Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

The Rub:
4 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Scant pinch of ground cloves 

The Roast:
2-3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

The Slow-Cooker:
1.5 cups orange juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

Whisk together the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

If the roast is tied up with butcher string, untie it.  Pat the roast dry with paper towels and place it on sheets of plastic wrap.  Rub the spice mix into the roast all over.  Wrap the roast in the plastic. Marinate in the rub at least one hour or overnight (overnight's best - duh!)

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.  Place the roast in the pan and sear on all sides.  Place the roast in a slow cooker, and add the orange juice, Worcestershire, chilies, and vinegar.  (If you have any BBQ sauce on hand you could throw a few lashings of that in too).  Cook on the low setting for 6 to 10 hours, until the pork is fall apart tender.

Leaving the meat in the slow cooker, use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized shreds. Let it continue to cook a bit longer for it to be infused with the cooking liquid.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, shredded cheese of your choice, and spicy bacon guacamole!

Caramel Pork Ribs

I love David Lebovitz.  His desserts, and especially his ice creams, are some of my favourites.  But this - THIS!  Melt-off-the-bone tender ribs in a non-tomatoey rich carmelised sauce.  Perfection!  I'd never tried to make ribs before, and these turned out gorgeously.

Caramel Pork Ribs

From David Lebovitz’s “My Paris Kitchen.”

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar, light or dark

3/4 cup beer

1/4 cup bourbon

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 (1/2-inch/2cm) piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons harissa, Sriracha sauce, or another hot sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 pounds pork ribs, cut into 3- or 4-rib portions

Preheat the oven to 350F. 
 

Spread the granulated sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a large pot with a cover, such as a roasting pan or a Dutch oven. Cook the sugar over medium heat until it starts to melt around the edges. When the liquefied sugar just starts to darken to a pale copper color, gently stir the sugar inward and continue to cook, stirring until the sugar is completely moistened. Continue to cook the sugar, stirring infrequently, until all of it is a deep copper-colored liquid, similar in color to dark maple syrup, and smoking (but not burnt). Turn off the heat and stir in the brown sugar, then add the beer. The mixture will seize and harden, which is normal. 

 

Let the mixture cool down a bit, then stir in the bourbon, cider vinegar, ketchup, ginger, soy sauce, harissa, mustard, and pepper. Put the ribs in the pot and turn on the heat until the sauce boils and bubbles up. Turn the ribs a few times in the liquid, cover, and roast in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the ribs are tender. During the roasting, remove the pot from the oven and turn the ribs over two or three times. 

 

Remove the lid from the pot and continue to roast, turning the ribs a few times, for 30 minutes more, or until the juices have thickened a bit. Remove the ribs from the oven, skim any visible fat from the surface of the liquid, and serve.

Spicy Bacon Guacamole

Embarrassing revelation: I don't really care for avocado.  But I LOVE this.  It was my first time making guacamole, and I don't think it could be better.  See for yourself!

Here's a tip so you can make the guac ahead of time (even the day before!) and not have it turn black: press a layer of plastic wrap over its surface in the bowl, and then pour cool water on top, about 1/4".  When ready to serve, pour the water off, remove the plastic, and stir in any drips that get into the guac.  That layer will help prevent air from getting to the stuff. 

Spicy Bacon Guacamole

5 strips bacon
3 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
4 tablespoons chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons liquid/sauce
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

HARD DIRECTIONS:

Place the bacon in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, turning, until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined-plate to drain.

Meanwhile, halve and pit the avocados. Scoop the avocado into a medium bowl and add the lime juice, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash with a fork until combined but still a bit chunky. Add the red onions, chipotle and brine, and tomatoes, reserving a few pieces of tomato for garnish.

Crumble the bacon into the bowl, saving a spoonful for garnish, and stir together to combine. 

EASY DIRECTIONS:

Microwave bacon.  Throw all the shit in a bowl.  Mash together.  Nom. 

From this...

 To this!

Blackberry Cabernet/Crème de Cassis Gelato

Blackberry Cabernet/Crème de Cassis Gelato

INGREDIENTS
Plain Base*
1 pint blackberries, washed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons crème de cassis
3 tablespoons Cabernet Sauvignon
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
 
PREPARATION

Make the Plain Base (below).  Put berries in a small bowl to soak in the crème de cassis and Cab Sav.  Using kitchen scissors, chop up the berries as much as you like.

Into chilled base, whisk vanilla extract and xanthan gum (if using).  Pour in berries and booze and stir.

Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

* Plain Base
INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

PREPARATION

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream.  Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.  Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow.  Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously.   Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat.  Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185F.  Do not bring to a boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl.  Let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled.  Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Well... key lime in spirit anyway.  I used plain old regular limes.  Um, except they were big and yellow and looked like lemons, so the ice cream didn't turn out green at all.  Nonetheless, this is the limiest!  And did I mention easy?  No cooking!  Mix the stuff in a bowl, and into the freezer in minutes flat.  No excuses now!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice (or juice from 2 big limes, whichever is more), or bottled Key lime juice
Zest from 2 big limes
Dash of salt
8 graham crackers (2 cookie sheets), coarsely crushed

In a large bowl, combine milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, and salt; whisk to combine.

Pour mixture into your ice cream freezer, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir crushed graham crackers into ice cream. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze until firm. Serve with extra crumbled graham crackers, if desired.

Honey Garlic Balsamic Chicken

Honey Garlic Balsamic Chicken

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 chopped garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper.  Melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.  Add the chicken to the pan.  Cook the chicken until both sides are brown and the chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes on each side.  Take the chicken out of the pan, and put on a plate and tent with foil.  Add the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and honey to the pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken.  Use a spatula to get the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan.  Slice the chicken on a bias, and spoon the pan sauce over the top.

From here.

Bacon Choc Chip Biscotti

 
Yep, we're having a bit of a biscotti brouhaha... this time it's the intriguing:

Bacon Chocolate Chip Biscotti

5 strips bacon
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2+ cups chocolate for dipping

Cook bacon in microwave according to your preferred method (you can also fry it, but that's messier, so why bother?).  Chop or crumble crispy bacon into small pieces.  Set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  In large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, two or three minutes.  Add eggs one at a time and beat to combine.  Add flour mixture and beat until blended.  Stir in bacon and chocolate chips.  Gather dough in ball and divide in half.  Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (dough will still be sticky).

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.   Preheat oven to 350ºF.  On floured surface, roll each piece of dough out into a 12 to 14-inch log.  Transfer logs to baking sheet spacing them 3-4 inches apart. Bake until light golden and dry to the touch, about 30 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven.  Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.  Allow logs to cool for 15 minutes.  Transfer logs to cutting board.  Using serrated knife, slice logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Return slices to baking sheet, standing upright, and bake until dry and golden, 20 to 30 minutes.  Slide biscotti on parchment to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt dipping chocolate in a wide, shallow bowl, heating in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until melted.  Dip bottoms of cooled biscotti into chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.  Allow to set on wax paper.

You can't really SEE the bacon, but it's in there, and gives a nice slightly smoky complexity that underscores the richness of the chocolate.  In other words: YUM.

Recipe from here.