Bon Appetit Freeze the Cover: Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream

I was thrilled to see ice cream on the cover of the August Bon Appetit because 1) my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker bowl has been patiently sitting in the back of my freezer all summer, and 2) I've been making gift jars filled with Strawberry Meringues for a client the last few weeks and have accumulated a nice collection of egg yolks in the freezer next to it. 

The cover recipe is for True Vanilla Ice Cream, which is great served alone or slowly melting over a warm slice of cherry pie or plum tart, but it also serves as a base for add-ins like bourbon cherries and chunks of dark chocolate. Bon Appetit provides flavor upgrade recipes for Cherry-Bourbon Ice Cream and Chocolate-Malt Ice Cream. I'll be making another batch of meringues this week and will be forced to try the Chocolate Malt Ice Cream next...oh darn!

Cherries have always been a love of mine. As a child, I couldn't resist cherry pie, frosted cherry pop-tarts, cherry cheesecake, and cherry ice cream. Must be because I'm a June baby, when cherries are at their peak. Regardless, my love for them continues in those same childhood favorites, as well as a few others like seared duck breast with cherries and port sauce, cherry clafoutis, dried cherry and almond scones, and Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream.

Cherry-Bourbon Ice Cream

I made the True Vanilla base and then added in Bourbon Cherries and chunks of dark chocolate (from a 4-ounce bar of bittersweet chocolate). My only regret is not making a double batch. You can find the recipe here.

I don't need to tell you how easy it is to open the freezer, pull out the container and sneak a few bites. But it's impossible to stop there with this ice cream. You'll be compelled to take the container to the couch and polish off at least half in one sitting.

***

I'm now adding bittersweet chocolate and malted milk balls to my grocery list today and you should do the same.

Oh, and for your leftover egg whites, here are the Strawberry Meringue Clouds that have been flying out the door...thanks, Giada!

Plum Sorbet Sandwiched Between Ginger Molasses Cookies

Summer has arrived, bringing along mobs of tourists, those who have escaped the heat in Arizona to enjoy their second homes here, and, specifically this past weekend, thousands of other San Diegans who simply love our village and beaches, Fourth of July Parade, and fireworks vantage points. If you live in Coronado this time of year, leave the car at home and walk or bike to your destination.

Trapper wasn't overly enthused when we adorned him with an extra bunting for his morning walk to Starbucks, but he amused those who were out at the crack of dawn snatching up the prime parade spots.

Following coffee, we deposited the pup back into the safety of his yard and set off to Pete and Julie's annual Pre-Parade Bloody Mary Breakfast. This year's parade theme was America's People. Here are a few photos...the full album is posted on Newf in My Soup's Facebook page.

The parade was followed by more cocktails, of course, and wonderful food at Jim and Carmen's Post-Parade Open House - pork chile verde, spicy beans and rice, guacamole and chips, and banana pudding. Then it was time for a long afternoon nap, in order to refresh for the evening festivities.

Over the weekend, I finally got around to making these Plum Sorbet Sandwiches with Molasses Cookies, a recipe that had called out to me every time I flipped through Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I have loved the few recipes I've tried from Suzanne Goin's, James Beard award-winning, cookbook and really do need to cook from it more often! It has about 130 recipes, arranged into 32, three-course menus (4 courses with dessert), and organized by season. This dessert is included in the summer chapter, menu 9, designed to be served following green goddess salad with romaine, cucumbers, and avocado; soft-shell crabs with lima bean salad, grilled bacon, and cornbread; and veal scaloppine with fresh corn polenta and salsa verde-brown butter.  If you enjoy throwing intimate, gourmet dinner parties, this should be one of your go-to cookbooks.

Plum Sorbet Sandwiches with Mary Jones from Cleveland's Molasses Cookies
From Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table
(Makes 1 quart)

1 pound ripe plums
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Molasses cookies (recipe follows)

Cut the plums in half, remove the pits, and cut the halves in quarters.

