Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Peach Glaze

At my job, access to any kind of blogs are blocked. Sometimes I wish that wasn't so, but I work for a school district.  Access to Facebook, YouTube and many other websites are also blocked.  It's a good thing, to keep the high school students from being  tempted to visit sites that distract from their education.  It also helps to temper a food blogger's (that would be "moi") addiction to looking at food blogs, when I should be working.  However, I have my customized iGoogle page, that I use for my browser.  One of the widgets on it is from Epicurious.com.  Each day, I see a photo of a Recipe of the Day.  I bookmark them to read when I'm at home.  This recipe left me with an urgent desire to make it. Stat.

My husband loves brisket. I have a few jars of last summer's peach jam, that didn't quite set. (That comes from using peaches that were a bit too ripe for making preserves.)  I don't drink bourbon nor do I like Stout beer. However, I love to cook with booze!

The rub is very easy to make.  I realized, on the day that I made this recipe, that I didn't allow at least 2 hours advance time to let the flavors absorb into the brisket.  I had guests coming for dinner in 5 hours, so I just forged ahead.

I rubbed and pressed the salt, pepper, paprika and cinnamon rub all over a 5 pound piece of brisket, and set the meat aside.

For the braising liquid, I chopped celery, onion, carrots and smashed garlic.  Now, for the 3/4 cup of bourbon...

Searing and braising is one of my favorite cooking methods.  Cooking an inexpensive cut of meat low and slow, in liquid, makes for a very tender dinner. Best of all, once I've got the meal in the oven, I just sit back and relax-- or, frantically clean the house for company to arrive. The meat is seared, starting fat side down until golden brown. Then flipped over and seared some more, removed and set aside.  Next, I cooked the onion until soft and then added the garlic.

The chopped veggies are added, the bourbon, brown sugar, tomato paste (NOTE: the original recipe lists chopped fresh tomatoes, but I wanted even deeper tomato flavor so I used tomato paste)...

...soy sauce, stout beer, beef broth

Fresh thyme (from my garden) and balsamic vinegar. How's that for flavor?!  Add the beef back into the liquid and let it get nicely settled in. Place the Dutch Oven into a 325F oven and let it cook slow and slow for about four hours.

Here is where I totally changed the recipe directions (you can see the original version here).  I strained the braising liquid and debated whether or not to puree the vegetables.  Then, I decided to simply reduce the braising liquid for a few minutes.  My company had arrived, so I didn't photograph this step-- I simply put about one cup of my homemade peach preserves into a bowl, and added about 2 cups of braising liquid and stirred it well.

There was a thick layer of fat, and I decided to remove most of it, so that I could apply some peach glaze directly on top.  Can you see how moist that meat is? I'm drooling, just remember how good it was!  Ahem.  So, 1 cup of peach preserves, one Tablespoon of bourbon and some salt and pepper, that I whisked together...

...and I glazed the beef very generously. 

I set the glazed brisket onto a foiled-lined baking sheet and broiled it for about 5 minutes...watching it very, very closely so that it wouldn't burn.

I sliced the brisket against the grain, nibbling on the crunchy and crusty bits of meat.  So good!

I decided not to pour the remaining sauce all over the brisket. Instead, I served the sauce on the side. My guests, and husband, were impressed.

TASTING NOTES:   One of my dinner guests was once a chef in the Boston area, which can be a little intimidating for me.  He said it was the best brisket he's ever had.  That made me feel warm and fuzzy all over.  I have to say, that while this recipe doesn't come close to the brisket I've had in Kansas City-- it's a very different recipe and is one of the best braised dinners I've ever made.  Like I said, I don't like the taste of bourbon when straight up. But, there's a depth of flavor that bourbon gives to sauces.  The stout blended well,  and the sweetness of the peach was perfect.  The alcohol has longed been burned off, so teetotalers should be okay with this recipe.

I'm testing a new version of Key Ingredient's upcoming new and improved printable recipe card, if you'd like to try this recipe. It's at the end of this post. HOWEVER, if you are using Windows Explorer as your browser, you might not be able to view it.  If that's the case, click here to see the card. 

                       

Sweet Endings: Fior di Latte Panna Cotta

I have been wanting to make a specific ice cream flavor for quite some time.  So, I bought an industrial sized container of heavy cream from Costco.  I had all the other ingredients to create a flavor that I was convinced would be as good-- maybe even better-- than the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream that I made a while ago.

Only I never made it.  Sigh.

