Sweet and Sour Brisket

I am absolutely loving the rainy, cloudy fall weather we are having. After many of these cozy days, I had a distinct need to braise a piece of meat! I decided upon brisket and came up with this recipe after a quick food network search. This is the first Ellie Krieger recipe I have tried and I must say it was a resounding success. I omitted the raisins from this recipe and substituted a pinch of allspice for the whole allspice berry. I made a 1.5 lb brisket but did not change the sauce proportions or cooking time and it was a perfect ratio of sauce to meat and the brisket was fork tender. This recipe would easily be adaptable to a slow cooker. This is the perfect meal for a football watching party or just a cold rainy day. I served mine with butterscotch and black pepper baby carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. Add in Ina's homemade chocolate pudding for dessert and you have one fantastic meal!

Sweet and Sour Brisket

• 1 (3-pound) beef brisket, first-cut or flat-half cut, trimmed of any excess fat
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, cut in 1/2, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
• One 15- oz. can tomato sauce, preferably no salt added
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 allspice berry

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or braising pot. Sear the brisket until it is browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well. Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the brisket from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes or, if serving later, cover and refrigerate the meat and sauce for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4- inch thick slices. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar into the warm sauce. Return the sliced brisket to the sauce until heated through, then serve.

Yield: 10 servings, serving size: 4-ounces brisket plus 3 tablespoons of sauce

Source: Ellie Krieger/Foodnetwork.com

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These are very similar to my usual mashed potato recipe. I like the addition of the sour cream and the richness it gave to the dish. This is a perfect pairing for the rich gravy from the sweet and sour brisket.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon (or more) whole milk, at room temperature or warmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.

Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Source: Paula Deen/Foodnetwork.com

Butterscotch and Black Pepper Baby Carrots

This was a simple, easy and delicious way to prepare fresh baby carrots. A great weeknight side dish to have in your repertoire.

Butterscotch and Black Pepper Baby Carrots

• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet, heat the butter, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender and glazed. Top with black pepper. Serve hot or warm.

Source: Paula Deen/Foodnetwork.com

Barefoot Bloggers-Birthday Sheet Cake

The big birthday month in our house is October. We love cake though, so anytime is a good time to try a new cake recipe even if its too early to celebrate an actual birthday. I was somewhat hesitant about trying this month's Barefoot Blogger pick due to the really low ratings this recipe received on the Food Network site. Its rare for any Ina recipe to get less than 5 stars and even rarer for one to get as few stars as this recipe which received only 3 stars. After making this one, I concur with the thoughts on those that rated it low. There was really nothing exciting about the actual cake itself. I halved the recipe and adjusted the baking soda per the reviewers recommendations. I didn't have any problems with the actual baking of the cake but like I said its nothing anyone would rave about, mediocre at best. The frosting was easy enough to make but again very unexciting and not really sweet enough or creamy enough for my preferences. Not a recipe I would make again. The best part about this cake was how much fun my toddler had decorating it! If you want a stellar cake, the next Barefoot Blogger pick, Beatty's Chocolate Cake is a definite winner! Thanks to Susy of Everyday Gourmet for this pick, sorry I couldn't say I loved it. I guess even Ina has an off recipe, although before now I would not have guessed it!

Here is the link to the recipe, if anyone is interested. I'm not going to post the full recipe since its not one I would recommend or make again.

Crisp Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

This recipe was billed in the September 2009 issue of Cooking Light as a super fast meal and it lived up to the hype! I have long avoided coleslaw but recently I tried it again and discovered I really liked it. Since then I have been on a slaw kick. This slaw had great flavor and wasn't really that spicy, but had a nice bite. This was my first time using Sriracha and I can't wait to find more recipes to incorporate this sauce. My only compliant with this meal was I felt like it needed one more side to go with it but couldn't quite decide what a good match would be. Maybe a green vegetable or some bread. My husband gave this one rave reviews. If you need a quick weeknight meal, this one is perfect.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (16-ounce) package cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon fillets evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add salmon to pan, skin side down; cook 4 minutes. Turn salmon over; cook 3 minutes. Add orange juice to pan; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

2. While fish cooks, combine rice vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through honey) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and coleslaw; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Serve salmon with slaw.

Source: Cooking Light, September 2009.

Country Hashed Browns

I'm a big fan of home style potatoes. Although the recipe calls these hashed browns, these are much more reminiscent of the home fried potatoes I grew up eating in North Carolina and absolutely loved. This dish doesn't take much work and has so much flavor. This will definitely be appearing on future brunch buffets at our house! I used the recipe from Ina's Family Style cookbook, however, I recently watched an episode where Ina made these and added ham. If you were serving these for brunch and wanted to make it even heartier that would be a great addition.

Country Hashed Browns

Serves: 4 to 6

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and 1/2-inch diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts

Melt the butter in a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan. Add the potatoes, onions, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally with a flat spatula, until the potatoes are evenly browned and cooked through. (Allow the potatoes to cook for 5 minutes before turning.) Turn off the heat and add the parsley, scallions and ham. Reheat on top of the stove or over a hot charcoal grill.

Cook's Note:You can peel and dice the potatoes early and keep them in the refrigerator in a bowl of cold water. Drain them and dry them well with paper towels before frying.

Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Clarkson Potter, 2002.

Creme Brulee French Toast

Every now and then the idea of breakfast for dinner just hits the spot. This week was one of those weeks. I have been making this recipe for several years now. I first discovered this wonderful dish on the Whole Foods breakfast bar. I visited Whole Foods on many occasions just for this particular dish! I really wanted to make this one at home and was lucky enough to come across the recipe. Now, I can have this any day of the week without leaving the house! I love this recipe compared to other french toast casserole recipes because it doesn't have to sit overnight so you can decide to make it on a whim. The sweet caramel sauce on the bottom caramelizes beautifully and when combined with the sweetened orange vanilla custard produces a delicious breakfast casserole. I highly recommend using Whole Food's Challah to make this as it really makes the dish. I served this dish along with Maple Roasted Bacon and Country Hash Browns. This menu would be perfect for a Sunday brunch or just a fun weeknight dinner.

Crème Brulee French Toast

Makes 1 (9x9 inch) casserole

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

12 (1-1/2 inch slices challah bread)

6 eggs

1 cup half and half or whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

Strawberries and whipped cream for serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9 baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and maple syrup just until the mixture begins to boil and brown, like caramel. Pour into baking dish.

Trim off crusts from bread and arrange evenly over the caramel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla, salt, orange juice and sugar. Pour over bread.

Let bread soak up liquid for 5 to 10 minutes. Bake for 35 minutes. Cut into square or slices and serve with strawberries and whipped cream.

Source: Whole Foods