Toss the plums with the sugar and honey, and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer the fruit to a blender, and puree until very smooth. Season with lemon juice, to taste.

Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Process the puree in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (about 20 minutes).

To make each plum sorbet sandwich, scoop about 1/4 cup of the sorbet and place it on the bottom side of one of the cookies. Then place the bottom side of a second cookie over the ice cream and gently press to make a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Mary Jones from Cleveland's Molasses Cookies
(Makes about 24 cookies)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
3/4 cup vegetable shortening, melted to equal 1/2 cup, cooled
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Stir in the salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the molasses, sugar, melted shortening, and egg at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Turn off the mixer and add half the dry ingredients to the bowl. Turn the mixer to medium-low and mix to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix to combine. Chill the dough for about 15 minutes to make it easier to work with.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out the cookies. Place them on a parchment-lined or lightly buttered baking sheet, spaced about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle a little sugar over the tops of the cookies, and bake about 12 minutes, until they puff up slightly and are starting to crack in the middle. The cookies will be crisp on the outside and chewy in the center.

Newf Notes: Chef Goin uses Santa Rosa Plums which may be difficult to find outside of a few California Farmers' Markets. I substituted "Raspberry" pluots. I may have over-baked the cookies, waiting for them to start to "crack" in the middle. They were more like gingersnaps, and lost all chewiness. However, they did soften up a bit after the sandwiches were assembled and stored in the freezer. The sorbet was pretty soft just following churning, so you may want to allow it to firm up overnight in the freezer before assembling the cookies. 

You can also skip the sandwiching step and serve the sorbet in bowls with the cookies on the side.

"Few chefs in America have won more acclaim than Suzanne Goin, owner of Lucques restaurant. A chef of impeccable pedigree, she got her start cooking at some of the best restaurants in the world–L’Arpège. Olives, and Chez Panisse, to name a few–places where she acquired top-notch skills to match her already flawless culinary instincts. “A great many cooks have come through the kitchen at Chez Panisse,” observes the legendary Alice Waters, “But Suzanne Goin was a stand-out. We all knew immediately that one day she would have a restaurant of her own, and that other cooks would be coming to her for kitchen wisdom and a warm welcome.”

And come they have, in droves. Since opening her L.A. restaurant, Lucques, in 1998, Goin’s cooking has garnered extraordinary accolades. Lucques is now recognized as one of the best restaurants in the country, and she is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented chefs around. Goin’s gospel is her commitment to the freshest ingredients available; her way of combining those ingredients in novel but impeccably appropriate ways continues to awe those who dine at her restaurant. 

Her Sunday Supper menus at Lucques–ever changing and always tied to the produce of the season–have drawn raves from all quarters: critics, fellow chefs, and Lucques’s devoted clientele. Now, in her long-awaited cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Goin offers the general public, for the first time, the menus that have made her famous." 

Highlights from the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, Hearty Boys' Bacon Blueberry Ice Cream, and a Cookbook Giveaway

Last week, we floated through food and wine heaven as guests of the 8th Annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival. I started out the week-long festival by experiencing Rancho La Puerta's Saturday at the Ranch. During the week, we attended several cooking and wine tasting classes: Makin' Bacon with The Hearty Boys; Italian Masters with Suzette Gresham of San Francisco's Michelin starred Acquerello; Super Chef Allstars with chefs Brian Malarkey, Kenneth Gilbert, and Eli Kirshtein; Spanish Inquisition, a tasting of Spanish varietals with Lisa Redwine, and Two Farms, Two Families, One Vision, a tasting of Dow port and Point Reyes Farmstead cheese. We capped off the week with The Grand Tasting event, held outdoors, at the Embarcadero. We took hundreds of photographs of chefs, food, wine and people.  I've created some albums with our favorites on Newf in My Soup's Facebook page, but here are a few photos of our best bites:

Chef Daniel Barron, of Blue Point Coastal Cuisine, won the "Chef of the Fest" Competition. Celebrated as one of the largest culinary showdowns in Southern California, the competition challenged seasoned and up-and-coming chefs in the San Diego culinary scene to prove their skills in the kitchen.

