Tupelo Honey Cafe: Blueberry Chipotle Flank Steak (not suitable for Vegetarians)

Zok altered this recipe by using just dried chipotle peppers, not canned ones that were in adobo sauce as called for in the recipe book.  We would have had to make the sauce ourselves and we didn't have the time.  However, peppers in adobo sauce is now on our preserves list so we will feature it sometime next month when we are back in Australia.

I am going to write up the recipe as Zok made it. This is a two-part recipe

This is for two servings but you could use the same amount with a 2 pound or about a kilo to serve four people.

2 chipotle peppers diced (seeds and all)

3/4 cup blueberry jam (we had to use store bought)

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbl. olive oil

1/4 cup honey 

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tsp. salt

a single slice one pound flank steak (1/2 kilo)

Combine the peppers, jam, vinegar, olive oil, honey, molasses, and salt in a bolw and comine well.

Pour this marinade into a sealable plastic bad and add the flank steak to the bag. Seal and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours. (It is recommended to turn the meat occasionally) Zok did a 24 hour marinade, as this was a test rust of the recipe just for himself.

When you've marinated the meat for the amount of time you choose, remove the meat but keep the marinade mixture for the glaze (below).

Grill your meat over medium-high heat for ten minutes per side (Zok says the time is the same for a steak- so 8 minutes is on the rare side- 12 would be medium- 14 for well done)

Slice your meat across the grain and drizzle with the glaze and serve.

Blueberry Chipotle Glaze

2 cups reserved blueberry chipotle marinade (see above)

1/2 cup apple juice (Zok used organic-100% apple juice)

1 tbl. all-purpose flour

1 tbl. milk

Combine your marinade, apple juice into a small pot and bring them to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk together your flour and milk, and then whisk this into the hot glaze.  Simmer the complete mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently

*Zok made this here in Sweden during winter, but the recipe book recommends and Zok enthusiastically agrees that this is a BBQ grilling recipe.

As an Aussie he would like it noted he means to say on a real outdoor gas BBQ, not a Swedish one use, and only charcoal if you are familiar with grilling. 

**Zok decided he would reduce the amount of cider vinegar by 1/2.  

Gingerbread (Pepparkakor) Pancakes

I am a fan of eating pancakes plain, which is one reason I love these so much.

They have a lot of flavor without putting anything on top.

This was my choice for Christmas morning breakfast.

3 cups flour

3/4 tsp. of baking soda

1 tablespoon of baking powder

 1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ginger spice (we used dried/powdered)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves (we used cloves that were already ground)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated)

3 cups buttermilk (kärnmjölk)

3 eggs (at room temperature)

1/3 cup of molasses (you could probably substitute treacle but as we are in Europe we are using molasses)

Whisk all your dry ingredients together, well, in a large bowl

 Then, whisk into the mixture your eggs and molasses-

Let the whole mixture rest for about 15 minutes, you should see the mixture bubbling a bit which means the batter is aerated and ready to cook.

*Zok says if you can't find buttermilk you can add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for each cup of whole milk.

The second photo is just a close up of the bubbles you want to see before cooking.

 

 Here is a photo of the buttermilk.

 

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Baked Walnut-Stuffed Apples (gluten free optional)

I voted for this recipe because at xmas time I feel like there are a lot of candy treats around, so a nice baked apple with nuts for protein feels healthy.

2 cups walnuts (a cup is 240 milliliters)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tbl. all-purpose flour (Zok substituted corn starch as we went gluten free)

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

2 tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. found cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 salt

4 large Granny Smith apples

(you can optionally add ice cream when you serve these)

Preheat your oven to 350 f (175 c) and position the rack in the upper third of the oven.

Place walnuts, brown sugar, and flour (or corn starch) in a food processor and process until the walnuts are coarsely chopped, 5 -6 seconds.

Add in your butter, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.  Cover and pulse for 4 to 5 seconds, until the mixture clumps together.

Remove the stems from the apples and then cut them into halves - lengthwise.

Use  a spoon to core out the seeds.  Brush the cut surfaces of the apples with the remaining lemon juice. (this prevents browning).

Place your apple halves, with the cut side up , in a glass baking dish.

Spoon the walnut filling into each apple half, dividing it evenly and packing the filling with the back of a spoon.

Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes until the apples are tender.

Serve them warm - with ice-cream if desired.

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Sweet Potato Coconut Bisque, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluton Free

Sweet potatoes are a vegetable that I think I should like, but when face to face with say 'mashed' sweet potatoes I don't get past a few bites.

