Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [53]
That’s just ducky!!!
If you have any lovely duck fat left over, you’ll want to use it to make my killer Crispy Crunchy Duck Fat Potatoes.
GETTING COMFY WITH CONFIT!
Confit is a classic way of preserving food, most commonly used with duck. It’s when you cook something in its own fat and then store it in the fat. Confit is SOOOOO good! It’s luscious and rustic; think of it as fancy comfort food.
To make traditional confit you cure the meat overnight with salt and shallots, cook it to render the fat, and then store it in its own fat.
To make my “cheater’s” confit, you render the duck fat low and slow—don’t rush it! You want to melt as much fat off of the duck legs as possible. Then you caramelize lots of onions in the duck fat, toss in a bunch of white wine, thyme, and bay leaves, and braise the duck with the onions and the fat. It’s hugely flavorful and a lot faster than classic confit.
Dry Rubbed Bone-In Rib Eye (Just Good Stuff)
SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES ACTIVE TIME AFTER 24 HOURS IN THE RUB
Rib eye is my favorite cut of steak, especially when it’s on the bone. It’s big and fatty and luscious. And when you add a dry rub, it goes from delicious to delicious-PLUS. Enough said.
MISE EN PLACE
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, ground
2 teaspoons pimentón (smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 22- to 24-ounce bone-in rib eye steaks
Big fat finishing oil
I like to give this steak twenty-four hours to really absorb the lovely flavors of the rub, but if you’re in a hurry, even a couple hours will do.
1 In a small bowl, combine the salt, brown sugar, red pepper, pimentón, garlic powder, and cumin. Rub the outside of each steak generously and evenly with the rub (if there’s leftover rub, save it for your next steak). Wrap each rubbed steak in plastic and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
2 Preheat a grill.
3 Remove the steaks from the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook to allow them to come to room temperature. Remove the plastic wrap.
4 Place the steaks on the grill and char them well over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they’re really nicely browned. Move the steaks to a cooler part of the grill and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest somewhere warm for 8 to 10 minutes.
5 Cut the meat off the bone and slice it on the bias across the grain. Arrange the sliced steak and the bone on a serving plate and drizzle with big fat finishing oil to serve.
I wanna STEAK in that!
Big Brown Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish
SERVES: 6 TO 8 • TIME: ABOUT 3½ HOURS
Historically, short ribs have been a throwaway piece of meat. But in the restaurant business, part of the job is figuring out how to make the most of every ingredient—which means turning a cheap cut of meat into a super-special meal. However, the secret to braising is out, which means short ribs are no longer an inexpensive cut. Still, with my big brown braising technique, they are totally amazing and well worth splurging on.
Be sure to cook these LOW and SLOW—that’s the secret. Take your time getting these lovelies nice and brown, then shoot them in the oven and treat them like a stepchild. Just forget about ’em until they’re tender and crazy delicious!
MISE EN PLACE
6 to 8 bone-in short ribs
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
6 to 8 cremini mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1½ cups tomato paste
¼ cup prepared horseradish
2 cups dry red wine
4 bay leaves
1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine
1 bunch of fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2 Season