Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs

Winter Spiced-Port Braised Beef Short Ribs
This dish is better when it is made ahead of time, up to 3 days; this
allows the flavours to marry and it also allows you to let the fat solidify for easy removal.
Allowing it to sit makes it taste even better.

Yield 6

Ingredients
• 6 lb bone in beef short ribs
• 1 bottle Port (I use an inexpensive Australian port-style wine called Emu)
• 1 cup veal stock or brown chicken stock
• 2 onions, skins removed and quartered
• A combination of whole cloves, a cinnamon stick and whole star anise) tied in a cheese
cloth bundle
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Caramelized onions and bacon to garnish

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 275°F.
2. Liberally season the shortribs with salt; sear over medium-high heat until caramelized.
Transfer to braising dish. Sear the ribs in batches if necessary. Lay a piece of
cheesecloth over the top of the ribs.
3. Sear all sides of the onions in the same pan you seared the ribs in; turn the heat off.
Place the onions on the layer of cheesecloth.
4. Deglaze the pan with the veal stock; add the port and warm the liquid. Pour the liquid
over the ribs. Add the bouquet of spices.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 4-6 hours or until the meat falls off the bone.
6. Remove from the oven and let the mixture cool. Strain the liquid and place in a pot,
reduce by half.
7. To serve: Place pieces of the rib in a bowl and ladle with sauce. Garnish with
caramelized onions and bacon.

Finally! We can talk about it!

Big changes for Tria in 2012 ...

It's been a hectic and busy few months for us here at Tria and we're ready to announce some changes we've made.

Tria is taking over a Comox Valley catering icon ...

Tria has recently purchased long-time Comox Valley catering company, Country Catering, owned by the indefatigable Lorna Bridge. Lorna's company, Country Catering has been in operation for 30 years and many Comox Valley-ites have been fed by Lorna at various events. Country Catering is known for its fabulous high-quality, bountiful food and tremendous presence on the catering scene. Tria's official take over of Country Catering is April 1, 2012 and Country Catering will officially become Tria: Fine Catering and Gourmet Eats. Tria's new production kitchen will be at 1279 5th Street. Our retails sales for our take home dinner line will now be at Mudsharks Coffee Bar (see the news below).

Tria's chef and owner, Kathy Jerritt and Tria's dynamic team are so excited to continue Country Catering's legacy of excellent food and personal service, combining Tria's philosophy of supporting local growers and producers to create the finest food and extraordinary experience.

Tria: Fine Catering and Gourmet Eats now offers full service catering for large groups and small. Please go to our catering page for more information on our catering services, including weddings, anniversaries, corporate events and more.

Tria and Mudsharks Coffee Bar in downtown Courtenay are teaming up to offer Tria's gourmet take home dinners ...

More exciting news! Tria's take home dinner line will be available at Mudshark's, on the corner of 4th Street and Cliffe in downtown Courtenay. Tria's take home dinners will be available at the end of March. If you would like to receive a weekly menu featuring our dinners, please email kathy@triaculinarystudio.ca and we'll add you to the e-mail list.

Thank you to all of our customers who supported us in our short time at the Butcher's Block, we look forward to seeing you soon!

Big growth means big change for us ...

As many of our customers know, Tria's take home dinner line at the Butcher's Block has exploded over the last 3 months. This growth has been amazing, but of course it has brought with it some problems with space!

We have outgrown our space at the Butcher's Block and our production kitchen space at Nature's Way Farm, which means .... we're moving! Many of you know that we've been scouring the valley for the past 3 months looking for a larger space and we're so close to finalizing the details of our new location. We'll let all of our valuable and loyal customers know as soon as the paperwork is signed!

Next week is Tria's last operating week at the Butcher's Block, we'll close the lunch counter on January 6. Tria typically shuts down for January and February each year and this year will be no different, we'll be doing a few catering jobs in January and February and then we'll start back in earnest in March from our new location.

In addition to the growth of our take home line, we have seen tremendous growth in our catering division. In 2012, in addition to continuing with the very successful Take Home Dinner Line, the Farmer's Market and the Full Moon Feasts and other events, Tria will focus on growing their Fine Catering Services. We are so looking forward to working and hosting in such venues as Coastal Trek Resort, Filberg Lodge and the beautiful Deep Bay Marine Field Station in 2012.

We would like to take this time to thank our amazing customers, you've been the catalyst for this change and we can't thank you enough for your support. We look forward to serving you in 2012! And finally, to Greg Wilson and the amazing staff at the Butcher's Block and to George and Marla of Blue Moon Winery/Nature's Way Farm for their support and understanding during this amazing growth period.

