BEST LAMB EVER

So I made these lamb shanks a few weeks ago for my parents.  I cook them on the stove and then put it all in the slow cooker for a few hours and the result was amazing.... literally falling apart... so good.  It was possibly even better the next day as leftovers.  Its time to take the plunge y'all... there are too many sheepies on this planet and I plan to change that... one delicious lamb at a time!

Heads up muttons... your days are numbered!

Ultimate Lamb Shanks…..

Ingredients-

• Lamb shanks – 4
• Yogurt – ½ cup.
• Ginger – 1tsp paste.
• Garlic – 1tsp paste.
• Salt – 2Tbsp. or as per taste.
• Cinnamon – 1 stick
• Cardamom – 4 pods.
• Black peppercorns – 8-10
• Cloves – 6
• Bay leaves – 2
• Onion – 3-4 medium size finely sliced.
• Tomato paste – 1Tbsp.
• Coriander powder – 1Tbsp.
• Cayenne pepper – 1tsp.
• Fennel seeds ground – 1tsp.
• Tomato diced – 14oz can.
• Chicken broth/ water – 2 cups.
• Oil – 3 + 1 Tbsp.
• Lime juice – 2Tbsp.
• Lime, jalapeno and cilantro to serve along.
  

• Place lamb shanks in a non-reactive bowl. Add yogurt, ginger, garlic, lime juice, salt and 2Tbsp of oil. Mix well, making sure all the shanks are well coated with the marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours.
• Heat oil in a large skillet; add cinnamon, cardamom, black peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves. Fry for a minute and add sliced onions. Fry the onions till they turn golden brown for about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring them and not let them get darker in color.
• Once onions are golden add tomato paste, stir it well with onions. Now add coriander powder, cayenne pepper and ground fennel. Mix everything well and fry for another 1-2 minutes, keep stirring.
• Now add the marinated lamb shanks, stir it along with onion mixture. Cook for 5-6 minutes on high heat. Now add the canned tomatoes, mix everything together.
• Finally add the liquid, give a good mix. Cover the skillet and let the shanks cook on low heat for 2 – 2.30 hours. Keep checking to make sure there is enough liquid for them to braise properly. If needed add more liquid. NOTE- If you want you can cook the shanks in oven on 350 F for about the same time or you can cook them in slow cooker for 4-6 hours.
• Once the shanks are done, check for the seasoning. If the gravy is too thin, dry out some or add little more liquid if the gravy is too thick. It’s entirely up to you. Sprinkle with cilantro serve hot. Recipe Source.
   
  

Challah and Focaccia - Easy Bread Recipes

Focaccia

Ingredients:
1 packet of yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 cups of flour
Salt
Water
Rosemary
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 245 degrees C
2. Dissolve yeast, sugar, ½ cup warm water, and let stand for 5-10 mins 
3. Mix flour and salt together and add the yeast/water mixture
4. Slowly add water until dough comes together 
5. Kneed dough on floured surface until smooth 
6. Let dough rise for ½ an hour 
7. Punch down dough ball and kneed dough for 1-2 mins 
8. Press into oiled pan and let raise 5 mins 
9. Brush top with oil and cover with salt and rosemary 
10. Bake for 10 mins 
11. EAT!!!!!

Other options:
     Instead of salt and rosemary add any herb, dry cheese,
     tomatoes or flavored oil



Challah

Ingredients:
1 ½ packets of yeast (1 ½ tablespoons of yeast)
1 tablespoon and ½ cup sugar
½ tablespoon of oil
5 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8-8 ½ cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C
2. Dissolve yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/5 cup warm water 
3. Whisk in oil, 4 eggs (one at a time) sugar and salt 
4. Gradually add flour until dough comes together 
5. Kneed until soft and let rise for 1 hour 
6. Punch down and let rise for another 30 mins 
7. Kneed for 1-2 mins and divide into 3 sections and roll into long ropes 
8. Braid and brush with beaten egg 
9. Bake for 30-40 mins or until golden

Great for French Toast or just plain!! yum yum

Tarte Aux Pomme

Ingredients
3-4 Large Granny Smith apples, (or any tart apples) peeled cored, thinly sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice.
Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling (maybe around 4 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon).

