Grill Interrupted

I’ve been toying around recently with a method known as board dressing. The concept is simple – you treat your cutting board with olive oil, freshly ground salt and pepper, and fresh herbs, then cut your beef on it. It’s a great way to boost flavour and solves one of the real challenges of cooking a good cut of beef.

There’s always a fine line you walk when working with a quality piece of beef. Flavour it too much and you risk losing the beautiful flavour of the meat you just paid so much for. On the other hand, because a large cut of beef will take a considerable amount of time cooking you also risk overcooking your flavours (herbs, sauces etc.) and essentially losing any trace of them as well. Board dressing instantly solves both of these problems. You cook the meat with a simple rub of garlic and pepper, but then add a wonderfully fresh, delicious dressing when you carve it. The results are mouthwatering and superb. The flavour of the beef can stand on it’s own, but lightly dressed with some good quality olive oil and fresh chopped herbs moves it into an entirely other stratosphere.

Top that off with a recipe for Yorkshire pudding (essentially a bread cooked in the grease drippings of the beef), and life is all good.

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Board Dressed, Dry Aged Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:
1 (3 or 4-bone-in) standing rib roast, 6 to 7 pounds*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
Yorkshire Pudding (recipe below)

*Ask your butcher to remove the chine bone for easier carving. Fat should be trimmed to 1/4-inch thickness.

for Board Dressing:

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

for Yorkshire Pudding:

1 cup milk or soya milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup reserved drippings from roast

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine garlic and pepper; rub over surface of roast.
2. Place roast, bone side down (bones take the place of a meat rack), in shallow roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Roast until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F when tested with meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast, not touching bone, about 20 minutes per pound for medium.
3. Meanwhile, prepare Yorkshire Pudding batter. Process milk, eggs and salt in blender or food processor for 15 seconds. Add flour; process 2 minutes. Let batter stand in blender at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. When roast has reached desired temperature, transfer to cutting board; cover with foil. Let roast stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Internal temperature will continue to rise 5 to 10 degrees F during standing time.
5. Turn oven up to 450 degrees F. Process batter another 10 seconds; pour into hot beef drippings. Do not stir.
6. Immediately return pan to oven. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake 10 minutes or until pudding is golden brown and puffed. Cut into squares.
7. While pudding is baking, prep cutting board by spreading dressing over board. Carve roast and serve roast with Yorkshire Pudding.

Filed under: Method, Recipe on November 27th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I’m always on the look-out for a twist on everyday burgers and dogs. This delicious recipe from Food & Wine was spot on. The cumin and North African Harissa infused hamburgers topped with spicy sauce, sweet pan fried onions and cool cucumbers and tomatoes, all came together just perfectly.

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Check out the step by step recipe & instructions over on my Chef Dad column.

Filed under: Recipe on November 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »

This is our go to Chinese dish when ordering take-out. So making it at home without the gobs of sugar they pour in to the restaurant version was really satisfying, and delicious! Such an amazing sauce. It would be tasty on schnitzel if you’re looking to simplify this another degree.

Ironically, almost nobody in Hunan has ever heard of General Tso’s Chicken, the most famous Hunan dish in America. Like many other North American favorites, the roots to China are cloudy at best. General Tso’s Chicken became popular in America via some enterprising Taiwanese chefs who opened Hunan restaurants in New York in the 1970s. Hunan cuisine is traditionally very spicy, full of smoky chilis and pickled vegetables. But to appeal to American diners, the chefs started deep-frying, and sweetening the sauces. They improved upon each other’s crispy chicken dishes until they got a crunchy, sweet, sour, and mildly spicy coating.

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General Tso’s Chicken

Adapted from Appetite for China

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 dried red chilis
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
2 cups cornstarch
1 big pinch white sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Marinade

2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 egg yolk

Sauce

3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoon cornstarch
6 teaspoons white sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons chicken stock or water

Preparation:

1. Mix ingredients for marinade. Slice chicken into 1-inch cubes and add to marinade mixture. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Mix ingredients for the sauce. Set aside. Drip excess marinade off the chicken, and toss cubes in the 1 cup cornstarch. Shake off excess cornstarch before frying.
3. Add about 2 inches of peanut oil to your wok. Heat wok until just smoking, then add the first batch of chicken cubes and deep-fry until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
4. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Reheat wok over Medium-High heat. Add dried chilis and garlic to wok and stir-fry until chilis begin to blacken and become fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Return chicken to wok and stir well to coat with sauce. Transfer chicken to serving dish. Garnish with white sesame and scallions. Serve with white rice.

Filed under: Recipe on November 14th, 2010 | 1 Comment »