However, I love this soup.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

4 cups plus 4 1/2 tsps water

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (our can was 12 oz)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pure maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp. honey (of course the book calls for tupelo honey but if you live in Australia, you will have a hard time finding that and besides we say 'go local!'.)

2 1/2 tsp. sea salt (we use Murray River salt)

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (we used a wee bit of nutmeg/cloves)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (you could use just paprika if you are adverse to the spice level of cayenne)

In a large saucepan (if you really get into soups, and stews like chili, a good investment is a cast iron/ceramic coated saucepan- larger is always better because everything has room to cook evenly).

combine the sweet potatoes and 4 cups of water over high heat, bring this to a boil, and boil for about 20 minutes, or until your potatoes are tender.

Then reduce your heat  to medium and then using a potato masher, mash the potatoes in your pot.

Now, add in the coconut milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, salt and spices and lastly your ground pepper.

Stir and simmer this for about 15 minutes or until you notice the soup thickening.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the remaining 4 1/2 tsp. of water to form a thick paste.

Add this mixture and your cayenne pepper to the soup and reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes longer (or until the soup coats the back of a spoon).

Now use a hand held mixture to puree the soup (while it is still in the pot) to a smooth consistency.

(You could also in small batches transfer the soup to a stand mixer or processor).

Now your soup is ready to serve!

 

Tupelo Cafe: Nutty Fried Chicken (gluten free optional)

Zok loves a recipe that calls for 'buttermilk'.  If you want any frying tips please look at the fried chicken blog entry here:

southern fried chicken 

Zok said that this recipe is not like the southern fried chicken in taste- although the process is similar.  This time he sort of 'filleted' or cut each chicken breast, so that it was smaller and therefore easier to cook all the way through. An added bonus of these smaller cuts was as our guest Sofia mentioned "gives a better chicken to tasty coating ratio."

6 (6-ounce/250 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups buttermilk (300 ml)

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 cups roasted and salted mixed nuts

2 cups canola oil

Marinate the chicken in  the buttermilk in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (Zok marinated his for 3 hours but only because our building lost power for two hours...he does think that it is worth it to do an overnight marinate if you want to make sure your chicken is moist).

Combine the bread crumbs (Zok used gluten free store bought bread crumbs)

and nuts in a food processor and grind until fine.  In a cast-iron skillet, heat your oil to 325 f. (Zok says if you cast in a pinch of your nut/bread crumb mixture and it sizzles then you know its ready.

Take your chicken pieces and one by one dredge them through the mixture to coat them well  and then fry each piece for about 4-5 minutes on each side- this should give you a golden brown color (Zok let his go a bit longer- he says its all individual choice).

Use paper towels to drain the oil by putting each piece on the towels  as you cook, this gets rid of excess oil.

This recipe is meant to go with milk gravy and mashed sweet potatoes.

All meat eaters heartily approved of this combination.

 

 

 

Zok's first venture into the world of pastry making: Choux Pastry - Profiteroles

These pastries were so lovely, I might finally be won over to the idea of getting an actual camera, because the iPhone camera does not do justice to how well these turned out.

 

I don't really have any tips here other than once again recommending the books by Richard Bertinet 

Here is a link to his website

Richard Bertinet 

Zok took less than thirty minutes to whip these up.

The only change he wants to make next time is the melted chocolate on top.  He used what he had on hand which was baking grade dark chocolate.  He felt milk chocolate might go better with the filling.

 

Here is the recipe as given in the book.

 

125 g plain flour

225 g or ml water

60 g butter

1/2 tsp. salt

4 eggs

 

The process is quick so have all your ingredients at the ready.

The water and butter are boiled in a pan and the sifted flour is whisked evenly into your water and butter.

The mixture is whisked all the time until reaching a point of clinging to the whisk.

Then, switch to a wooden spoon and cook a further 2-3 minutes beating well, your mixture should be glossy and coming off the edges of the pan.

All then goes into your food mixer, about a minute with the paddle attachment.

Eggs are added one at a time.

 

Preheat oven to 170 c 

Lightly grease a non-stick baking tray

Bake for 12-15 minutes

 

 

Zok used a 1 cm nozzle for his piping bag.

These larger sizes are normally found on their own, they do not come in the kit for icing, the icing ones are smaller. He chose to cut them in half and use a piping bag to put the cream to pastry.

He dipped the tops straight into the bowl of melted chocolate.

 

Zok melted his own chocolate and used chantilly cream.

There are many variations for the creams.

I can't recommend this Pastry book highly enough- the photos are step by step, and the tips come from an expert. 

 

 

Let's talk about the dual challenge of Gluten free and Vegan baking.

