Peppercorn Sauce

This is a wonderful accompaniment to steak.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons red, green, white and black peppercorns
1/2 cup Cognac or Brandy (bourbon works as well)
3 tablespoons undiluted veal/beef demi-glace
3/4 cup heavy cream

In saute pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the shallots and peppercorns and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened.  Add Congac and raise the heat to medium and cook until the Cognac is evaporated. Add 3/4 cup of water and the demi-glace.  Bring to boil and stir until the demi glace is dissolved. Add the cream and bring to simmer.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened.  Season to taste with salt.

Makes about 2 cups

Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Pork Belly Burnt Ends

• Light egg and setup for indirect smoking
• Costco fresh pork belly, sliced in long thick pieces
• Cube into 1 inch pieces
• Slather in olive oil and coat all sides with your favorite rub
• Smoke for 3 hours placing them an inch apart on the grate
• Pull and place back in a pan, add a cup of BBQ sauce, a few tablespoons of butter and several long squirts of honey. Mix up well, cover in foil and put back on egg for two hours.
• Pull, mix up again and serve.

Pan Seared Baked Chicken

1. Brine - put chicken breasts in large bowl with salt, sugar and luke warm water. (20min to an hour but no longer)
2. Remove and discard brine.  Rinse chicken and pat dry (important)
3. Slather with olive oil and then liberally coat in Old Bay or Cavender's seasoning (or your favorite)
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Fire up the cast iron skillet on med heat with a little bit of oil to coat the bottom.
6. Sear breasts for 3-4 minutes per side.  You want them to almost get to the color you want when you eat them.  Color won't change much after the sear.
7. Move skillet from stove to oven for about 15-20 min, adding two ice cubes before shutting the oven door (It's OK, just do it)
8. Cook to 160 because you'll get a carryover of at least 5 degrees getting you likely above 165.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Tacos

This is a nice, easy, one skillet meal for two with leftovers.  Can be easily increased for more.

Ingredients:
canola oil
kosher salt
1 small white onion
1 medium sweet potato
1 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casing
1 lime halved
2 ounces cotija/feta
2 ripe avocados
corn tortillas


How to Make It
Step 1
Peel and dice onion, cut sweet potato into 1/2-in. cubes. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, potato, and salt and cook until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potato is just tender, 8 to 9 minutes.

Step 2
Increase heat to medium-high and add chorizo. Cook, breaking up sausage, until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.

Step 3
Meanwhile, heat tortillas however you do it. Wrap in foil or tortilla warmer.

Step 4
Halve, peel, pit, and thinly slice avocados; put in another bowl and toss with juice from lime half.

Step 5
Spoon about chorizo-sweet potato mixture into each warm tortilla. Divide cotija and avocado among tacos with a squeeze from the other half lime half.