Thomas Keller's Braised Boneless Short Rib with Picked Vegetables, Persillade

I served the short rib with oven roasted cherry tomatoes, rice wine vinegar pickled baby whole carrots, and potatoes. Also topped with a persillade. Thomas Keller's boeuf bourguignon comprises 2 components; a red wine reduction, and the meat itself. The red wine reduction is prepared semi-independently of the meat, so as not to sully the meat with bits and pieces of dross vegetables. The actual vegetables to be served with the meat are prepared separately. The red wine reduction makes a beautiful sauce.


Momofuku Pickled Vegetables

- 1 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 2-3 tsp salt
- vegetable/fruit of choice

1. Mix all ingredients together. Make sure sugar dissolves.
   
2. Add to glass jar.
3. Add vegetable of choice; I used baby whole carrots with stems still attached.
4. Let sit for 1 week for best results.

Persillade

- 4 cloves garlic
- Parsley (leaves only)

1. Finely mince garlic and parsley.
2. Mix together, add to boneless ribs.
   

Potatoes

- Potatoes, quartered
- water
- Salt/pepper/bay leaf/basil

1. Wash and quarter potatoes (depending on size).
2. Add to pot of water (with salt added into water).
3. Also sprinkle pot with pepper, bay leaf, basil.
4. Bring to a boil, then let simmer 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are softened.
5. Serve with protein.

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

- Cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt/pepper

1. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
2. Lay on silpat; brush with olive oil, sprinkled with salt/pepper.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until slightly charred.
4. Serve with meat.

Braised Boneless Short Rib

- Boneless short ribs (why pay extra for the bones, haha?)
- 2 lbs Yellow onions (leave skin on)
- 1 leek
- 1 lb mushrooms
- 8 cloves smashed whole garlic (leave skin on)
- Turkey bacon (less fat)
- 1 bottle red wine
- cheesecloth
- parchment paper

1. Using turkey bacon, render out fat in 8 qt. pot.
2. Reserve bacon and save for other uses (see if anyone else wants it).
3. Salt and pepper sides of short ribs.
4. Sear all sides in bacon fat.
5. Remove.
6. Add diced leeks, onions (coarsely cut with skin on), garlic (smashed), carrots into pot, which now has bacon fat and short rib drippings.
7. Add basil, thyme, salt, pepper.
8. Add 1 bottle red wine.
9. Cook together for 45 minutes.
10. Create a cheesecloth nest over red wine reduction, lay short ribs on top.
11. Add beef stock until top of beef is covered.
12. Cover with parchment paper lid having circular hole cut out of center.
13. Put into oven at 325 degrees F, bake 2 hours.
14. Remove short ribs from cheesecloth nest.
15. Strain the braising liquid and discard used vegetables.
16. Reduce braising liquid by about 3/4.
17. Cook side vegetables separately (keeps their colors nice and bright, preserves their flavors).
18. Serve short ribs with braising liquid reduction, vegetables.

The reduced sauce turned out pretty well.