When making most meals, having enough options for your vegan guests is pretty easy.  Gluten free is a bit harder, especially if you are attached to bread as an actual part of the meal, but again if you are only cooking for others, having a rare gluten-free meal is no great sacrifice.

Of course if you feel that way, and you want to accommodate all your guests this gets a bit trickier. Recently Zok, decided he was confident enough to make not only a vegan/gluten free pie crust but also gluten free/vegan biscuits (Southern Style)

Tips: 

Firstly, if you are dealing with celiac disease- where a person knows their tolerance in parts per million, and you want to do your own blending, make sure to read the labels of your flour types; rice, corn, potato and so on.  

Blending

First Zok went the route of locally available boxed gluten-free flour mixes- such as here in Sweden: Mjölmix which was partly potato based.

Zok used this mix as he would a normal flour- but in the end the pie shell was still gooey and inedible.

He then moved on to the same style but different brands, and he added in his own corn flour- which worked well for pizza crust.

Then in Australia we found a few more options, an all purpose flour mix- and also the pastry mix you see here.  

This Orgran brand didn't need to be chilled- Zok has through trial and error, gotten a better feel of what the dough will and won't do, so this was made with vegan butter- and almond milk- first he used very cold water, and then the almond milk.  The dough was clumpy-but he pressed it together into a ball, cutting that into two, covered them in plastic wrap and let the  dough rest just long enough to prepare a surface with baking paper.

The baking paper is necessary as he skips the flouring step.  The consistency of the dough is hard to work with, so he doesn't like even using gluten free flour for dusting, as this addition, even slight could change the consistency.

Zok also adjusts the amount of baking powder always because he never buys self raising flour, and of course gluten free is not self raising. 

 

Chilling

However, normally for any gluten free baking an important step is chilling your dough until cold.

This makes the dough much harder to roll out, but negates the stickiness which is a bigger problem.  

Zok has found that gluten free baking involves a lower temperature for less time- to prevent the dough from drying out, for this pie he cooked at

160 c for 30 minutes

instead of 175 c for 35-40 minutes

Gluten free crust doesn't seem to give off the same signs of aroma or browning.

The next experiment will be potato flour for bread.

Bread of course is the hardest- depending on the type of bread you want to make - more risen than dense by example.

An easier route is any recipe that calls for less flour, such as corn meal or potato breads.  For the southern style biscuits, the vegan biscuits were pretty easy, the lack of buttermilk (substituting almond milk) did make them less fluffy- but my last important tip is that vegan free- and gluten free is best when you don't try to compare to normal baking, but to baking in its own category.

Also, your best audience is indeed someone who is vegan and or gluten-free.

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Almond Strawberry Tart (Vegan optional- Gluten Free)

This is easy to make, but make sure to factor in the time it needs to cool, and also set in the refrigerator.

Crust

2 cups sliced almonds

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbl. all-purpose flour (Zok used a gluten free mix)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extact

1/4 c. cold, unsalted butter-cubed

Filling

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbl. cornstarch

3 tbl. cold water

3 tbl. apple juice

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed, stemmed, and halved

Preheat oven to 375 F. To make the curst, place the almonds, sugar, flour, and vanilla in a food processer, process until the almonds are coarsely ground.

Add the butter cubes and process for a few seconds or until the mixture is clumped together.  Press the mixture into the bottom and edges of your pie dish to form a crust- let this all cool until the mixture firms up.

To make your filling, place the sugar and the cornstarch into a medium saucepan and stir to combine.

Then stir in your water and apple juice until the mixture is smooth.

Add the strawberries and  stir to coat them thoroughly-

Bring your mixture to a simmer and cook for about five minutes over medium - to high heat- keep stirring and watch for the mixture until it all thickens (jam - preserves style).

Immediately pour your filling onto your crust in your pie tin, and spread it out evenly.

Bake on the 375 degrees f. for about 25 minutes-or until the pie has 'set'.

This needs to cool for 1 hour, and then also be refrigerated for 2-3 hours before serving. 

*Notes
I thought it tasted really good, but on the healthy side of good- Zok did not like it, which is also a indicator of this.
As far as a gluten free- high protein dish goes, this one is great.
Also as you might notice Zok put in raspberries and blueberries as well.

 
 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Southern Fried Chicken Breasts (Gluten Free Optional)

This recipe as I will write it up is for four people, with 4 (6 ounce/ 170s g.)

Zok however - always makes a bit extra- Here Zok has used the Gluten-free all purpose flour made by Red Mill.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups canola oil (here we use raps which is rapeseed oil, which is the base of most European vegetable oils)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or the gluten free flour of your choice)

3 tbl. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk overnight in the refrigerator.  

Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl and put aside-

  

 Then place the oil of your choice in your cast iron skillet (this really should be made in a cast-iron skillet- but if you don't have one you can use the pan of your choice)

Bring the oil to bubbling - over medium heat (or about 325 F).

You want to coat your chicken- as you are putting them into the pan

Drain the chicken and discard the buttermilk -

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture until well coated.  Fry the chicken in the hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown.  

*Notes:
Zok did not weigh his chicken- so a few had to be cut thinner- this of course meant more of the coating per piece- which was an audience pleaser.
 There was a bit of left over coating - but perhaps better to have too much than too little, however, you can't really re-use the coating.
All meat eaters agreed that the soaking in the buttermilk made for really tender chicken.
Zok made a milk-mushroom gravy (vegetarian) which is what you see under the chicken breast.

Vegan Peach Ice-Cream (a non Zok recipe) Coconut Oil

I have read that coconut oil is currently very popular, and when I got to Stockholm this year, each and every person had this solid coconut oil out on the table and they were telling me how great the uses for it is.  
So when this recipe showed up via some recipes site I had signed up for (Food 52) I decided to try it out at a girlfriends during movie night. 
It was simple and easy. The recipe noted that you could freeze the left overs and then re-process it, but I actually used mine in my protein smoothies.

4 frozen bananas cut into chunks

2 tbls. coconut oil

2 tbls. unrefined sugar (I used brown sugar)

2 large peaches

2 tbls. cashew or almond butter (optional) *

1 tsp. vanilla extract (we used vanilla bean)

2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch sea salt

* I made it once with the almond butter once without and I didn't notice a difference.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (185c). Cut your peaches in half and take out the pits.  Put them into a bowl and coat them with the coconut oil and sugar.  Lay the halves with the middle side up on a foil lined baking sheet or dish. Roast them for about 35 minutes- you will see them visibly brown and sort of carmelize, you want the peaches to be tender.  When they are done pull them out and let them cool for another 15-20 minutes or so)

2. When your peaches are cooled, put your chopped, frozen bananas into your processor.  The bananas will become creamy after awhile- they will get to the consistency of pudding/custard.  

3.  When the bananas get to the creamy stage, add your salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nut butter (if you are using that) and your peaches.  Serve it up immediately.

Tupelo Honey Cafe; Buttermilk Biscuits

I would like to take a moment to brag about my friend Zok-

He was raised mostly on Macedonian food (we plan to feature some recipes here, as soon as we find the time) in Australia.

Later he moved to Sweden where cuisine is pretty much restrained by the type of produce that can be imported.  When we are in Tasmania we are as the Australians would say 'spoiled for choice' - the produce we grow at home is so good, really a person could be happy just eating it all raw.

Zok enjoys cooking and I have gone out of my way to try and introduce new types of cooking-as we seem to spend ages cooking, eating, and cleaning up.  Of course- the best of times is when people come over to eat with us.

My point here, really is that Zok does an amazing job making foods that are completely foreign to him, like these biscuits.

How foreign are these biscuits to Australia? Well, let me tell you Australia has the 'KFC' chain but they don't serve biscuits.  Perhaps this is good, as I think it would be sad if one's only reference was the fast food/chain version of these.

Don't get discouraged if it takes a few tries to get these 'consistently' perfect- they have a careful balance, like a good pie crust- it takes time to learn.

That said, Zok's first try was almost perfect.

If you get to Asheville  (cue song) do not miss going to the Tupelo Honey Cafe, where they in true American fashion, give you free, warm, biscuits as you peruse your menu. 

"...when you get to Asheville...send me an email..."

Here is the recipe. It rocks.

2 cups self rising flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup of chilled shortening, cut into pieces (in Europe/AU shortening comes chilled and we tend to grate it) but if you are using crisco- then you should chill it.

1/2 cup heavy cream (this is not a diet food)

1 cup buttermilk

Melted butter (go the 'whole hog' and melt that butter!)

Preheat the oven to 425 f./ 220 c

Position an oven rack slightly below the center of the oven.  Lightly butter a round cake pan or cast-iron skillet

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt.

If you don't want to grate your shortening what is recommended is "snap the pieces of shortening with your fingers until the shortening pieces are no larger than peas.

Make a well in the mixture and pour in the cream and 2/3 cup of your buttermilk

Using your hands or a rubber spatula, sweep in the flour and turn the dough until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough resembles cottage cheese. If it isn't keep adding in the remaining 1/3 cup of buttermilk until you reach this consistency.

Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour.  Turn the dough out onto the surface and then sprinkle the dough with flour as well.

