Braised Short Rib Crostini With Remoulade Food

BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge them in the flour. Set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until completely crispy and all the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and set aside. Drain off any excess fat.
• Add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, shallots and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Splash in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Add the broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Finally, add the cooked bacon.
• Put on a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes with the lid on before serving. At the last minute, skim the fat off the top of the liquid. (You can also refrigerate the mixture, then remove the solid fat from the top.)
• For each serving, arrange 2 ribs on a bed of the grits, spooning a little juice over the top.
• Cook the grits according to the package instructions, adding the salt with the water. Turn off the heat just before the grits are done.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. To temper the eggs before adding them to the hot grits, throw a couple of spoonfuls of the hot grits into the eggs. Begin stirring immediately and continue stirring until the mixture is well combined.
• Pour the egg mixture into the grits. Stir constantly to incorporate the eggs into the grits. Add the butter and stir until melted. Next, add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the cayenne and garlic and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne if necessary. You could also add more cheese if you think that will bring happiness to your life, but keep in mind that some cheeses increase the salt content more than others.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and pour the grits into the dish. Bake until the grits are hot and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The grits will become firmer as they cool.

BRAISED SHORT RIB CROSTINI WITH REMOULADE

Steps:

• For the short ribs: Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the short ribs evenly with the salt and add them to the pan. Sear well on all sides. This will take about 15 minutes total, so be patient; the meat should have a deep golden brown color and release evenly from the pan before flipping. Remove the seared short ribs to a plate.
• To the hot pan, add the carrot, celery, onion, thyme, bay leaf and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until very fragrant and beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and caramelize for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the red wine and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir in the beef broth and add the short ribs back to the pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer until the meat can be pulled apart with a fork, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Place the short ribs in a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add about a 1/2 cup of the braising liquid to the meat and toss to moisten.
• For the remoulade: In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cornichons, mayonnaise, capers, Dijon, tarragon, salt and pepper. Fold together with a rubber spatula.
• For the crostini: Spread a small amount of the remoulade on each of the crostini. Top with a spoonful of the shredded meat and another small dollop of the remoulade. Garnish with a slice of cornichon.