Where have I been for the last couple of years? I saw a bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout in the local market recently and I was intrigued. Being a teetotaler I didn’t plan to drink it, but my mind conjured up all kinds of ideas for cooking with it. I did a little research online and realized that I am way behind the curve. I  found several recipes using chocolate stout dating back several years. I decided not to re-invent the wheel and make a couple of the recipes found online. I settled on a Cowboy Rubbed Rib Eye with Chocolate Stout Pan Sauce from Food52, my new favorite cooking website. I would have half a bottle of stout leftover after making the pan sauce, so I decided to make cupcakes for dessert. I found a recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake at Epicurious and planned to use it to make cupcakes with my own Bailey’s Buttercream frosting.

Lets talk first about the rib eye.

Oh my goodness, this was so good. Michael, who has never really cared for rib eye, described the steak as “very good” using the word “very” multiple times. My only regret is not taking the advice of reviewers and cutting the salt in the rub by half. Even so, it was delicious and not all that salty. This dish starts with a thick slab of ribeye steak, large enough to serve two. By special request, my local market cut a steak about two inches thick. Perfect. The first step in preparing the recipe was to make a rub. The rub is delicious and includes such ingredients as ground coffee, cumin, and brown sugar. The spices are toasted in a hot pan before being added to the rub. I put the rub on the meat about four hours before cooking but it can be done overnight as well. The rub was excellent. The recipe makes a lot more than needed but I plan to save it and use it again. This may be my go-to rub from now on.

The recipe calls for searing the meat in a very hot cast iron skillet and finishing it under the broiler.

I need to check the batteries in my smoke detector and clean the oven now.

The pan drippings, along with the chocolate stout, beef broth and butter combine to make the pan sauce.

Now, let’s discuss the cupcakes.

The online reviews reported that the cake recipe made more batter than was needed for a three layer cake. I decided to cut the recipe in half and it made eighteen cupcakes. The result was a moist, dark chocolate cake. I made my own version of buttercream frosting by mixing 1 cup room temperature butter, 3 cups confectioner’s sugar, and 5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream coffee creamer. The cupcakes were even better this morning with a cup of hot coffee.

Today, my obsession with Chocolate Stout continued.

I remembered a recipe I saw online for Chocolate Stout BBQ Sauce. I decided to go out with a bang and make burgers featuring the chocolate stout barbecue sauce courtesy of The Recipe Circus.

A trip to the market was required as the recipe called for chili sauce and grape jelly, items I don’t usually keep on hand. I was a little put off by using the familiar concord grape jelly eaten by kids on peanut butter sandwiches. I thought it would be a bit sweet. I lucked across Muscat Grape Jelly made by Bonne Maman. It was perfect for this sauce. My only detour from the original recipe was to put the cooked sauce in a blender after it cooled. I used a gourmet chili sauce that had tomato chunks in it and I wanted a smooth sauce. I grilled the patties on my indoor grill with the barbecue sauce liberally applied. I topped the burgers with thinly sliced sweet onion, sunflower sprouts, mayonnaise, and extra sauce. I also used the sauce for dipping French fries. It was delicious, although not to Michael’s liking with the fries. He’s a hardcore ketchup man. The sauce recipe makes quite a lot. I plan to place it in small zipper bags and freeze it for use later. I think this sauce would be fabulous with smoked brisket.

For now, my obsession with Young’s Double Chocolate Stout has run its course, except for the fact that I still have a half bottle left over.  I saw a recipe for Chocolate stout brownies. Hmmm. Maybe one more time.

I was talking to my friend Kelly this morning and I told her that I put a beef chuck roast in the crock pot early this morning. I said I would like to use it for barbeque beef sandwiches but I didn’t have any hamburger buns. Then it hit me. I have a $300.00 Zojirushi bread machine sitting on my kitchen counter! I can make hamburger buns. When searching for a recipe I came back to my favorite baking site, King Arthur Flour. I found this recipe for hamburger buns, cut it in half and started the dough in the bread machine. I used the ingredients exactly as written just made the dough in the bread machine. I don’t have a bun pan so I improvised. Two of the rolls got their final rise in silicone rings made to cook eggs in to keep them round. I only had two of these so I made little aluminum foil skirts for the other four. These worked great.

I didn’t have regular sesame seeds but I had black sesame seeds and poppy seeds so I used those. After the last rise, I applied and egg white wash with a fine pastry brush then sprinkled the seeds on top.  I removed the foil rings about five minutes before the end of the baking time to brown the sides. They baked beautifully. Michael remarked that were substantial enough to stand up to a messy sandwich filling without getting soggy or falling apart. I agree.

The barbeque beef was easy. I cooked the beef chuck all day in the crock pot then took it out, cooled it a bit and shredded the meat. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and returned it to the juice to keep warm and moist until serving time. I removed  enough for two servings, stirred in some Sweet Baby Ray BBQ sauce, piled it on a toasted bun, added mayo to Michael’s and pickled jalapenos to mine. Divine!

 Pulled Pork:

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into four inch cubes
• Salt and Pepper
• Water

Salsa Roja:

  It will erase the memories of the fast food chicken club. I promise.

