MARINATING

Southwestern Short Ribs Bourguignon

Red meats soak up flavor when marinated in red wine. The acids in wine help break down tough fibers, so this is a wonderful technique for less tender cuts such as chuck (pot roast) or brisket.

After marinating, use a traditional enamel cast iron round brasier, such as this 3-1/2 quart braiser from Le Creuset to sear the short ribs and cook the dish. Its depth is tall enough to hold most cuts of meat, but shallow enough to provide a larger surface for tenderizing.

• 3 cups red Zinfandel
• 3 to 4 pounds bison or beef short ribs
• 4 to 5 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and slivered lengthwise or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil
• 12 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped

Add potatoes, mushrooms, and carrot to the hot skillet. Cook and stir 4 minutes (add additional oil to skillet, if necessary). Spoon around meat in Dutch oven. Add marinade to skillet. Bring to boiling. Pour over meat and vegetables in Dutch oven.

Bake meat, partially covered, in preheated oven 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat and vegetables to serving platter; cover to keep warm.

Bring cooking liquid in Dutch oven to boiling over medium-high heat. Boil gently, uncovered, 12 to 15 minutes or until reduced by half (about 2 cups) and is slightly thickened. Serve sauce with meat and vegetables. Makes 8 servings.

Scrub mussels under cold running water; remove beards and discard. Soak mussels in cold salted water 15 minutes, then drain and rinse. Repeat soaking, draining, and rinsing twice more. Set aside.

Heat large skillet over high heat; add oil. Once pan begins to smoke, add garlic. Cook and stir until cloves begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add mussels (mixture will sizzle and steam). Cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

REDUCING

Wild Striped Bass with Red Wine Butter Sauce

One oft-quoted piece of wisdom from Juiia Child was “Reduce! Reduce! Reduce!” The queen of cookery wasn’t kidding—to intensify the flavors of a wine sauce, cook it down by at least one-half to two-thirds.

To do it best, use a copper saucepan—liquids reach a consistent boil and then simmer, allowing reduction at a consistent level of heat. Mauviel sets the standard for copper cookware. A 2.6-quart size is a good basic to have on hand.

• 3 cups merlot
• 3 tablespoons sliced shallots
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon whipping cream
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 6 (6 to 8-ounce) striped bass fillets or other firm-flesh white fish fillets
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• Cooked Brussels sprouts (optional)
• Lemon halves (optional)

Remove bay leaf if desired. Start whisking in butter. Return saucepan back to heat if butter stops melting, but maintain temperature of 100° to 120°F by moving saucepan back and forth from heat (sauce will break if warmer). Once butter is fully incorporated, whisk in whipping cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Place saucepan on stovetop to keep warm before serving.

Season fish lightly with salt and black pepper. In 12-inch oven-going skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fish, meaty-side down. Cook until golden; turn. Transfer skillet to oven. Bake, uncovered, for about 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork. Spoon sauce atop fish; serve with Brussels sprouts and lemon halves. Serves 6.

Add leek, parsnip and garlic to Dutch oven; cook 4 minutes over medium heat or until garlic lightly browns. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Carefully add brandy to Dutch oven. Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven and until brandy glazes the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add thyme, bay leaves, and half the plums. Add wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by one-third. Add chicken stock. Bring to boiling. Add chicken pieces to Dutch oven. Cover Dutch oven; place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (180°F).

Remove chicken from liquid and set aside. Strain braising liquid; discard solids. Skim fat from braising liquid. You should have about 2-1/2 cups liquid.

BAKING

Black Forest Cake

While Black Forest Cake usually calls for kirsch, or cherry-flavor brandy, we decided sweet cherries soaked in port would be an admirable substitute. We also lightened the cake batter, giving it a more airy texture.

To help achieve this, non-stick cake pans make the job easier. We used the Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch nonstick 9-inch round cake pans. The aluminized steel distributes heat evenly and the nonstick surface helps release the cake layers without sticking. For this cake, we still recommend lining the pans with parchment paper to ensure the finished layer doesn’t stick to the pan.

Port-Cherry Filling

• 4 cups fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries
• 1-1/4 cups good-quality port
• 2 8-ounce cartons mascarpone cheese
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Chocolate Cake

• 6 ounces sweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 2-1/4 cups milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2-2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons port
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup butter, softened

Whipped Cream Topping

• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• Toasted coconut chips (3 cups)*

For Port-Cherry Filling:
Thaw cherries if frozen; drain. In medium bowl combine cherries and 1-1/4 cups port. Cover; let stand 1 hour. Drain cherries, reserving liquid. Transfer well-drained cherries to food processor. Cover; process until nearly smooth. Add mascarpone cheese and the 3 tablespoons powdered sugar to cherries. Cover; process until just combined. Transfer cherry mixture to large bowl. Cover; chill until ready to assemble cake.

For Chocolate Cake:
In medium saucepan combine chocolate and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until melted; set aside to cool. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottoms and sides of three 9x2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper and generously coat pans with flour.

In large bowl combine eggs, egg yolk and 2 cups granulated sugar. Place bowl over skillet or saucepan of simmering water. Cook and stir until an instant read thermometer reaches 110ºF. Remove from heat.