Chocolate braised short ribs, truffled mashed potatoes, and sauted fennel, peach and squash: 

I brought some pure chocolate from Cuenca, Ecuador. I was looking for a good product to pair it with until I saw some excellent short ribs at my farmers market. This made a very balanced, rustic plate. The presentation could use some work but the combination of tastes is fantastic. 

The ribs were prepared with ancho chilies and Ecuadorean chocolate. The mash and the chocolate taste had to be balanced with some acidity. The peaches were sauted only lightly — retaining their acidity but still cooking through. To add additional brightness I seasoned the vegetables with sumac and squeezed some lemon juice after I turned off the heat. 

Faux pho:  I’ve had pho only a half dozen times — I haven’t read anything about the broth yet either. The only thing I know about pho comes from my limited exposure in Harrisburg, PA (and once in Chinatown in NYC) and Bourdain’s trip to Vietnam. This is my attempt at winging it.  A broth is absolutely necessary but I understand that it wasn’t a stock in the French sense of the word — no mirepoix maybe no caramelization either.  I bought some short ribs, boiled them without anything and refridgerated the liquid overnight. strained the liquid and boiled again. This time I threw in a whole dried ancho pepper. I also boiled some raw shrimp. Maybe this step is extraneous but I added the shrimp broth to the liquid as well. Then I seasoned my broth. So far so good.  I worked with rice vermicelli before — I know it takes a little while to cook even in boiling water and I don’t like to cook it in direct heat. So, I soaked it in warm water as I was getting the rest of my ingredients ready.  I picked my mint and basil; peeled and deveined my Ecuadorean shrimp; and chopped my lime and grabbed my Sriracha; lats but not least, I sliced my beef and seasoned it very lightly.  The vermicelli was soft at this point but certainly not ready to eat. I picked it out, strained it and put it in my serving bowl. I poured my broth on top. I made a little mountain with the rice noodles in the middle. I cracked an egg, separated the yolk and put it on top of the mountain.  The rest is just assembly — garnish to taste. Yummy!  High-res

Faux pho: 

I’ve had pho only a half dozen times — I haven’t read anything about the broth yet either. The only thing I know about pho comes from my limited exposure in Harrisburg, PA (and once in Chinatown in NYC) and Bourdain’s trip to Vietnam. This is my attempt at winging it. 

A broth is absolutely necessary but I understand that it wasn’t a stock in the French sense of the word — no mirepoix maybe no caramelization either. 

I bought some short ribs, boiled them without anything and refridgerated the liquid overnight. strained the liquid and boiled again. This time I threw in a whole dried ancho pepper. I also boiled some raw shrimp. Maybe this step is extraneous but I added the shrimp broth to the liquid as well. Then I seasoned my broth. So far so good. 

I worked with rice vermicelli before — I know it takes a little while to cook even in boiling water and I don’t like to cook it in direct heat. So, I soaked it in warm water as I was getting the rest of my ingredients ready. 

I picked my mint and basil; peeled and deveined my Ecuadorean shrimp; and chopped my lime and grabbed my Sriracha; lats but not least, I sliced my beef and seasoned it very lightly. 

The vermicelli was soft at this point but certainly not ready to eat. I picked it out, strained it and put it in my serving bowl. I poured my broth on top. I made a little mountain with the rice noodles in the middle. I cracked an egg, separated the yolk and put it on top of the mountain. 

The rest is just assembly — garnish to taste. Yummy!