Made in AmericaA Modern Collection of Classic Recipes

Colby and Megan Garrelts are the chef-owners of Bluestem (Kansas City, MO) and Rye (Leawood, KS) restaurants. They met in Chicago at Tru where they worked under chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand. Following work in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, they returned to Kansas City and opened their first restaurant, bluestem, in 2004. Colby is a 2013 James Beard Foundation winner, Best Chef: Midwest and 2005 Food & Wine magazine Top 10 Best New Chef. Megan is a James Beard semifinalist for Best Pastry Chef. They opened Rye restaurant in 2012, which celebrates regional Midwestern cooking. The Garrelts live in Leawood, Kansas with their children, Madilyn and Colin.

Spicy Tomato and Burnt-Ends Hash with Fried Eggs

Panfried BBQ Pork Chops with Tomato-Horseradish Sauce

Peach Buckle

 

Spicy Tomato and Burnt-Ends Hash with Fried Eggs

Serves 6

This is an egg dish we came up with as a special at Bluestem some years ago. We had a ton of preserved tomatoes that we needed to use up, but that sounded a little boring . . . until we grabbed some burnt ends from our brisket. Now this has become one of the most iconic brunch dishes we offer: It’s smoky, spicy, and very satisfying. ★C.G.

SAUCE

3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes, with juice (see Note)

5 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Hot Sauce (page 28) or store-bought

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

HASH

7 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups sliced fingerling potatoes or other waxy potato variety, such as Yukon gold

2 red bell peppers, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 large yellow onion, sliced ¹∕8 inch thick

2 cups cubed Smoked Brisket burnt ends (page 81) or hearty sausage

 

EGGS

4 teaspoons canola oil

6 large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 teaspoons unsalted butter

Minced chives, for garnish

To make the sauce, place the tomatoes, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and horseradish in a food processer and pulse until the mixture is well chopped but not puréed. Set aside.

To make the hash, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown; set aside. Using the same sauté pan, heat 3 more tablespoons of the canola oil over medium heat.

Add the bell peppers and onion to the hot oil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are caramelized. Transfer the caramelized vegetables to a medium bowl and reserve.

Using the same sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Add the brisket burnt ends to the oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the burnt ends. Return the fried potatoes and caramelized peppers and onions to the sauté pan and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce and stir together to evenly coat the burnt ends and vegetables. Keep warm over low heat while making the eggs.

To make the fried eggs, heat the oil in a 10 to 12-inch skillet over low heat. Crack 2 of the eggs into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high and add the butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted, add the 2 eggs and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook the eggs for 20 to 30 seconds, until the egg whites are opaque; remove from the pan and reserve on a warm plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

To serve, divide the hash among 6 plates and place an egg on top of each. Garnish with minced chives.

Note: If you put up your own tomatoes, feel free to use those in place of the canned tomatoes.

 

Panfried BBQ Pork Chops with Tomato-Horseradish Sauce

 Serves 4

Pork chops are the go-to dish in the Midwest for an easy, inexpensive, and satisfying meal. My mom often cooked pork chops with apples and sauerkraut in the fall and with preserved tomatoes and rice in the late winter. School nights and hectic evenings slowed down around the table, where my family recounted the day’s activities. My dad checked on homework assignments, and my twerpy older brother took a break from annoying me so we could all enjoy mom’s cooking. Now my mom’s pork chop recipe, updated through Colby’s Kansas barbecue roots and paired with Dutch Oven–Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar and Carrot Top Crumble, creates new memories for our kids at the dinner table. Note that the sauce needs to be refrigerated overnight in order to bring all the flavors together.

TOMATO-HORSERADISH SAUCE

2 (14-ounce) jars home-preserved tomatoes or good-quality canned, chopped tomatoes

1 cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup prepared white horseradish

¼ cup honey

4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

2 fresh bay leaves

 

PORK CHOPS

4 (6-ounce) pork loin chops

¼ cup BBQ Dry Rub (page 30)

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 small shallots, sliced

8 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bunches thyme

For the sauce, place the tomatoes, vinegar, horseradish, honey, garlic, and bay leaves in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, then refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before continuing with the rest of the recipe.

For the pork chops, generously rub the chops with the dry rub. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork chops and brown on each side, about 4 minutes total. Add the butter, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook, basting the pork chops frequently with the warmed tomato sauce, until the internal temperature hits 140ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve with the extra sauce alongside.

 

Peach Buckle

Serves 6 to 8

The buckle—a relative of the brown Betty and the cobbler is an old-fashioned single layer cake with fruit woven throughout and a crunchy nut or streusel topping. The cake batter “buckles” around the fruit as it bakes, giving this dessert its vintage name. This simple cake is a perfect excuse to use fresh or preserved summer fruit. This recipe calls for peaches; however, nectarines, blueberries, or sour cherries would also work wonderfully in this brandy-perfumed cake. I love serving this cake warm from the oven with only a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, but fresh whipped cream or ice cream would of course be delicious additions. Serve this at a summer barbecue—or for breakfast!

1½ cups cake flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs

5 large egg yolks

1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons peach juice (or orange juice)

2 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 pound peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces (3 cups)

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ cup sliced almonds

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter four 6-inch cast-iron skillets or one 8 by

12-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour and baking powder. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the sifted flour mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, the 1½ cups granulated sugar, peach juice, brandy, and vanilla. Add the dry flour mixture in three additions to the wet egg mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the melted butter to the cake batter. Fold in the peaches. Spread the batter into the prepared skillets or baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cardamom, and almonds. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the cake batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the topping is golden, about 30 minutes for the 6-inch skillets or 50 minutes for the large baking pan. Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

From Made in America: A Modern Collection of Classic Recipes by Colby and Megan Garrelts, Andrews McMeel Publishing 2015