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Citrus Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Pancetta

Ingredients

• 2 thin sliced chicken breasts, or regular cut, pounded thin
• 1 small sliced yellow onion
• 5 TBS olive oil (divided )
• 3 TBS citrus juice (I used lemon and honey tangerine)
• 2 TBS champagne or rice wine vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red chili flakes to taste
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 2 TBS mayonnaise
• 2 TBS honey mustard
• 6 pieces of pancetta circles
• 2 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half

Instructions

1. For the marinade:
2. In a small bowl combine the vinegar, citrus juice, salt and pepper, red chili flakes, and garlic. Stir to combine then drizzle in 3 TBS olive oil. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Saute the sliced onions in the remaining olive oil until cooked but still slightly crunchy. Set aside. Heat a grill pan or a gas grill to high heat. Add the chicken to the grill and sear one side. Reduce the heat and turn the chicken over. Cook until done. Place rolls in foil and allow them to toast on the grill, using indirect heat. heat a nonstick frying pan to medium high heat and fry the pancetta circles until crisp.
4. To assemble the sandwich:
5. Spread the mayonnaise and honey mustard on both sides of bun. Place the grilled onions on one half and crisp romaine heart lettuce leaves on the other. Place 3 slices of pancetta on one side of the bun and the chicken on the other. Put the two pieces of ciabatta rolls together. Cut the sandwich in half diagonally and enjoy.

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Thanks Buddy!

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Grilled Porterhouse Steak with Herb Butter

Ingredients

• For the herb butter:
• ¼ cup softened butter
• 1 clove garlic finely minced or pressed (this is best)
• 2 TBS finely chopped chives or green onions
• 1 TBS finely chopped parsley
• Steaks:
• 2 large porterhouse steaks (or any cut of steak you like)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For the butter:
2. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the butter on a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a long shape. Place the log with the plastic wrap or waxed paper onto a sheet of foil. Roll the ends of the foil to create a tight seal and finish forming the log shape. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for an hour before using.
3. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steaks and allow it to come to room temperature. Heat  the outdoor grill to high and lay the steaks directly over the hottest part of the grill sear. Repeat on the other side. Reduce the heat or move the steaks off to the side and continue cooking to your desired degree of doneness. Slice the herb butter and place it on the steak while it is still hot. It will continue melting as you enjoy your steak.

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• 2 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1½ tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 beef tri-tip (2 to 2½ lbs.), preferably with some fat on one side
• 2 cups red oak chips (optional; see Quick Tip below), soaked in water for at least 20 minutes

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley together; rub all over and into meat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect medium-high heat and add chips, if using, to grill. Set tri-tip over direct heat, fat side up, and sear until nicely browned (close lid on gas grill), 3 to 5 minutes; turn over and sear other side.

3. Move tri-tip over indirect-heat area and grill, turning every 10 minutes or so, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125° to 130°, 25 to 35 minutes.

4. Transfer tri-tip to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes. Slice meat across the grain as thin or as thick as you like.

Quick tip: Find red oak chips online from Susy Q’s Brand (susieqbrand.com).

Here’s how you do it.

Get yourself some Italian sausage, or not.

Pick up some colorful sweet peppers and and onion. Slice them and saute until cooked but still a bit crunchy.

Grab some provolone cheese. This came pre-sliced!

Toast French rolls in the broiler until golden brown. Top with a sausage, the onion and peppers, and the provolone cheese.

Return sandwiches to the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Shred some crispy baby romaine and pile it on the sandwich. Add the condiment of your choice, spicy mustard, mayo, or Italian dressing, oil and vinegar, whatever you like. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slice and enjoy. If you like fennel, that is.

I am calling this recipe Easy Ham and Bean Soup because instead of using dry beans, soaking overnight and cooking them for hours, I am using canned beans.

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Easy Ham and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone with some meat on it (leftover is fine)
• 64 ounces vegetable stock
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 2 TBS flour
• 1 can small white beans (no added salt)
• 1 can white kidney beans (no added salt)
• 1 can pinto beans (no added salt)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Use low sodium or no added sodium stock and beans for this recipe if possible. The ham will probably add more than enough salt and once it is too salty there isn’t much you can do to fix it. You can also soak the ham bone in water in the fridge overnight to help remove some salt.
2. Pour the vegetable broth into a large soup pot. Add the ham bone and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours on low. Melt butter in a frying pan and saute the onion and jalapeno pepper until the onion is translucent. Remove the onion to a small bowl, leaving as much of the butter in the frying pan as you can. This will be used to make the roux to thicken the soup.
3. Remove the ham bone and any meat that has fallen off from the broth. Allow to cool. While the ham is cooling add the onion and jalapeno to the broth and simmer. Remove as much meat as you can from the ham bone and cut into bite sized pieces. Discard the bone. Add the meat back to the broth. Open the cans of beans then rinse and drain them. Add the drained beans to the soup and continue simmering.
4. Heat the butter in the frying pan again and add the flour, whisking continuously. If it is too dry, add more butter. Continue cooking the roux but do not let it brown. After 2-3 minutes, pour the roux into the soup as it is simmering. Stir frequently as the soup thickens. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

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