arenee1999 | Cooking and Recipes (Reply)

elistaire asked me how I learned to cook and what I like to make most in my previous post. Since there is a recipe I've been meaning to post, I decided to post the recipe and answer the question at the same time. :)

I learned to cook by watching my mother and my great-grandmother cook. I've also read many cookbooks and watched lots of cooking shows.

I don't really have one recipe that I make more than anything else. I like to try new recipes. However, I do all of the baking in the house and there is one recipe that is delicious (but very difficult to make).

Chocolate Chip Brioches

Dough:
2 Tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
4 Cups All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups butter, softened

Pastry Cream:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Assembly:
Chocolate chips
1 large egg, well beaten

Combine warm water and yeast, let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine yeast mixture, flour, sugar, salt and 3 eggs. Mix at low speed with pastry hook or wooden spoon, until well blended. Gradually add remaining 2 eggs. Mix until dough is smooth and elastic. Gradually add butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, mixing just until it has been absorbed. Transfer dough into a buttered bowl (plastic or glass), cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm place to rise, until doubled in volume (1 1/2 to 2 hours). Punch dough down. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (about 8 hours). Bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat. In a large non-aluminium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar; add the cornstarch and whisk until well blended. Gradually pour hot milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly, return mixture to saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes, whisking vigorously. Strain into clean mixing bowl. Add Vanilla. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Cool, then chill at least 1 hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 12x18 inches. Stir col cream once or twice to smooth. Spread 1 cup of cream over the surface of the dough in a thin layer. Freeze remaining cream*. Scatter chocolate chips over the cream covered dough. Fold short ends of rectangle toward the middle; so they meet in the center. With a sharp knife, cut along the center seam. Cut each half crosswise into 12 strips. Place strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until dough is puffy; approximately 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush the tops with beaten egg. Bake 20 minutes; or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

*Pastry cream can be frozen for about a month.

The other recipe I was meaning to post...

From the Los Angeles restaurant Table 8 (Recipe from Oprah.com)

Grilled Cheese and Pulled Short Ribs Sandwich

Recipe created by Govind Armstrong,
featured in Small Bites, Big Nights

From the show Face Behind the Name

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp. grapeseed or canola oil
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 carrot, cut into large dice
1/2 celery, cut into large dice
1/2 onion, cut into large dice
6 medium garlic cloves, cracked
1 cup red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon)
Sachet, see below
3 cups beef broth
2 pounds loaf of sourdough bread, cut into 16 slices
12 ounces Bel Paese cheese, sliced thin
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. pickled red onions
4 tsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tsp. grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Beginning with a large saucepan or braising pan with a lid, heat the tablespoon of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the short ribs on either side until caramelized and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the carrot and celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes over the same heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook together until caramelized, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally as needed. Add the short ribs back to the pan and deglaze with the red wine. Add the sachet (see below) and, stirring from time to time, allow the wine to reduce until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and bring thebraise up to a boil. Put the lid on and place in the oven for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

After the first 2 hours of cooking time, remove the lid. For the next hour, baste the short ribs every 15 minutes, leaving the lid off. Cook for an additional hour, until very tender, for a total of 4 hours cooking time.

Pull the short ribs from the oven and allow them to cool in the braising juices for at least a few hours. Carefully transfer the meat to a plate and strain the juices through a fine sieve, then allow the fat to rise. Remove the fat. Using a dinner fork in each hand, lightly shred the meat along the natural grains in a pulling motion from the center outward, and set aside.

To prepare each sandwich, begin by preheating the oven to 350°.

Take two slices of bread. On the bottom slice, place a layer of cheese (you'll want approximately 1 1/2 ounces for each sandwich, just enough to cover the bread to the edges), then top with 1 teaspoon of Pickled Red Onion, spread to the sides. Place 1/4 cup of the pulled short ribs on top, add another layer of cheese, and top with the second slice of bread. Brush each completed sandwich on top and bottom with 1/2 teaspoon butter.

In a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil and allow it to get nice and hot. Place 2 sandwiches in at a time and flip so they will absorb the oil on both sides. Weight them down with a small sauté pan. After 1 minute, flip the sandwiches, return the weight, and place directly in the oven. After 2 minutes, remove the weight. Flip the sandwich one final time, and cook for 1 final minute. Pull from the oven, slice diagonally, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Sachet/Bouquet Garni

INGREDIENTS