Mushroom Powder Encrusted Beef Short Ribs

My buddy Jim Goetz suggested using powdered dry mushrooms, after he cooked an omelette using them. This got me to thinking. I have a huge container of dried wild mushroom in my pantry that I pull out and re-hydrate as needed. So tonight I put about a quarter cup of the dried mushrooms into my spice grinder and made a powder. In a bowl I put 4 beef short-ribs, coated them with a Monacan olive oil (more on that later), as well as some garlic powder, onion powder, fresh cracked black pepper and some Himalayan sea salt. Into this I added the mushroom powder and tossed everything well. I placed these in my air fryer for 20 minutes at 400°. This browned them nicely. Meanwhile I made my saffron rice. Saffron Rice When the timer went off on the ribs, I dropped the temp...

Cloud Eggs

And now for something completely different…Cloud Eggs! This was a new one for me. Preheat your oven to 400°. Separate the whites from the yokes of 2 eggs. Whip the yokes to stiff peaks. A hand mixer works well here. Fold the whites onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make an indentation for future yoke placement. Put into the oven for about 8 minutes, you want the a little golden, like a meringue. Place the yokes in the indentation. Season as you like, I crushed on some black pepper and dusted mine with Spanish paprika. Put back into the oven till the reach a level of done-ness you are happy with. Mine took about 5 minutes. You can serve it any way you like. I put mine on toast with a slice of Black Forest ham and topped it with a Mornay sauce,...

Eggs Benedict

Because I had an English muffin…EGGS BENEDICT! My small batch hollandaise sauce: 2 Egg yokes1 tspn lemon juice1/4 tspn spanish paprika1/4 tspn crushed black pepper.1/4 stick of butter, melted Whip the egg yokes well, whisk in the lemon juice, then butter, all while continuing to whisk. Add pepper and paprika. Construction: • Toasted English Muffin• Slice of pan seared Black Forest ham (I seared mine in a little Spanish olive oil).• Poached egg• Hollandaise sauce• Fine grated Gruyere Cheese• Fresh ground black pepper• Garnish of...

2025 Pickled Eggs

Every so often I get the hankering for a pickled egg. And every time I make them a little different. This latest batch is now my favorite. Put your eggs in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and set a timer for 20 minutes. Move them to an ice bath and peel. 1 part apple cider vinegar1 part white vinegar1 part waterA good grind of black peppercorn1 TBS on Kevin Bolton’s Creole Seasoning1 tspn of Flatiron’s 4-pepper blend1 heaping TBS of minced garlic2 TBS Beet powder This time I added no sugar (usually agave) or salt. I just mixed the ingredients, no boiling, and tossed in the eggs. The ones in the photo have been soaking for about a week. And they are fantastic. My favorite...

Peppercorn Steak with Garlic Butter Mushrooms

Red Meat Monday returns! I actually had the idea of a steak with a peppercorn sauce, but the key to that is shallots, and the Food Lion had none. So in the store I decided on a peppercorn steak with a garlic mushroom side. It was delicious! I dried a rib-eye and used my spice grinder (formerly my coffee grinder, but for Christmas I gave myself a coffee maker with a grinder built in) to coarsely grind a good amount of black peppercorns. I coated the carefully dried steak with the peppercorns and a hint of Himalayan Salt. While that rested, I cleaned a pint of white button mushrooms and sauteed them in a mix of butter and Spanish olive oil. After initial browning, I added a quarter of a fine diced sweet onion and about 8 small cloves of diced garlic. When they...