Saturday, March 26, 2011

72 hr sous vide short ribs, port/wine reduction, braised heirloom carrots, carrot top sauce, fingerling mash

The main course of the evening was 72 hr sous vide short ribs.  I had read a lot about how amazing these come out so I had to give them a try and it was well worth the wait.  The preparation is actually quite easy and just requires some patience and planning ahead.  The ribs came out medium rare, extremely flavorful, very moist, amazingly tender, and just oh so good.  I had made the braised carrots and carrot top sauce before (this is from Michel Richard) and it's a great combo of veggies.  I included purple heirloom carrots this time and the purple carrots bled and  altered the presentation of the dish.  They are also more dense than other carrots and require longer cooking time.  If I make them again I'll definitely cook them separately.  The braising liquid for the carrots is a component of the carrot top sauce and the purple made it a dark green.  The first time I made this it was a much more vibrant green and nicer presentation although the taste was still very nice so that was good.  The taste has a mild carrot flavor and creamy texture.  And of course I don't have to talk about the mashed potatoes.  They're great no matter what.  I used fingerling potatoes and added fresh chives.



beef short ribs
4 short ribs
salt
pepper

Cut fat from ribs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Vacuum seal on high.  Heat sous vide bath to 133F.  Cook ribs for 72 hours.  I finished them off with my kitchen torch and seared them on the sides and top.  Another option is to deep fry at 350 for about a minute or pan fry on high for 30-45 seconds per side.  I prefer the kitchen torch because it's less clean up, is fun to use, and looks cool.

I poured the liquid from the ribs into a sauce pan, added a cup of zinfandel, a cup of port, half a diced shallot, a bay leaf, some salt & pepper.  Reduce by half, strain, and reduce until it's thick and keep warm until ready to use.

braised carrots
assorted heirloom carrots with greens
1 orange
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
pinch of coriander
pepper
salt

Remove and reserve carrot greens.  Now you can peel the carrots in one of two ways.  With a peeler or if you're completely anal like me you can blanch the carrots in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then submerge in ice water.  Then rub the skins off with your fingers and rinse under water.  You can also use the back of a knife.  This requires more time but preserves the true shape of the carrot and makes for a nicer presentation.

Remove zest from orange and reserve juice.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter and saute onion for 30 seconds, add the orange juice, pinch of salt, coriander, and carrots.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, and simmer for another 15 minutes of so.  (If using purple carrots cook separately and they will require at least 20 minutes).  When the carrots are done remove from liquid and keep warm until ready to serve.  Reduce remaining liquid to 1/2 cup.

carrot top sauce
Bring pot of water to boil.  Pick the leaves from the stems and discard stems.  Blanch the leaves in water for 15 seconds and submerge in ice water, then strain, and dry with paper towel.  In blender combine reserved liquid from carrots, 2 tbsp of butter, carrot tops, and salt & pepper, and blend until smooth.

To serve add a portion of mashed potatoes, place ribs on top, spoon ribs with port/wine reduction.  Place carrots on plate, add portion of carrot top sauce on plate.  Dust carrot top sauce with orange zest.

No comments:

Post a Comment