I don't like to waste food, and Sticky, Gooey, Creamy Chewy's food blog solved my dilemma on what to do with all that heavy cream.  Susan created this "Flower of Milk" Panna Cotta recipe, and that was that. It would become dessert immediately. Panna Whatta?  This Italian dessert translates to "Cooked Cream". Think of it as an eggless custard-- a creamy, slightly sweet dessert that can be transformed into just about any kind of flavor that you like. Like ice cream.   I've posted one of my favorite panna cotta recipes that's served with a Grand Marnier caramel sauce and bruleed figs. Yes, it's fancy and oh so delicious.  This recipe is much simpler, and uses an ingredient that I happened to have on hand:

Orange Flower Water.  Yes, it's an unusual ingredient.  I found this at Trader Joe's, and it's a key ingredient to make a Ramos Gin Fizz (definitely not for children).

Susan's recipe could not have been easier-- to four cups of heavy cream, add 1/2 cup sugar and heat until hot, but not simmering.  In a separate bowl, sprinkle four teaspoons of powdered gelatin over 6 tablespoons of cold water...

Once the milk is hot, this is where you add your flavoring. Susan's recipe uses two teaspoons of orange flower water.  However, I wanted just a teensy bit more orange flavor, so I added 1/8 tsp of Pure Orange oil.  Perfect.

The hot, flavored heavy cream is added to the "bloomed" gelatin and whisked together...

...then poured into glass serving dishes.   Of couse, Panna Cotta can be poured into ramekins, and removed onto a plate for serving.  I chilled these, overnight-- and that was hard. Because I really, REALLY wanted to taste one. But, I resisted.  NOTE: What I liked about this technique, is that I did not use a water bath.  This dessert took about 10 minutes to make. Easy, peasy. I like that.

The Panna Cotta set perfectly, and I decided to garnish it with a few Mandarin Orange sections.

I served this dessert to my dinner guests, after we enjoyed a hearty dinner. It was perfect.

TASTING NOTES:  This is a really easy dessert to make. Can it be made with skim milk? I have no idea.  Half and half? Probably.  I have a philosophy about desserts like this-- indulge, enjoy, but don't do this every day.  To me, Panna Cotta is defined as "cooked cream" for a reason. If you have success with skim milk, please let me know.  As for flavor-- I loved it.  The citrus flavor was very mild....subtle. You knew you were eating orange, but it didn't overpower the flavor.  I am a big fan of custard desserts, and this is very creamy without being too rich.  If you don't have orange flower water, add vanilla.  I love eating Panna Cotta with a fruit coulis sauce.  But this is very refreshing. I'll have to experiment with a lemon-scented version.

I still want to make that ice cream flavor, and I shall.  Fortunately the heavy cream is finally gone-- some in mashed potatoes, and a few splashes here and there in pan sauces and creamed soups I've made.  The dessert looks impressive, and you don't have to tell anyone how easy it was to make.

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.  Thanks, Susan

                       

                       

Pork Chops with Wine & Garlic

On most week nights, I still come home wanting to eat home-cooked food-- as opposed to bringing  home take-out.  I'm pretty much the Chief Cook in the house, and I need meals that come together quickly.  I often resort to pan-searing meat and making a pan sauce.  I love pan sauces.  They transform boring old chicken, pork or beef into something that resembles restaurant quality food.  It couldn't be simpler. When the Pioneer Woman recently posted this recipe, I knew that this would be dinner. That very night!

I stopped by my meat market, and picked up two luscious pork loins.  I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand-- red wine, garlic cloves, beef broth and balsamic vinegar.  So, here we go-- the pork is seasoned with coarse salt & black pepper. Then it's seared in a screaming hot skillet with a little oil and unsalted butter.

I did something a little differently that "PW" does... I prefer to sear my meats on one side until golden brown, and then put them into a 425F oven to roast them.  (I already had baked potatoes going, so it was convenient  to do this.) This method pretty much assures me that the meat will be moist.  I roasted these for about 4 minutes, then removed them and lightly covered them in foil.   (Otherwise, just flip them more a few more minutes, because you'll finish cooking the pork in the sauce.) To the skillet, I added about 8 peeled cloves of garlic, and tossed the about on medium heat until golden brown. Look at all the brown deliciousness on the bottom of the pan...flavor, just waiting to happen!

So, now I add some red wine, a bay leaf and let that bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Last, I add some beef broth and the chops and let them simmer for a few minutes more.

I add a bit of balsamic vinegar, and swirl the pan a bit...

For a final ta-da, I turn off the heat and add some unsalted butter and whisk it in.

I served this with a baked potato, and a salad with a light white balsamic vinaigrette.

TASTING NOTES:  I do consider pork to be the "other white meat" and we love it.   I realize that this isn't exactly a child-friendly dish, but my baby is already a grown young man.  The garlic was sweet, and cooking it removed any kind of strong garlic "bite".  I wish I had added even more garlic cloves. The sauce was so flavorful, with that very subtle tang of balsamic.  Loved this dish. Love, love. This recipe is going into my regular rotation for those nights when I'm hungry, but tired.  Super easy to make, and good enough to serve company for dinner.  Thanks, Ree!

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.