Crispy Laughing Bird Shrimp & Curry-Glazed Sous Vide

Pork Belly, Cauliflower Polenta, Roasted Ginger Kaffir Lime Air

Winner - Chef of the Fest

Chef Daniel Barron, Blue Point Coastal Cuisine

Ahi Tuna Lollipop
Rancho La Puerta, Saturday at the Ranch
Chef Bernard Guillas, The Marine Room, La Jolla

Food Photography by the bay

Smoked Fish with Butternut Squash Flan, Tomato-Thyme Marmalade,
Chili Oil & Micro Greens
Chef Jeff Rossman, Terra American Bistro, San Diego

Butternut Squash Risotto with Pancetta, Rosemary and 25-year old Balsamico Tradizionale
Chef Suzette Gresham, Acquerello, San Francisco

Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi with Miso-Leek Sauce, Marcona Almond Bacon Bits, Micro Shiso
Harney Sushi, Old Town, San Diego

Veal Tongue and Cheek

The cooking classes were very entertaining, especially Makin' Bacon with The Hearty Boys. I wasn't a Food Network aficionado back in 2005 when Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh beat out 10,000 entrants to become the original The Next Food Network Stars, and launched their own show, Party Line With the Hearty Boys. Today, they are chef/owners of Hearty, a Lakeview restaurant that has been much lauded for it’s inspired and deft twists on iconic dishes, trend setting Chicago caterers, and authors of Talk with Your Mouth Full, a cookbook full of exciting but accessible recipes for home entertaining.

At the Makin' Bacon cooking class, Dan and Steve showed us how easy it is to make your own dry and wet cured bacon, and then use it in a bourbon cocktail, salad, sandwich, and ice cream.  Everything tastes better with bacon!

The Hearty Boys, with the San Diego Macy's School of Cooking Team

Home Cured and Smoked Bacon

Bacon-Cinnamon Sangaree, with Bacon-Infused Bourbon
Frisee Salad with Lardons, Poached Egg and Dijon Vinaigrette

Ultimate BLT, with Home-Cured Bacon, Arugula, and Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli

Bacon Blueberry Ice Cream

Bacon-Blueberry Ice Cream
Courtesy of The Hearty Boys
Makin’ Bacon Cooking Class, San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival 2011

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ pound bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled
2 slices bacon, uncooked
1 pint blueberries, smashed

Preparation:

Set up an ice bath by placing ice and water into a large bowl and setting a smaller bowl on top. Pour the cream into the smaller bowl and set a strainer over the small bowl.

Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and set near the stove, with a whisk, ladle and rubber spatula handy.

Heat the milk, salt, sugar, and the 2 slices of bacon in a saucepan until it starts to simmer. Slowly ladle half of the milk into the eggs, whisking as you go. This will temper the eggs and keep them from scrambling.

Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk and use the rubber spatula to stir, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the mixture thickens and you see the first bubbles appear, indicating that it’s starting to boil. (Remember to never stop stirring during this step or you will wind up with scrambled eggs!)

Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the cream and stir to combine. Add the vanilla extract and the smashed blueberries and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight.

Pour the mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the crumbled bacon halfway through the process.

***

In the Hearty Boys' cookbook, Talk with Your Mouth Full, Dan and Steve share their irreverent views of food and entertaining along with recipes, anecdotes from their journey, and how-to tips for successful entertaining. Chapters include: Passed and Buffet Hors d'Oeuvres, Starters, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Desserts, Libations, and Sample Menus with Timelines. I've already tabbed a number of recipes for cocktail and dinner parties over the holidays, like Garlicky Beef Crostini with Caramelized Onion and Sage Whipped Cream; Shaved Ham on Cheddar Shortbread with Apple Jam; and Gorgonzola, Fig, and Pecan Cheese Terrine.