For the filling:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup  sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour, sifted
1 cup Marzipan
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions: 

• Mix together butter, sugar, marzipan, eggs and flour
• Roll out pastry dough into pie pan and spoon in filling
• Slice apples very thin and arrange in a circular pattern starting from outside in on top of the filling. 
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
• Bake at 375 for 30 min or until slightly golden

Boeuf Bourguignon

Bouef Bourguignon

3 oz. bacon, cut into lardoons        1 tbsp vegetable oil          1.5 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and pepper                               1 small sliced carrot         1 small sliced onion        2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups red wine                        2 to 3 cups beef stock      1/2 tbsp tomato paste
a bouquet consisting of 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 bay leaf, and 4 sprigs of thyme
9 to 12 brown braised white onions     1/2 lbs. sautéed mushrooms

·        Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

·        Blanch the bacon in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and dry.

·        In a large dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the vegetable oil is hot, cook the bacon in it until the bacon is browned. Remove the bacon from the dutch oven and reserve the bacon.

·        Dry the beef in paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in the dutch oven on all sides, in batches if necessary. Remove the beef and place it with the bacon.

·        Brown the sliced carrots and onions in the dutch oven. Pour out the fat.

·        Return the beef and bacon to the dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour and stir. Put the dutch oven in the oven for 4 minutes. Stir the contents and return to the oven for 4 more minutes. Remove from the oven and change the temperature to 325ºF.

·        Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add enough beef stock until the beef is barely covered. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer on the stove top. Cover the dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

·        While the beef is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms. They will be reheated in the boeuf bourguignon before serving.

·        When the meat has finished cooking, remove the dutch oven from the oven. Taste the sauce for seasoning. Simmer the sauce over medium-high heat if it’s not thick enough. If it’s too thick, add more beef stock. Add the mushrooms and onions and simmer for several minutes, until the contents are equally warm.Serve with boiled potatoes or egg noodles.

Brown-braised Onions

9 to 12 pearl onions        1 tbsp butter        1 tbsp vegetable oil        1/4 cup beef stock        salt and pepper              2 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 2 sprigs of thyme

·        Peel the onions and cut off the root and stem ends. On the root end, cut an x into the base.

·        In a sauce pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and brown for 10 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring regularly.

·        Add the beef stock and bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes.

Sautéed Mushrooms
1/2 lbs. button mushrooms        2 tbsp butter        1 tbsp vegetable oil

·        Scrub the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Cut off the bottom of the stem and cut the mushrooms into halves if small or quarters if large.

·        Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies/ Épais et moelleux biscuits au gingembre

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies/ Épais et moelleux biscuits au gingembre

3 cups flour (689.76 grams farine)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (172.44 grams cassonade)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate de soude)
1/2 teaspoon salt (sel)
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon (cannelle moulue)
1 Tablespoon ground ginger (gingembre moulu)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (clou de girofle moulu)
1 1/2 sticks butter, slightly softened (172.44  beurre ramolli)
3/4 cup molasses (172.44 grams melasse)
2 Tablespoons milk (lait)

Combine your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Then mix in the brown sugar. In another bowl, mix together the molasses and milk till evenly combined. Cut up your butter into tablespoon pieces and sprinkle them over your flour mixture. With a pastry blender or knives or even with your fingers, work the butter into the dough until it resembles a fine meal. Then add a third of your molasses/milk mix to the bowl and combine. Repeat two more times until all the molasses/milk is incorporated into the flour.

By now, you should have a soft, even dough. Gather it into a ball and divide it in two. Place one half of the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll it to a 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat with the other dough half. Stack the two plastic wrap sandwiched dough sheets on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

Once the dough is firm, remove it from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take one sheet of dough, flip it over and peel off the bottom piece of plastic wrap. Place the plastic wrap back on and flip it all back. Now peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap and begin cutting out your cookies with your cookie cutters, placing the cookies onto the parchment-lined trays as you cut. Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes, depending on how large your cookies are (8 minutes for 3-inch shapes and up to 11 minutes for 5-inch shapes).

They should be set when taken out of the oven, but not hard. Let them cool on their trays for a few minutes, then let them finish cooling on a wire rack. When the cookies are totally cool, you are free to decorate them however you want.