Once the clothes are out of the dryer. I immediately fold Brian's clothes and put them in his clean clothes basket. He then puts them away, in his no rhyme or reason dresser. Then I sort the rest of the clothes and fold them. I put Ian and my clothes away. Katie's clothes I put on her bed and she takes care of putting them away. If I don't have the opportunity to fold the clothes right away, they must be folded the next day.

It's pretty basic, and it works for us.


Now on to something fun!!! I bought this shoes a few weeks ago for $4.95. Aren't they darling!?! I just love them. Katie was sooo jealous...why can't I have cute shoes like those? So, I said you can borrow them I'm sure they will fit you. Sure enough they fit her.



Katie and I are going to check out a cute dress at Picky girl. That I might get for Valentine's day. I was looking for something with some va va voom to it! Let's just say this dress has a lot of that. Susie said that Brian won't be able to handle himself and Liza said he is going to flip. Now I just need to fit into it!

Have a great weekend friends! Brian's posting tomorrow.

xoxo
Rach

Book Club ~ Tikka Masala and The SHACK

We had our last book club meeting in November, and I realized that I forgot to share about it. One of the girls was ill, so there was just five of us. Jen offered to host, and a gracious host she is. Her home is always so warm and inviting with the pleasant scent of vanilla.

We read the book Shack, and it received mix reviews from our group. It is a heavy book. I think some of the girls couldn't get over the traumatic chapter. I had read the book in May and was planning on reading it again, but didn't get to it. I really would like to read it with Brian and get his thoughts. Have any of you read it? What did you think?

Dinner was great. Jen is a fabulous cook.

Menu

Pita bread with hummus

Olives

Sauteed green beans

Tikka Masala

Jasmine rice

Raspberry brownies

Jen and I share recipes a bit. This is one I thought she might like and she made it for us. My family loves this dish. If you have always wanted to try Indian food but have been a little nervous about it. This is a good place to start. If you don't like your food too hot, cut back on the jalapeno or eliminate it from the recipe. Let me know what you think if you try it. I like to serve it with basmati rice that is grown in India. Trader Joe's is really good. If you prefer another type of rice go ahead and use that.

Tikka Masala

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1 tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice

2 tsps. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne (use more or less depending on your tastes)

2 tsps. fresh ground pepper

1 tbs. fresh grated ginger

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 small package of chicken about 3 breasts

1 tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1-2 tsps. salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. Allow the chicken to sit for about 10 minutes and then slice into pieces.
Put the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream/ milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Dinner was great, Jen is a wonderful cook!
xoxo
Rachel

100%

Ian had his first spelling test a couple of weeks ago. To say that he came home happy, would be an understatement.

xoxo
Rach

50 Cookbooks ~ Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Pancakes

Before:

After:

The Book: The Best of Martha Stewart Living Favorite Comfort food



From: Jay (former supervisor) "Martha Stewart and comfort foods. What could be better? Thank you for jumping into some new challenges this year. You've done a great job with your new responsibilities."


Now, this cookbook I have made a few recipes from. Everything from Coq au Vin to chocolate bread pudding.

I have made these pancakes twice now, and changed it both times. I think I will be changing it again. The first time I only had 1 cup of buttermilk, the second time I used all skim milk. Next time I will cut back on the milk/buttermilk. As you can see from my photos. The batter is quite thin, this happened both times.

*Updated recipe 2/26/2011
I have been tweaking this recipe for awhile now, and am happy with the results.  The batter is thicker due to the fact that I have reduced the liquid ingredients.  These pancakes have a nice height to them and are  fluffy.  Do not over mix the batter, it will have small lumps.  Once you flip over your pancakes do not press on them with a spatula.  This prevents them from rising and becoming fluffy. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon. salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

2 tbs. unsalted butter melted

Heat a heavy skillet until very hot. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, milk, and butter; whisk to combine. The batter will have small to medium lumps.

Heat the oven to 175. As you are heating up your griddle add a small amount of butter. 

Once the skillet is hot. Pour a small amount of batter (I think my ladle is about 1/4 of a cup). When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on the bottom about 1 minute.

Repeat with the remaining batter. Place the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven.

Source:Adapted from Martha Stewart Favorite Comfort Foods

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe or do you like to use a mix? Love to hear your thoughts! Have a great week!

xoxo

Rachel

Weekends with Julia ~ Babas au Rhum

I knew I wanted to make a dessert, but couldn't decide what. I said to Brian, "pick something." This doesn't always work in my favor, but I couldn't make a decision. He choose Babas au Rhum. Great I thought...yeast. I'm really trying to overcome my fear of yeast, but it still makes me nervous. I have made a couple of batches of cinnamon rolls and I even tried my hand at Brioche with pretty good results. It still intimidates me though. Well looking closer at this recipe I noticed it called for fresh yeast. I didn't have fresh yeast, so I decided to combine Julia's recipe with Ina Garten's. The recipes were pretty similar, with differences when it came to measurements. Basically you mix yeast, butter, eggs, sugar, flour, and salt together. You let it rise for about an hour. Then you put it in a pan. Ina suggests a five-cup tube pan. Julia recommends a popover pan or muffin tins that are 2-inches deep and 2 inches in diameter. I used a regular muffin tin. You then let it rise again for another 1-2 hours. Mine rose in about 15-30 minutes. I should have baked them then but I thought I needed to wait the whole hour. The next time I checked on them they had collapsed a bit. This didn't seem to be a problem though. I baked them for about 15 minutes and they seemed fine. Next time though I would bake them as soon as they rise. You then let them cool down until they are warm. While they are cooling you make the rum syrup which is basically a sugar syrup with Jamaican rum. Then you let the syrup also cool down you want it to be warm but not hot. You then put the Babas in a shallow dish and poke holes in their puffed tops. Then pour the syrup over them and let them stand for 30 minutes, basting frequently. You want them to be moist and spongy but still hold their shape. Then drain on a rack for another 30 minutes. After this step you make an apricot glaze and brush that over the babas and serve.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can freeze the babas ahead of time and then thaw them and soak in syrup. This would be nice for a party.

I'm not for sure if I would make these again. They had a very strong rum flavor! The kids were excited to try these, but the rum flavor was too much for them. If you don't like the taste of rum, you probably won't care for them. Brian and I thought they were pretty good. I would probably cook the alcohol a little bit to take away the bite next time and maybe add some vanilla to the syrup. In another version Julia serves it with berries and creme chantilly. I think that would be really good and go over better. I'm still really glad I made it. Julia is an amazing teacher, and really takes the intimidation out of French cooking. Here is Ina Garten's recipe if you are interested. Happy cooking!

Have a great weekend!

Next week...Brian posts on Carbonnades a la Flamande (Beef and Onions braised in beer.)

Take care,

Rachel

My Grocery List

For me, having an organized grocery list is essential. I first saw this idea in Ina Garten's book, Back to the Basics. It has worked like a charm for me, and I have been using it for quite a while now. I'm not sure if you can see the picture very clearly. I have six sections on my list Dairy, Meat, Produce, Shelf Goods, Frozen, and Misc. I create a document on my computer and print out a stack on paper that has been used on one side already. I try every week to put a blank one up on our fridge. As we run out of items, we can add it to the list. Then on the back of the list I write out our menu for the week. This also gets posted on the fridge, after I am done shopping. It works for me, and is a definite time saver. What do you guys use for a list?