Caramelized Onion Quiche - Test 1

 https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caramelized_onion_quiche/

1 - Made once, and it was highly acclaimed. I can't remember if I switched out the nutmeg for the mustard, or if I kept one and discarded the other.

1 blind-baked pie crust, completely cooled

2 Tbsps mild veg oil

2-3 (about 1lb) large onions, French-cut (see instructions)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tsps balsamic vinegar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard (?)

Pinch nutmeg

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

1. The onions will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop before they are ready to go into the quiche. So timing-wise, get started on the onions once you've put the crust in the freezer to chill before pre-baking.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.
3. Once the onions are well browned, pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Add the balsamic vinegar to the browned onion and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the baked crust. Spread the onions over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs (and mustard?). Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tart.
6. Transfer to the 350°F oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Pork Loin Cooked in Apple Butter - Testing

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241082/slow-cooker-pork-loin-with-apple-butter/
https://www.foodtasticmom.com/slow-cooker-apple-butter-glazed-pork-tenderloin/

1-This turned out quite nice. I can't remember if there were any notes, so I will leave it at "testing".

2-3lbs pork loin

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 onion, minced (50gr)

3/4 cup apple butter

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1. Mix together the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika and thyme and rub it on all sides of the pork.
2. Place pork roast in the slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle the roast with the onion and garlic
4. Whisk together the apple butter, apple cider vinegar and mustard. Pour evenly over the pork.
5. Put the lid on and cook the pork on LOW (6 - 8 hours) or HIGH (3 - 4 hours). Shred the meat before serving.

Cheese grits - PUBLISHED

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cheese-grits-recipe-1915972

1 - Yup, this worked really well. Makes a hell of a lot! Next up is trying out the leftovers as fried grit cakes.

2 - Served as a base for fried eggs because I was out of bread. It went down real good!

3 - It is very good indeed. Now I'd like to document how I make the patties with the leftovers. They just need some flour added to make them hold while frying in the pan.

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

1 1/2 tsps salt

1 cup coarse ground cornmeal

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup butter

4oz sharp Cheddar, shredded

1. Bring the milk, water, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Gradually add the cornmeal while whisking continually. Once all the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Every 3 to 4 minutes, remove the lid and beat with a wooden spoon to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into the corners. 
3. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the mixture is creamy.
4. Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and beat with a wooden spoon to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually beat in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Leftover Cheese Grits Patties

1. Weigh or measure the quantity of grits you have to work with.
2. Add 1/4 of the total weight-or-measure in flour and mix thoroughly.
3. Form into patties.
4. Heat a fry pan for a couple of minutes before melting butter in it.
5. Fry the patties until browned on both sides.

Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce - Testing

https://www.recipetineats.com/braised-beef-short-ribs-in-red-wine-sauce/

1 - The cooking instructions work well. I didn't add any herbs (forgot the bay) and herbs would definitely elevate it.

3-4lbs beef short ribs, separated
1.5 tsp each salt and pepper
2 Tbsps olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped 
2 celery ribs, chopped OR leaves from 1 branch lovage, minced
2 carrots, chopped
2 tbsps tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine 
2 cups beef stock/broth
2 sprigs of any herb or combination thereof (thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, etc)
2 bay leaves

1. Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add half the ribs and brown aggressively all over (~5 - 7 min in total). Remove to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining ribs, then remove to the slow cooker.
3. Turn heat down to medium. Add onion and garlic into the same pot and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add carrot and celery, cook for 5 minutes until carrot is softened and sweet.
5. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add wine, broth, thyme and bay leaves. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved. Scrape up all the lovely browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour the braising liquid over the ribs. 
8. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or 5 hours on high, or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks.
9. Remove the beef carefully, keeping the meat on the bone. Cover to keep warm.
10. Strain all the liquid into the large pan, pressing juices out of the onion, carrot etc. (Optional - can skip if you don't mind chunky sauce) And, stirring, bring to simmer rapidly for 10 minutes or until it reduces down to a syrup consistency. Optional: spray beef lightly with oil and grill/broil on high for 5 minutes to brown. Add water to thin, season with salt and pepper if needed.
11. Place beef on serving plate, spoon over sauce. Serve!

Braised Steaks - Testing

https://www.foodlion.com/recipes/butter-braised-ribeye/

1 - Did it in 3hrs at High. Try next time for longer for 6hrs on Low. It was very good. Super tender and full of flavor. I'll want to use this as a base for different flavors, such as:

https://food52.com/recipes/36312-short-ribs-braised-in-red-wine-and-vanilla

https://nourishedkitchen.com/wine-braised-steak-rosemary/

https://eatsmarter.com/recipes/braised-rib-eye-steak-with-mashed-potatoes-and-apples

2 - Inconclusive. I futzed with the recipe and added ingredients from the short ribs braised in red wine and vanilla from the list above. It was good, but for unforeseen reasons it continued to cook for longer than expected, I don't know how long. Some parts were melt-in-your-mouth, while others were a bit tough. Overall, the flavour was good, though.

3 - I'm not changing the status but the recipe was fine. The reason I'm not changing the status is because I left the lid off the slow cooker for 2 hours before noticing!

2 rib steaks (about 2-3 lbs)
1/2 cup butter
Mirepoix: (Chopped onions, celery and carrots: 1 celery stalk (or 1 small branch lovage), 1 small yellow onion, 3 carrots)
1 Tbsp beef stock concentrate
1 cup water
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove steak from fridge and leave on counter until it reaches room temperature. Season steak with salt and pepper.
2. Heat skillet on high for a couple of minutes (searing temperature is reached when a popcorn kernel pops). Add steak to hot pan and sear on both sides until each side is browned with a slight crust. Top the steak with the herbs. Add butter and let melt. (Use unsalted butter so you can control the level of salt in the overall dish.) Remove steak and decrease heat.
3. Add celery, onion and carrots to butter drippings leftover from searing steak. Mix in water and bullion paste, scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate drippings. Transfer beef and braising liquid to pot slow cooker. Cook on high in hot oven until beef is fork tender (6hrs?). DO NOT BOIL – the meat should be only slightly submerged, just enough to cook down.
4. Once the beef is cooked, transfer liquid to a shallow pan and cook until the braising liquid becomes more like a sauce. Serve with potatoes or freshly sautéed green veggies.
5. Note: Correspond cook times with weight of meat.