Flour your hands and then fold the dough in half and pat the dough into a width of about 1/3-1/2 inch thickness

Fold again and pat the dough to achieve a 1 inch. thickness

(Use sprinkling of flour as needed- so if you don't get the width the first time, start again, but use the sprinkling of flour all over again)

When you have your 1 inch thickness

Dip a 2-inch round (5 centimeters) biscuit/cookie cutter in your dough, (do not twist your cutter, straight down and up)

Place your biscuits in your pan sides touching.

Brush the tops with melted butter and then bake for 15-20 minutes , until a light golden brown.

This might be best achieved if you rotate your pan after 6-8 minutes

Remove from oven when golden brown and brush once more with melted butter

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe; Apple Salsa (to go with the Rootbeer-Molasses Ribs) Zok's version

Zok left out the 'poblano pepper', and also used regular honey, as we are very far from Tupelo trees...but if you are in North America you should try and find Tupelo honey, it's almost as good as Blue Gum.

 

2 Granny Smith apples, diced

(or other tart apple equivalent)

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 white onion (recipe recommends 'vidalia' if you can get them)

2 tablespoons honey of your choice

pinch of salt and pepper

Fresh chopped basil a few leaves

(fresh parsley would also work)

This can be made and served up directly, or it should keep up to 2 days in an airtight refrigerated container if you want to make it ahead of time.

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Gala Apple Cashew Cobbler (gluten free optional)

Gala Apple Cashew Cobbler

*I think this is a great dessert if you find pie too daunting, it's really easy and quick. I am writing out a recipe for 8 - 12 people we cut it in half but this would be an easy large dish to bring to a party.

Filling:
3 pounds/ 1.4 kilos of Gala apples, peeled and sliced
3 tbl. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c./160 mil firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

Topping:
1 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (we used gluten free and as this is crumble topping, you could not taste any difference)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp. almond extract (we didn't have this so we left it out)

Preheat the oven to 350f/175c. Butter a baking dish
To make the filling, toss the apples with the lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Add the spice mixture to the apples and toss until all the fruit is coated.  
Spread the apple mixture in the prepared baking dish.

 To make the topping, place the cashews and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse 6-8 times to coarsely chop the cashews.  Add the flour and salt, plus 4 more times.
Add the butter, shortening, and alond extract and pulse 4-5 times to blend.
Crumble the nut mixture over the apples and bake for 55 minutes, or until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned.
Let cool slightly before serving.
(Zok made a little less so 40 minutes was as much as it needed)

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Root Beer and Molasses-Braised Beef (or Pork) Short Ribs

The recommended potatoes to go with this dish are 'pineapple mashed sweet potatoes' but we haven't done these yet, so we have been serving them with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.  Zok roasts the garlic in a small terracotta roaster in the oven, he also uses a bit of butter and milk.

This recipe also called for smoked Jalapeño sauce which Zok did not make 

6 (3 inch long or about 8 cm) beef (we used pork) short ribs

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 (12 ounce or 360 milliliters) cans/bottles of Root Beer (if you are downunder Zok says Woolys has it)

3/4 cup sorghum molasses (Sorghum means molasses from sugar cane, there are a few different types- it is also stocked near the treacle in Australia and perhaps treacle could be a substitute but we haven't tried that yet)

 4 1/2 cups Apple Salsa (recipe on blog)

Zok uses both a cast iron skillet and a dutch oven and of course he loves to cook, so he also loves to buy decent tools for the kitchen- if you have a 'catering' store in your area, they usually also sell to the public, and the prices are usually really good-

This is our local one in Hobart: http://medhurstkitchenequipment.com.au/

Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F/165C

Sprinkle the short ribs evenly with the salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Carefully add the oil to the hot pan and heat until hot, but no smoking.

The oil should be just shimmering in the pan.  Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes.  

If you are using a Dutch oven, fill it with the browned ribs piled on top of one another.  

If you are using a skillet, arrange the browned ribs in a deep skillet just large enough to held them.  

Combine the root beer and molasses in a large saucepan and bring to a boil- then pour this liquid over your ribs, coating them thoroughly.

If using a dutch oven, place your cover on top, if you are using a roasting pan cover it tightly with aluminum foil.  Roast your meat for 1.5 to 2.5 hours (Zok says his always takes a bit over 2 hours, but check it at 1.5 -the meat should be so tender it falls from the bone with little prying).

Zok dished up everyone's dish- as recommended in the book-

So put a portion of your potatoes on the plate, lay on the short ribs, bone side down, on top of the potatoes.  Then garnish with the Apple Salsa.

Serve immediately.

ribs uncut

This is the type of skillet Zok uses

 Here are the pieces layered into the dutch oven

Finally here they are coated and ready to be put into the oven