I feel like a new woman! I submitted my manuscript last Thursday and it feel so good to make it to this milestone! Work on the cookbook doesn’t just stop now though. There are still a few rounds of edits, a few photos to reshoot, cover design, and everything else in between. I forced myself to take a long weekend “off” to just relax and not touch my computer. By Sunday I had an itch to retest almond cookies for the 23978375092840934th time… but resisted and baked gluten-free cornbread to go with our stew for dinner.

I slept so peacefully over the weekend, for what felt like the first time in months. It seems like each day there’s just something new to be anxious about and I just needed a break to not think about how the world is spiraling out of control. I’m feeling the anxiety starting to creep in a little now that it’s Monday and I still have so much to do, but what’s nice is that work is less cookbook focused. I have a whole line up of new recipes ready to be shared on the blog and dreamed up all the recipes I’m excited to make for the holidays! Not that I didn’t love working on recipes for the cookbook, but it’s nice to have a break from buns and pastries you know?

Okay, I know I literally just said that it’s nice to have a break from buns… but at least I didn’t have to bake these buns myself! Ever since professional sports, mainly football, started back up again Reuben has been so fired up on Sundays (or whenever the Eagles play). Before the world was on fire, we would go out to a sports bar (miss you, Richmond Republic!) with really good food to watch the game. Enduring sports with a platter of chicken wings or a juicy cheeseburger makes the whole experience much more enjoyable for me. Even if we were just watching from home, we still tried to order in our favorite take-out or delivery. Game day/night should feel special. At least once in while, you know?

Now that we don’t go out anywhere and we try to limit our take-out orders to just Friday, I wanted to make sure game day felt somewhat exciting for Reuben, at least on the food front. I don’t know much about sports… but I do know that when I have to watch sports something meaty and handheld sounds good. And when we’re not experiencing a crazy California heatwave, braised and stewed meats sounds especially good.

Have you ever braised ANYTHING in coconut milk before??! It’s so luxurious and flavorful. I wish I had a direct tap of full-fat coconut milk in our house… but for now I just stock out pantry with as many cans of coconut milk as I can. I love to braise leafy greens like kale, collards, and chard in coconut milk to give them a little more heft and richness. My love of braising meat in coconut milk comes from my love of Beef Rendang, an Indonesian dish of braised beef short ribs with lemongrass, cardamon, and other earthy spices. This recipe is a very simplified version of beef rendang but still delivers on flavor! It’s wonderful sandwiched between fluffy St. Pierre Brioche Slider Buns, they are just perfect for soaking up all the fatty braising liquid. Since it’s just the two of us, we ended up eating the leftover short rib (they keep so well and end up tasting even better!) the next day with rice and pickled vegetables. So if your quarantine pod is small like ours, you can make sliders for a game on Sunday, enjoy leftovers for Monday night football, and maybe even Thursday night football (?)! So much sports!

Coconut milk braised short rib sliders

makes 8

Materials:

2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 1/2 - 3 lb bone-in beef short ribs
2 tbsp canola or other neutral-flavored oil
2 inches of ginger, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Fish sauce
1 13.5oz can of full-fat coconut milk

8 St. Pierre Brioche Slider Buns

Pickled carrot or daikon, for serving
Cilantro, for serving

steps:

1. Season the short ribs with salt and white pepper, covering all sides, and place on a plate or cutting board. Allow the meat to get up to room temperature, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. In a large heavy-bottom braiser or pot with a fitted lid, heat oil over medium-high. Add the meat and sear on all sides until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion. Stir occasionally and continue to cook the aromatics until lightly browned around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat for a simmer. Cover with a lid and continue to cook until the meat is very tender, 70 to 90 minutes. 

3. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and either cut the meat into small pieces (1/2” or smaller) or shred with a pair of forks. Place meat in a medium bowl and mix with 1 cup of braising liquid.

4. Toast the slider buns and top with braised short ribs, pickled daikon, and some cilantro. Serve immediately. 

thanks, St. Pierre Bakery, for sponsoring this post!