Free Day

A day off. A day off from school AND from work. I haven't had one of those since last Thursday. And before that it had been a couple months. It was something for me to celebrate, and celebration meant it was time for another great meal. I got to spend my morning at the market. I attended a coffee event there, won some incredible green beans, shopped around and ended up with some great looking bay scallops. I made a pearled barley risotto, steamed some asparagus and made a balsamic reduction to go with them. Appetizer was 2 small steamed and broiled artichokes with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. Dessert was lemon chiffon pie.

 

Smokin'

My apartment is usually inhabited by four people. This can sometimes be... inhibiting to what I want to do. I've been wanting ribs for a while. And I didn't want to clown around baking ribs with no smoky flavor. But, living in Columbus, the weather is currently insane (I'm not even sure what season to call it) and I was sick of trying to predict it. The solution? An indoor smoker. I could only pull this off with no smoke alarms in place and I don't think my roommates would be entirely cool with that. Spring break arrived, meaning that it was the perfect season for my roommates to be gone and my smoker to be bellowing. So what did I do?

Baby back ribs, a grilled artichoke, steamed broccoli, seasoned mayonnaise for dipping those healthy vegetables in, and smoked maple crème brûlée.

The night before the meal, remove the silverskin from the back of the ribs (thin, tough membrane on the underside of the ribs) and rub down the ribs with this:

1/4 c. white sugar

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. california paprika

1 tbsp. coffee grounds

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

Honey drizzled on to coat the ribs

To start, set up the smoker apparatus. I used a pot lined with foil and with a strainer in it as a smoker basket. Wood chips on the bottom to smoke. Turn the pot on high and place your smoke-ables in the basket.

That's maple syrup in my picture. It's for the crème brûlée. Smoke that for about 5 minutes with cherry wood chips.

Take out the syrup and get the ribs started.

Smoke them for 10 minutes, then into the oven on a rack. Place a pan of water on the bottom of your oven and set it to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your ribs on the rack.

They'll bake for about 2.5 hours.

In the meantime, sauce.

1 cup dark brown sugar

5 small gala apples, peeled and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, quartered

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. cold brewed coffee (or to taste)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. california paprika

1 tsp. crushed black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and seeded, rough chopped

Any drippings from the raw ribs

Puree the apples, onion and vinegar together. Add a little water if necessary.

Melt the brown sugar in a pan and get it to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the puree of apple and onion. Add everything else and stir. Reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 1 hour. Puree the sauce and it'll be ready. Sweet and tangy with a bit of heat to give intensity.

Get your artichoke ready. Steam it for 45 minutes or so in a steamer basket.

While that cooks, make mayonnaise as according to the recipe in Grand Entrance and stovetop crème brûlée. Add 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. whole grain dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar to the mayonnaise taste.

For the crème brûlée:

2 cups heavy cream,

3 tbsp. smoked maple syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

extra white sugar to dust for brûléeing.

Heat the cream to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, add the vanilla, syrup and salt. Whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Temper them by slowly adding the cream while continuously whisking. Pour the mixture into ramekins that are sitting in a large pan with a bit of water in the bottom. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat and cover. Check your custards at 20 minutes. If they tremble when bumped, they are likely done. If they look liquid, they're not done yet. They should be just solid enough to tremble but not be liquid. Once you've determined them to be done, remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.

When the ribs are done baking; remove from the oven, spread sauce all over them, turn your oven all the way up, set your steamer up for broccoli (squeeze of lime juice at the end for the broccoli), and turn a griddle pan on high heat with a tablespoon of  butter and some salt and pepper. Cut the artichoke in half and put it onto the griddle pan, put your sauced ribs into the high heat oven, and steam the broccoli. All of these should finish in about 5-6 minutes. Keep an eye on it all. Once it's all off the heat, take out your custards from the fridge to let them warm a little bit. Eat your food while you wait.

Sprinkle the custards with a bit of sugar and break out the torch. Give 'em a burn.

The depth of flavor from the smoke is very interesting. And delicious.

Thanks for reading!

And special thanks to my friend Aaron for joining me for this meal. 

Late Night Lamb

I visited my home in Cleveland for my mother's birthday recently. During my brief visit I picked up a few things from the market. Some spices, some flours, some coffees, all fairly regular items... Until I walked past one particular vendor where I saw a rack so resplendent. Curves I would not--could not--pass if I were half blind. A rack of lamb