So about a month or so back, we told you about Kitchen Creole – seven delicious spices created by Chef Jim McManus and his wife Christy over in Coral Bay. The cool thing about Kitchen Creole’s spices is that they were made for people who aren’t the best cooks in the kitchen – you know the type of people that just need a little extra help … basically people like me.
(Full disclaimer: I am by no means a cook, nor do I pretend to me. I happily admit that Mr. News of St. John does the majority of cooking in our home and a HUGE thank you to him for that. So because of my admitted ineptitude in the kitchen, Chef Jim said I was the perfect candidate to try out some of his recipes. Naturally, I obliged.)
I was pretty excited to try out Kitchen Creole’s Bourdeaux Mtn Pot Roast. Chef Jim said it could be made in either a Crock Pot slow cooker or a Dutch over. I chose the Crock Pot route. Here are a few notes that Jim sent to me to get me prepared:
“This is a great one pot meal,” Jim said. “You can use a bottom round roast or other cuts of meat like Beef Brisket or even Flank Steak. If you make it a day, ahead it will be even better.”
Here are the ingredients:
4 pound beef bottom round roast, beef brisket or flank steak
2 tablespoons Bordeaux Mtn Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped carrot (2)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 cup chopped yellow onions (1)
1 cup chopped fresh fennel (1 small bulb)
3 large cloves garlic minced
2 strips of bacon chopped
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup dry sherry, Marsala or cognac
14.5 can chicken stock
14.5 can stewed tomatoes
1 pound red or potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and black pepper
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
A little red wine for the pot roast and a little red wine for me…
And here are the directions:
1. Season the roast with 1 tablespoon Bordeaux Mtn seasoning and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F if using a Dutch oven.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and sear the roast on all sides and transfer to a slow cooker or Dutch oven.
4. Add the remaining ingredients plus 1 tablespoon of Bordeaux Mtn, except the potatoes and mushrooms and cook for 5 hours.
5. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for another hour until the internal temperature reads 170 and the beef is fork tender.
6. Remove roast and allow to cool meanwhile add the mushrooms and cook for 15- 20 minutes
7. Season with salt and black pepper
8. Serve with warm French bread
And voila! Delish!
I have to say, it was absolutely incredible! I highly recommend this recipe, especially for those of you in the States looking for some comfort food this Fall.
Ready to try some of Kitchen Creole’s spices and recipes at home? You can taste and/or purchase them at Shipwreck Landing, Full Moon Café, Keep Me Posted and Pickles in Paradise in Coral Bay. You can also find them at Pink Papaya and Sugarbirds Gift Shop in Cruz Bay.
Not visiting the island anytime soon? You can purchase Kitchen Creole’s spices online at www.KitchenCreole.com