For anyone who has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at kathy@triaculinarystudio.ca or at 871-8716, I am happy to answer any questions.

http://www.viu.ca/deepbay/
http://www.coastaltrekresort.com/
http://www.filberg.com/

Patience is a virtue I may not have ...

Tria is going through some fabulous changes right now, I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone's patience, support and well-wishes.
We're so close to finalizing all the details of our move and new location, I can't wait to talk about it. It's incredibly difficult to get legal, financial and all other details sorted out at Christmas time! I have a sinking feeling that it may have to wait until the New Year. No one seems to be answering their phone!
This is a test of patience that I may be failing ...
We will be open at the Butcher's Block until January 6. After that, we'll be packing and moving but the office will still be open and I'll be taking calls, inquiries and bookings for 2012.
Thank you for your continued interest and support. Once we're ready and all the details of our new location and direction are sorted , I'll yell it from the rooftops ...

Tria is moving

It is what all businesses dream of … growth and success.
Thanks to Tria's amazing customers, we have experienced unexpected growth in a very short period of time. Unfortunately, with this rapid growth, we have out grown our production kitchen space at Blue Moon Winery/Nature's Way Farm and at The Butcher's Block. We have been on the hunt for a location that will allow us to do everything under one roof – and we are close to finalizing the details of our new location. We will make the announcement here on the website as well as on our Facebook page and in the local newspaper.

Our lunch counter at the Butcher's Block will close on Friday, January 6 but don’t worry, once we re-open we’ll be offering our new Take Home Dinner Line, we won’t leave all you hungry folks in a lurch!

Tria’s cooking classes are temporarily on hold and Tria's Full Moon Feast dates and location will be announced in January.

In 2012, in addition to continuing with the very successful Take Home Dinner Line, the Farmer’s Market, and the Full Moon Feasts, Tria will focus on growing their Fine Catering Services. We have a number of catering events booked for 2012; please be assured, this temporary closure will not affect our existing bookings in any way. Tria is also looking forward to hosting more events at the beautiful Deep Bay Marine Field Station http://www.viu.ca/deepbay/ in 2012.

Tria owner, Kathy Jerritt and Tria's amazing team would like to take this opportunity to thank George and Marla of Blue Moon Winery/Nature's Way Farm and Greg Wilson of the Butcher's Block for their unwavering support of Tria during this incredible growth period. We will continue to work together in the future and we look forward to seeing our fabulous customers at the crepe stand and at other community and catered events.

The importance of stock

High quality ingredients and a proper stock are the foundation for so many delicious dishes. This is a classic example of the simplicity of a great Italian recipe: fresh tomatoes and stock make up the bulk of the dish.

Chickpea Soup

(Zuppa di Ceci)

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

6 whole garlic cloves, peeled

100 ml extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, wrapped in cheesecloth

375 ml (1 ½ cups) fresh tomatoes (approximately 3 medium tomatoes), cut into pieces

250 ml (1 cup) cooked chickpeas, seasoned with salt and pepper and olive oil

375 ml (1 ½ cups) homemade chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parmesan cheese (lots!)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and whole garlic cloves. Cook the garlic until it becomes a light golden colour (don’t let it burn or it will impart a bitter flavour). Turn the garlic cloves over and repeat. Remove the garlic cloves from the oil.

2. Add the rosemary and tomatoes to the pan. Let the tomatoes and rosemary simmer for about 20 minutes. The mixture should appear slightly dry with the oil sitting on top of the tomatoes. At this point, remove the rosemary bundle. Using a hand blender, blend the tomato mixture to break up the tomato chunks.

3. Put the rosemary bundle back in the tomato mixture. Add the chickpeas and chicken broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Adjust the seasoning.

5. To serve: Place a ladle full of soup into 4 bowls. Grate a generous helping of parmadammer cheese on the top.

What do you do with duck confit?

So what's all the fuss about duck confit (and duck fat for that matter)? Well, if you've ever had duck confit, you know the answer to that question, but for those of you who haven't tried it, it's something pretty special. Here's a description of confit and a recipe to follow.

What is it?

Duck confit is a French dish made with the leg of the duck. The word 'confit' literally means 'preserve' and is a centuries-old process of preservation that consists of salt curing a piece of meat (generally goose, duck, or pork) and then poaching it in its own fat.

To prepare a confit, the meat is rubbed with salt, garlic, and sometimes herbs such as thyme, then covered and refrigerated for up to 36 hours. Prior to cooking, the spices are rinsed from the meat, which is then patted dry. The meat is placed in a cooking dish deep enough to contain the meat and the rendered fat, and placed in an oven at a low temperature. The meat is cooked until meltingly tender (generally four to ten hours).

