Sauces

1. Add peanuts to the canister of a food processor, process on high power until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the canister if necessary. However, I find the less scraping and interruptions, the better.
2. The peanuts will go through stages of: crushed, crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, a big “dough ball”, and then the ball will break down into runnier peanut butter. At the point the peanut butter is runny, continue processing for about 1 to 2 more minutes, making sure the peanut butter is as smooth as desired.
3. Add the vanilla, chocolate chips*, optional salt (I do not add salt; the salt from the peanuts I buy is enough for me) and process for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth and incorporated. I add the vanilla and chocolate chips all at once through the feed tube with the machine running, but if using a weaker or older food processor, sprinkling them in more slowly may prevent your machine from struggling.
4. Transfer peanut butter into a glass jar or other container with a lid. Store peanut butter in the refrigerator or at room temperature. At room temperature, it firms up some, but stays soft. In the refrigerator, because of the chocolate it hardens and solidifies, but softens up after ten minutes at room temperature. I estimate that it could be stored at room temperature for at least two weeks without issue, but with anything, let common sense be your guide. In the refrigerator, it keeps for months. The shelf life at either room temp or in the refrigerator will far exceed your willpower; making longterm storage issues moot.

Cover the prunes with hot water and leave to soak for one hour. Combine all ingredients in a small, heavy pan and bring to a slow simmer. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes until the sauce is as thick as ketchup. Add a little more water if it gets too thick. Puree with an immersion blender (or, transfer to a food processor) and let the sauce cool. Store, refrigerated, in tightly sealed jars for up to 1 month. Enjoy.

mix

Cut and separate ribs into four pieces; pat dry.

Heat oven to 375 degree F.

Mix together dry mustard, salt and pepper. Rub seasoning onto ribs. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot over high heat, quickly brown all sides of ribs (make sure not to crowd ribs when browning). Transfer meat and to a large plate; set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat. Add shallots, carrots, celery, and bay leaves to pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in cumin, dry mustard, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Add broth, beer, and tomatoes, then add ribs with any juices and bring to a boil.

Cover pot and transfer to lower third rack. Braise until meat is fork tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven, skim off fat and discard bay leaves. Separate and shred meat away from bones.

To make the gravy

Place mesh strainer over a bowl and place all leftover vegetables and juices from the ribs.  Press vegetables with back of spoon to extract all juices.  Let rest, and skim the fat.

Place sauce into small saucepot and reduce by half Mix 1 tbl of cornstarch with 2 tbs of water to make a slurry. Mix some hot boiling sauce into slurry, then place slurry into saucepot.  Wisk until thickened. 

Notes: Gravy process new, not from adapted Bakers Royale recipe.

1. To make the vegetable stock, chop onion, carrots, celery, and green onions. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat, add vegetables, garlic, and herbs, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour. Strain, reserving liquid and discarding vegetables. Simmer the reserved liquid for about 1 hour to reduce to 4 cups (1 L). Reserve 2 cups (500 mL) of the vegetable stock to make the gravy, and freeze the rest for another use. 2. To make the gravy, add dried mushrooms to boiling water and steep about 10 minutes, or until water is dark brown. Drain, reserving liquid. (Mushrooms may be discarded or chopped fine to add to gravy later.) 3. Melt butter with oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, until it darkens and turns thick. (The colour of the roux will help determine the colour of the finished gravy.) Whisk in mushroom liquid and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Gently simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent clumps and scorching. Season to taste with salt, pepper.

Using fresh cayenne peppers, simply remove the ends and measure all of the  ingredients into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until boiling. Reduce the heat slightly, but so the mixture continues to boil. Simmer about 20-25 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat, carefully pour it into a blender & puree until thick and smooth. Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer another 15 minutes.

Put all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.

For the Special Sauce, combine the garlic, mayonnaise, capers, brine and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Zap to roughly blend. Add the herbs to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Zap for a second or two. Now add ludicrous amounts of black pepper and zap it all until it's all totally smooth and creamy, pausing occasionally to wipe down the sides of the bowl with a spatula so that you get it all in there. The end result should be somewhere between a dressing and a dip. Taste for salt, adding more capers or caper brine if needed, or pepper or lemon juice, etc. (Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.)

1. Start by washing your peppers gently with water.
2. Cut the tops of the peppers and cut them in half. (Save the tops they can be used for cooking or making chili oil)
3. Remove the veins and as many of the seeds as possible from the peppers. Don't fret about not getting all the seeds, but make sure the veins are removed.
4. Weigh your jar empty and either tare the scale or record the weight.
5. Place your peppers in your jar and add enough water to completely submerge them.
6. Using the weight of the water, create a 3% brine solution. Use the formula above to determine how much salt to add.
7. Add some sort of weight to make sure your peppers stay submerged. A plastic bag full of quarters or rocks works well, but make sure to sanitize the bag before placing it on top of your peppers.
8. Let your peppers ferment for 1-2 weeks. Make sure to burp daily to avoid a messy explosion.
9. Follow the steps above for bottling and sauce making, but at this point the peppers are good to eat, or store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, chives, dill and garlic powder; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. 

If the ranch in the measuring cup is too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen it. (You should be able to drizzle it easily.)