The first dish I tried, for a simple and comforting Sunday dinner, was the Three-Cheese Spaghetti Pie, with Feta, Fontina and Parmesan.

Dan explains this Spaghetti Pie was created from odds and ends in the refrigerator and pantry, and turned out to be one of the best quick meals they'd ever had. We enjoyed it with friends on the patio, with a nice bottle of red from the Festival, and it was quite tasty! You can find the recipe here, on Food Network.

We received two copies of Talk with Your Mouth Full, so I'm doing my first contest give-away!  The Hearty Boys autographed the book, "Drool Over This! Eat Hearty!"

Contest:  One There's a Newf in My Soup! reader will win a copy of The Hearty Boys' Talk with Your Mouth Full cookbook. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST December 15, 2011. Winner will be announced on Newf in My Soup's Facebook page, on December 17, 2011. Winner must contact me with a mailing address by midnight PST on December 20, 2011.

How to win?

Leave a comment, telling me about one of your favorite holiday entertaining hors d' oeuvres, and why it's a favorite. Best answer wins.  If you have a blog and have posted about the recipe, please include a link.

The Crown Jewel Affair Dessert: Dark Chocolate Pavlovas with Pomegranate Frozen Custard

This is the final post in The Crown Jewel Affair, a POM Wonderful, pomegranate-inspired, dinner party!  If you haven't been following along, you may wish to go back to the Introductory Post, here, and then you can mingle your way through the welcome cocktail, appetizer, soup, salad, two main courses with a palate cleanser in between, and then back here, for dessert and an after-dinner mint.  It's a long and delectable journey!

Choosing a dessert for our Crown Jewel Affair was no easy task. My first thought was Fine Cooking's Chocolate-Pomegranate Torte. The torte is topped with a layer of pomegranate jelly, covered with a bittersweet chocolate glaze, and garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds. I made this a few years ago for our annual Halloween Party and it is truly decadent.

However, after learning of the Daring Cooks' November challenge, Rise and Shine! Soufflé!, and sharing a chocolate souffle when we went to a recent dinner concert at Anthology, I started contemplating individual dark chocolate souffles, served with a scoop of pomegranate ice cream, drizzled with a pomegranate-port reduction, and garnished with pomegranate seeds.

It's a woman's prerogative, so I switched gears one final time, after deciding I really did not want to bake souffles during the party, and chose another awesome dessert we could prepare in advance: Individual Dark Chocolate Pavlovas and homemade Pomegranate Frozen Custard. Pavlova was the June Daring Bakers' challenge this past summer, and I tried a few different versions for our New Zealand themed Concert in the Park. This was John's first choice for our party.

We adapted Thomas Keller's Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Ad Hoc at Home. For the pomegranate flavoring, I used two cups freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and one cup pomegranate liqueur, and reduced it down to one cup of heavenly goodness. We also add mascarpone cheese to our ice creams, for a boost of creamy richness.

John's Pomegranate Port Syrup evolved into a Pomegranate Port Pink Peppercorn Syrup at the last minute, when he spotted a new jar of pink peppercorns sitting on the counter.  He really is brilliant when it comes to experimenting with sauces and flavors.

Dark Chocolate Pavlova / Pomegranate Frozen Custard / Pomegranate Pink Peppercorn Syrup

Individual Dark Chocolate Pavlovas
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
(Makes 10-12)

6 large egg whites
2 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and position the racks so you can bake the two baking sheets of meringues at the same time. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pour the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat until satiny peaks form. Add in the sugar, a spoonful at a time, while continuing to beat the whites, until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Turn off the mixer, remove the bowl, and add the cocoa powder, balsamic vinegar, and chopped chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until fully incorporated.

Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under each corner. With a large spoon, mound the meringue onto the parchment paper, forming individual pavlovas about 4 inches in diameter, and gently make a shallow well in the top of each meringue to later cradle a scoop of ice cream or other filling (imagine serving a scoop of mashed potatoes onto a plate and making a little well for the gravy). You should be able to fit 5-6 meringues per baking sheet. You can also use a pastry bag with a large plain tip to form the meringues, but I like the rustic, free-form look.

Place the meringues in the oven, and immediately reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake for about 45 minutes, gently rotating the baking sheets halfway through. After 45 minutes, turn the oven off, open the oven door slightly, and let the meringues cool completely while inside the oven. Once cool, gently remove the meringues from the parchment and store then in an airtight container until ready to serve. These can be baked and stored for 2-3 days.

Pomegranate Frozen Custard
Adapted from Thomas Keller's Vanilla Ice Cream, Ad Hoc at Home
(Makes a generous 1 quart)

1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup pomegranate-port reduction (see above)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt
Pomegranate Pink Peppercorn Syrup, for drizzling (recipe below)
Pomegranate arils, for garnish

Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan, and add 1/2 cup of the sugar. With a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, if using, and add them to the liquid, along with the pod (or stir in the vanilla paste). Bring to just below a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean from the pan, if you used it. Return the pan to the heat and heat until the cream is just below a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the yolks in a bowl until slightly thickened. Slowly, while whisking, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks, and then gradually whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set a medium bowl in the ice bath; have a strainer ready.

mascarpone, and stir until incorporated. Strain into the bowl, add the salt, and let cool, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. When the texture is "soft serve," transfer to a storage container and freeze to harden.

Pomegranate Pink Peppercorn Syrup

2 cups POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
1 cup Ruby Port
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, partially cracked with a mortar and pestle

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 3/4 to 1 cup, 30-45 minutes. Strain through fine mesh sieve and allow to cool.

To Serve:  Place a Chocolate Pavlova on dessert plate, top with a scoop of Pomegranate Frozen Custard, drizzle Pomegranate Pink Peppercorn Syrup over the top, and scatter some pomegranate arils over the top and around the plate.

After Dinner "Mints"  Pomegranate Arils marinated in brandy

I hope you've enjoyed our series of posts highlighting The Crown Jewel Affair, a POM Wonderful Dinner Party. Hosting a dinner party is challenging and stressful, and ours would not have been such a huge success without our commendable family and friends who willingly helped with planning, preparation, menu development, cooking, serving, dishwashing, bartending, printing, decorating, photography, and videography. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for a rewarding and memorable evening.

A very special thank you to POM Wonderful for choosing There's a Newf in My Soup! as one of 100 POM Wonderful Dinner Party hosts. In accepting the challenge, I hope we've made you proud. Fresh or bottled POM Wonderful pomegranate juice starred in a jelly, vinaigrette, braising liquid, sauce, reduction, ice cream flavoring, and syrup, and fresh pomegranate arils were found floating in cocktails, and adorning every course, providing an elegant and festive touch, pop of brilliant color, burst of sweet, tart flavor and surprise crunch.

We truly broadened our pomegranate horizons and look forward to incorporating pomegranates in many more culinary creations!

The Crown Jewel Affair POM Dinner Party from There's a Newf in My Soup! on Vimeo.

***

Coronado Concerts in the Park: Challenge BEER Featuring Bass Pale Ale & Hoisin Braised Buffalo Short Ribs

Finally, the sun emerged in Coronado and we were able to bask in the late afternoon rays while feasting on a gratifying mélange of beer-inspired cuisine. What more could a dad ask for on Father's Day?

