And I'm back! Sorry it's been so long, life's been busy.
Let's jump right in! Sethy gave Adam and I two Thomas Keller cookbooks a while ago, and this was my first attempt at one of his beautiful, complicated recipes. The two books are French Laundry and Ad Hoc. French Laundry is amazing, and has ridiculous difficult recipes that require more skill than I have right now. Ad Hoc is a little more approachable, and I've paging through it for weeks trying to decide what to do first for SND. Here's what I came up with: Braised beef short ribs with Celery root (celariac) with melted onions. SERIOUSLY YUMMY. Thomas Keller kicks ass. This took quite some time, so be sure to start early in the day! This recipe is why I love SNDs.
Okay, ribs first. You need to first create an amazing reduction to braise the ribs in. Start with combining (in a large dutch oven) 1 bottle of dry red wine (something you'd drink! remember, you're concentrating flavor here) with 1 cup of diced yellow onion, 1 cup of carrot slices, 1 cup of sliced leeks, 1 cup of sliced shallots, 1 cup of sliced button mushrooms, 3 thyme sprigs, 6 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. Bring this to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat (and the sauce!) for thirty to forty minutes. Don't be tempted (I was!) to salt/pepper this reduction - you are going to add seasoning later.
Whilst you're reducing the wine sauce, trim any sinew that is on your short ribs (you should have 2 1/2 pounds of boneless chuck short ribs), making sure to leave the fat and silverskin intact. Here's where you season: salt and pepper all sides of the ribs generously, then give them a good dredge in some flour. Make sure to shake off any excess flour. Pour some canola oil (I'd say four to five good glugs) in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the ribs in fat side down, turn the heat down to medium, and brown the ribs on all sides. It should be around three minutes per side, just keep a weather eye out - no burning! Take the ribs out once they've browned and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees now! See, I'm telling you early, so you don't forget! I'm a good friend like that.
Now you're going to add more vegetables to your dutch oven with the reduced wine sauce: 1 cup diced yellow onion, 2/3 cup sliced carrots, 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, 2-4 smashed cloves of garlic, 3 thyme sprigs, and 2 bay leaves. Mix well. Now you need to cut a piece of cheesecloth around four inches larger than the diameter of the pot. Thomas Keller recommends this because he doesn't think the meat should actually touch the vegetables during the braising process - the meat will take on the flavor of the veggies, but nothing will cling to it. You can find cheesecloth in specialty food stores (I got mine at Surfas in Culver City). Moisten the cheesecloth, wring it out well, and place on top of the vegetables/wine reduction. Add the meat on top of the cheesecloth, then add 5 cups of beef stock. Cover everything with a piece of parchment cut to fit the dutch oven, and place in the oven. Now you'll need to lower the heat to 325 degrees and braise the beef for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until super tender.
Take the meat out of the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the braising liquid and skim the fat as best as you can. Here's where I deviate from the recipe a bit. Ladle out a cup or so of the liquid, add a few tables spoons of cornstarch and whisk together. Put the braising liquid back on the stove top, bring to a simmer, and whisk in the corn starch mixture. Simmer the gravy on low, whisking occasionally whilst you prepare the ribs. Slice them across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Transfer to a platter, and ladle some of the gravy on top, then put the rest of the gravy in a gravy boat for passing at the table. Delicousness. But wait! You need something to serve with these ribs! How about...Celariac with melted onions!
Yes please! Celariac or celery root is delicious. I know, it's crazy for me to think that, since I'm not a huge celery fan. This preparation really mellows out the celery flavor and totally brightens the rich braised ribs. Just try it, I think you'll surprise yourself!
This is also Thomas Keller's recipe out of Ad Hoc, and it's brilliant. Start with the melted onions. Slice three yellow onions and cook in a large saute pan over medium low with 3 tablespoons of butter. Add two good pinches of salt and stir. As the onions cook, prepare a sachet. I know, fancy right? Use some more of your cheesecloth to make a delicious pocket of flavor: 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 10 black peppercorns and one smashed garlic clove. Tie the cheesecloth at the top with some butcher's twine, then toss the sachet in with the onions. Cover your pan and cook on medium low heat, keeping a close eye on them. The onions need to look creamy at all times, so if they are looking dry add a bit of cold water and stir. The onions should be done after 30 minutes or so and be super melty and tender. Set aside.
I've done this a bit differently than TK - a little easier for the home cook, but with all of the basic steps and flavors. Start with 4 large celery roots. Prepare your celery root by chopping off the top and bottom, giving yourself a flat surface to work with. Slice off the skin in strips from top to bottom, working your way around the root. Quarter each root, then slice thinly with a mandoline. The will resemble wide, thin pieces of pasta. Heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, then add four chopped garlic cloves and some chopped fresh parsley (TK calls for thyme here, but I thought there was enough thyme in the ribs). Cook the garlic for thirty seconds, then add the celeriac. Stirring from time to time, making sure all the slices are covered with butter and garlic. Cover the pan and cook for ten minutes. Now add your melted onions. Heaven. Increase the heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer - this should be a creamy dish so add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, always tasting. The celeriac will have the texture of al dente pappardelle pasta and a wonderful, bright and creamy flavor. I really insist that you try this dish.
Serve your ribs and celeriac with a green salad and a full bodied red wine (or white if you're a red wine wimp like me ;)
Seriously, I know this sounds kind of complicated but it's so worth it! Give it a try the next time you have a special occasion and plenty of time to prepare this wondrous meal.
BFF,
d
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