What you end up with is two-fold; an amazingly tender piece of meat and a well seasoned fat. Serve your confit with salad, as a side with beans (as in the classic cassoulet), as a stuffing for pasta (or served with pasta), a filling for spring rolls - the possibilities are endless. Plus, you have a well seasoned fat that is excellent for roasting potatoes, braising cabbage or frying eggs in. Now before you gasp in fear at frying an egg in duck fat you should know, it's lower in cholesterol than butter!

We have duck confit available at Tria: Gourmet Eats to Go, downtown at the Butcher's Block, 319-4th Street, Courtenay.

Here's a simple recipe for a lovely salad featuring duck confit. You can find local pears right now in the Comox Valley and Little Qualicum's Bleu Claire cheese is amazing with this salad.

Duck Confit with Pears and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon shallot, finely chopped
• 1 duck confit leg
• 1 Anjou or Bartlett pear
• mixed greens
• 1-2 ounces Roquefort or other blue cheese
• salt and pepper.

Method:

• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the duck leg and cook until well browned on all sides. Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to touch shred the meat into bite size pieces.
• Combine the vinegar, shallot, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in the oil.
• Halve the pear, remove the core, and slice thinly.
• Toss the greens, duck, pear, and dressing into a large bowl. Stir until combined and then sprinkle on the Roquefort cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Tria: Gourmet Eat to Go is located at 319-4th Street, Courtenay (inside The Butcher's Block). Our hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Our menus are growing and changing, keep checking back for updates or drop us an e-mail if you'd like to be added to our newsletter

Lunch Menu

You can grill any of the following sandwiches. Please note: it takes approximately 6-8 minutes for grilling. We happily take phone in orders.

THE DELISH - Fiesta Greenhouse roasted and house-smoked peppers, red onion jam, Pattison Farm’s basil pesto and goat cheese cream on our house baked focaccia
7.50 + TAX

MUFFULETTA – Butcher’s Block in-house smoked ham, a mixed olive salad, Natural Pasture’s boerenkaas cheese on our house-baked focaccia
7.50 + TAX

THE ROCKIN’ MOROCCAN – oven roasted chicken, roughly chopped and mixed with our blend of toasted Moroccan inspired spices, feta cheese, Nature’s Way Farm arugula pesto and charred green onion on our house baked focaccia
7.85 + TAX

DOUBLE MEAT LOVE – Loads of our own roast beef AND the Butcher’s Block in-house smoked ham, caramelized onions, cheese, roasted garlic spread, mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers
8.25 + TAX

THE CLUCKIN GOOD TIME! – 4 oz of our house brined and roasted chicken, layered with our house-smoked ham and slathered with aged white cheddar, served on our house baked ciaguette bread with a brown butter-mustard dressing. Broiled to perfection until hot and gooey! Only served from noon-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
9.25 + tax

THE VEGGIE – Simple and lovely! Lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, mixed greens, cheese, our roasted garlic spread and sundried tomato pesto (veggies change with the seasons)
6.50 + TAX

Daily Soup
8 oz – 3.75 + tax
12 oz – 5.25 + tax

Side Salads
8 oz – 3.50 + tax
12 oz – 5 + tax

Tria's Take Home Dinner Choices and Sides

This is a new and growing component to Tria so keep checking back for our ever-growing and expanding take home dinner options. Our take home dinner menu will change with the seasons but you'll always find the following in our display case:

Deluxe Shepherd's Pie - We start with a chuck roast that we sear until golden, add onions and carrots and cook until they are caramelized and heavenly and then we add red wine and our house made chicken stock and cook for 4-5 hours until we have a decadent beef ragu base. We top this ragu base with our outrageously creamy and lightly truffled mash potato. Not your regular Shepherd's Pie!

Decadent Mac N' Cheese - Five different cheeses make this mac n' cheese something to behold! Topped with panko crumbs that have been toasted in brown butter and mixed with parmesan cheese.

Smoky Maple Baked Beans - White beans that we've smoked and then cooked for several hours with a mixture of onions, maple syrup and slow roasted tomatoes. Grab some Kassler loin or some pork ribs from the Butcher's Block and you've got dinner!

Twice Baked Potatoes - Excellent with a side salad and a steak. We take B.C. potatoes, bake them, scoop them, and combine with a mixture of smoked boerenkaas cheese and roasted garlic and then top them with smoked paprika. Smooth, creamy and delicious.