Our day commenced with our morning walk, followed by most of the day in the kitchen. Around 4:30, we packed up the wagon for our trek to the park. We had a rather full load this week and the wagon totally collapsed, with the sound of snapping metal, about a half block from the house. John walked back and retrieved Big Ugly, his poor old van from his Navy deep sea diving days, which has now been converted to our NUV (Newfy Utility Vehicle). We quickly transferred the wagon contents into the van and continued to the park unloading zone, where we emptied the van and proceeded to lug 4 tables, 4 chairs, a Dutch oven full of ribs, a chafing dish full of mashed potatoes, an ice chest full of ice cream, our picnic basket, wine, et al., ad nauseam, across the park to our spot under the Jacaranda tree.

Once set up, and settled in with a large glass of wine, I was able to chillax and await the arrival of our fellow chefs.

Everything was so delectable, I don't know where to begin!

Kai outperformed once again with "Pork & Beer." OMG...German sausage, boneless leg of pork, and slab bacon, all cozily nestled in Amber Ale cabbage. Just look at that seductively-scored pork fat...eat your heart out, Emeril! Kai even included homemade Beer Mustard as an accompanying condiment.

Kai's son Max approved wholeheartedly!

Alec & Nina graciously offered Beer-Braised Pork Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa Verde and the most incredible Boilermaker Brownies I've ever tasted. Nina added beer to the brownie batter and whiskey to the chocolate ganache, but the sprinkling of finishing salt really cinched the deal.



I must say, my man has become quite the Ice Cream Maker Extraordinaire! He created a very special Beer Ice Cream by incorporating Bass Pale Ale in the custard. He then reduced his new favorite beer, Speedway Stout, with some sugar, to create Caramel-Stout Syrup. Can you say "liquid sex?"





Jack & Sandra shared fantastic Beer-Simmered Brats with Grilled Onions and Peppers; Pammy whipped up a pitcher of her most-requested Trailer-Trash Margaritas, made with Tequila, Beer, and Limeade; Mom baked Double-Chocolate Stout mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cocoa powder; and Bradley, the one-hour chef, managed to have time for a matinee and grace us with his presence and offering of Gooey Beer Cheese smeared on Garlic Bread.

Yours truly, aka Miss Blogsalot (John's new pet name for me since I've plunged into the food blogsphere), managed to sweet-talk the butcher into some meaty buffalo short ribs for my Bass Pale Ale and Hoisin-Braised Short Ribs, served over creamy mashed Yukons.



Ok, they weren't really buffalo short ribs...I just wanted an excuse to share one of our Yellowstone National Park buffalo photos from our incredible Yellowstone and Jackson Hole vacation last year! Soon, I will figure out a way to incorporate one of our moose photos, most likely with a recipe for a bar appetizer we enjoyed in Jackson Hole, lovingly named Moose Mix.

Bass Pale Ale & Hoisin Braised Short Ribs
(Inspired by Fine Cooking's Barbecued-Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Vinegar Glaze and Dave Lieberman's Braised Hoisin Beer Short Ribs with Creamy Mashed Yukons)

Ingredients:

4 lbs. beef short ribs, about 10 ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil for ribs, plus 3 tablespoons to saute the garlic, ginger and vegetable spice mix
10 garlic cloves, smashed
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
3 tablespoons It's Delish Vegetable Mix
18 ounces Bass Pale Ale
3 tablespoons Chinese Black Vinegar, or rice wine vinegar
1 cup hoisin sauce
5 tablespoons Chili-Garlic Sauce

Directions

Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Tie each rib with an 8" piece of cooking twine. Sear the ribs on a hot gas grill, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and saute the garlic, ginger, and vegetable spice mix, for about 4 minutes. Add the beer and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the ribs, meaty side down. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Remove the ribs to a clean plate and strain the sauce. Remove the fat from the sauce using a fat separator and return the sauce to the Dutch oven. Add the hoisin and chili-garlic sauces and let the sauce reduce over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. Put the ribs back in, meaty side down, and move the pot to the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Serve the succulent, fall-off-the-bone, meaty ribs with mashed potatoes and a sprinkling of minced chives or green onion.