Are we in a French Restaurant?!?!

November 06, 2011

Are we in a French Restaurant?!?!

I was flipping thru a Bon Appetit from May 2009 and knew I had to cook what I saw..it is something I would order in a restaurant so I was really excited to try this one out! I was a little worried it would be a really expensive dish but it wasn't that bad! It cost me $21.19 to make this dish. My challenge was to find GOOD meat! The recipe calls for 3 - 4 inch long meaty beef short ribs and the picture shows a rib hanging out. Apparently in our grocers the butchers cut off that bone to cut down on the cost, package weighs less. Also, I could not find a really nice package of ribs...they were all really fatty...but I did my best, and picked the cream of the crop....so I thought....You need to give your self time for this dish as it needs to braise for at least 2 hours (if you get the right kind of meat) When I was cooking my kitchen smelled so good...I was so excited to put restaurant quality food on the table...the presentation alone is what caught my eye in the magazine...it was beautiful!!

So, as I was cooking my 6 year old, Kaitlin asked what's for dinner...I proudly showed her the picture. She looked at it like I was crazy and said "YUK...I'm not eating THAT! I want grilled cheese" Then along come Riley, my 4 1/2 year old....she follows everything her sister says and does. Needless to say, she requested grilled cheese with macaroni. How could they pick grilled cheese over this dish?!?!!? Enter Morgan, 14 years old....I asked her (perhaps with a little attitude) what she wants, grilled cheese of my nice dinner....I think the fear of God forced her to say she wanted what I was cooking, though looking back I think she really wanted the grilled cheese. FINALLY the dinner was finished, my husband picked a really nice red wine and I put the plates in front of them and i sat down. Morgans reaction : Wow...looks like we are in a french restaurant! (only she apparently did not mean this as a compliment) My husband had a doubtful look on his face. He chose this moment in time to tell me it's not the kind of meat he likes. I do not cook a lot of red meat. So let's rewind...I started in the kitchen at 4:00....it was now 7:30....a little late to eat but the price we pay for a really really good dinner made with love....right? well, remember I said I thought I got a package of meat with not much fat? well, not exactly. I think next time I go to a premium butcher and order the cut I need. The gravy was SO good, even Morgan would agree. And the potatoes were yummy! The parsnips mashed in the potatoes gave ordinary mashed potatoes a bit of a twist! Pour some gravy over the mashed potatoes and you have what Morgan ate as she put her meat aside. My husband went back for seconds because I think he was so hungry. IF I had excellent quality meat, I think my dinner would have gone over better. I am definitely going to try this dish again !!!