Chef’s Recipe | Braised Alberta Beef Short Ribs – Rocky Moutaineer

The meals enjoyed onboard Rocky Mountaineer are inspired by Western Canada’s diverse culinary landscape, our rich tapestry of cultures, and the bountiful regions we travel through. See below for a recipe of one of our most popular dishes, braised Alberta beef short ribs simmered in Okanagan Valley Merlot and served with horseradish mashed potatoes. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

Braised Short Ribs

  • 1 bottle Okanagan Valley Merlot
  • 30 ml / 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 900 g / 2 lb short ribs, trimmed
  • to taste sea salt
  • 7 g / 1½ tsp black peppercorns, crushed
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 8 shallots, large, trimmed & split
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 6 sprigs Italian parsley
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 30 g / 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 litres / 8 cups beef or chicken stock, unsalted
  • to taste white pepper, ground
  • 3 pcs pappadum

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

  • 1.4 kg / 3 lb yellow flesh potatoes, cut
  • 3 litres / 12 cups salted water
  • 120 ml / ½ cup 33% heavy cream
  • 60 ml / ¼ cup milk to taste horseradish
  • 60 g / ¼ cup butter to taste pepper, ground
  • to taste sea salt

Preparation

Braised Short Ribs
Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is heated, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils. Allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat to 175°C / 350°F. Place the pappadum on the oven rack and bake until bubbles start to appear on the surface and the pappadum starts to brown (approximately 5 minutes). Immediately remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large casserole dish big enough to hold 6 ribs. Season the ribs all over with salt and crushed pepper. When the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well browned. Transfer the browned ribs to a plate.

Remove all but 14 ml / 1 Tbsp of fat from the pot. Chop the carrots, celery and leek into 3 cm / 1 inch pieces. Lower the heat to medium, and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly for 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend. Deglaze with the reduced red wine and add browned ribs and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot tightly and slide it into the oven to braise for about 2½ hours, or until the ribs are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard whatever fat may have bubbled up to the surface.

Carefully transfer the meat to a heated serving platter with a lip and keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it thickens and reduces to approximately 1 litre / 4 cups. Season with salt and pepper and pass through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids, and set aside the sauce.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add in the washed, peeled and cut potatoes and cook until very soft (35 to 55 minutes) at a medium boil. Drain all water and mash potatoes. Add in the cream and milk. Check seasoning (salt and pepper), and add horseradish to taste. Finish off with fresh butter.

Chefs Recipe | Baked Alaska – Cunard Cruise Lines

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Afternoon tea with an Alaska twist. Both sweet and savory options incorporating Alaska’s best recipes and dishes will be offered and paired with Alaska iced tea, champagne and, of course, tea along with the famous baked Alaska!

May this gem of a dessert bring you back to wonderful memories of your Cunard cruise to Alaska or bring you to book your Alaska cruise today!

Ingredients

For sponge cake:

  • 150 grams Cake Flour
  • 6 small eggs
  • 150 grams Superfine/Castor sugar
  • 300 ML Chocolate Ice Cream
  • 300 ML Vanilla Ice Cream
  • 300 ML Strawberry Ice Cream
  • 1 jar Maraschino cherries

For Meringue:

  • 130 grams Superfine/Castor sugar
  • 3 Egg whites only
  • 30 grams Glucose Liquid

Preparation

Sponge Cake:

  1. Set oven at 180C/350F
  2. Brush a rectangular pan with melted butter. Line with parchment paper and brush again with butter. Reserve.
  3. Using a mixer with whip attachment, whisk the eggs one at a time (incorporating each completely before adding the next one) and sugar until big and pale.
  4. Fold in the sifted flour and mix carefully. Mix until well blended.
  5. Spread the sponge mix in the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 8 minutes or until golden and inserting a toothpick in the center and comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes, then, remove cake from the pan and allow to cool on the rack.
  6. Once cool, place metal 1 ½-2” rings over the sponge cake and cut out circles.
  7. Top with a small scoop of each ice cream or a large scoop of one for each cake, – up to you – smooth into a mound and top with a cherry.
  8. Freeze until solid.

Meringue:

  1. Preheat the oven to broil and place an oven rack 8” from the top.
  2. With the whip attachment on medium speed, whisk a small quantity of sugar, a tablespoon at a time, with the egg whites until they become soft peaks.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the sugar and liquid glucose with a little water to prevent burning. Take it to 118C/245F
  4. Pour the syrup slowly over the whisking whites and then continue whisking until cold and thick.
  5. Place meringue in pastry bag with large tip and pipe quickly over the frozen sponge cake and ice cream, covering everything.
  6. Place on a baking tray and bake under broil until golden about 2-6 min. Serve immediately.

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