Sam Baumann, Culinary Arts January 2009 grad, recently left her position at Colterra restaurant in Longmont for an opportunity at a new French-Asian restaurant opening in downtown Denver called Japoix. Congratulations, Sam!

Ah, Labor Day, a glorious Monday filled with the last picnics, barbeques, and summer parties of the year. In honor of (most of us) having the day off, we’d like to share one last taste of summer with you: Homemade BBQ Baby Back Ribs. This recipe is so simple, we’d be surprised if your friends and family didn’t chow them down in a few minutes flat. The key to perfectly preparing these ribs is braising them in the oven first before slapping them on the grill, basting them in smoky BBQ sauce, and charring to perfection.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4   cups   Good quality ketchup

2   cups   Water

1   Tbs    Garlic powder

1   Tbs    Onion powder

2   Tbs    Dried oregano

4   Tbs    Molasses

2   Tbs    Liquid smoke

4   Tbs    Dijon mustard

¾  cup    Brown sugar

2   tsp     Celery salt

1   Tbs    Apple cider vinegar

2   Tbs    Lemon juice

1   Tbs    Black pepper

2-3 lb.     Rack of Baby Back pork ribs

Method:

1. Place all ingredients, except ribs, in a sauce pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.
2. If you like a thicker sauce, use less water or let reduce longer. 
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Split the sauce in half. In a large baking dish, layer the ribs in the dish and cover with sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until ribs are tender.
5. Heat a charcoal barbeque until very hot and place ribs on grill brushing with the other half of BBQ sauce set aside in step 4, turning and brushing with sauce on the other side after bout 10 minutes.
6. Continue to cook another 10 minutes once turned or until ribs have a crispness to them and the BBQ sauce caramelizes.
7. Remove from the grill and serve immediately.

Check out culinary student, Lauren Limbird, as she shapes, fills, and rolls up locally grown Collard Green Dolmas filled with a farmers’ market filling. Dolmas are a traditional Greek dish typically made with grape leaves and stuffed with ground lamb and rice.

By Randall Mack, Purchasing Manager

People seem to either love them or hate them, there is no in-between.  I tend to agree, as a child tomatoes were most commonly found in my napkin or under my chicken bones.  My mom never understood why this was, as she loves the juicy fruits.  As I got older I questioned this action myself, and as I began to explore new avenues for where my food came from. I discovered that those ‘so called tomatoes’ were nothing more than mushy, watery, impostures.  Tomatoes should be sweet and delicate, not offensive and bland.  When I eat a tomato these days I want to taste their sugars and their elegance, I don’t want to feel like I am eating a soggy cracker.  These days eating a real tomato is a treat, something I put on par with climbing a mountain or sleeping under a redwood.  Their growing season in Colorado greatly depends on how our summers develop, so lately we haven’t been able to enjoy their greatness until now.  Grant Family Farms have beautiful heirloom varieties right now that display the true essence of what the tomato stands for.  Subtle and sweet they are truly a summer time treat.  My days of being fooled are over and I no longer stand for the general atrocities that run rampant in Colorado.  If it’s not the season neither freshly picked, then I revert back to my childhood and use them as pawns; strategically finding their way to the rim of a plate or under my leftovers.

Erica Rosenthal, Culinary Arts July 2009 graduate, is working as the sauté and pantry cook at Elway’s in the Ritz Carlton Downtown Denver. She loves her position there and working in a hotel. She loves it so much she has even moved into to an apartment above the hotel to be closer to her job. Erica is also starting to cater private events on her own and is catering a small wedding in Boulder. Congrats, Erica, we’re so proud of your success!

Don’t forgot to stop by CSR this Saturday, August 28^th from 12-4pm for our semi-annual Bake Sale! Professional Pastry Arts students will be transforming our kitchen into a student-run bakery for the day serving pies, tarts, breads, croissants, cakes, and much, much more! The Bake Sales are some of our most-anticipated community events of the year and give our students the feeling of working in a real bakery for the day. Make sure your calendars are marked for one of the sweetest afternoons of the year. Shop early for the best selection!

Do you have a favorite ‘hole in the wall’ spot to eat out? Well, you’re not alone. The Huffington Post reported on fifteen chefs from fine-dining restaurants across the country who shared their favorite joints to eat, off the beaten path. Some days nothing is better than a greasy taco smothered in guacamole or juicy kabobs from a street vendor. Have a favorite ‘secret’ spot in town to eat? Share it with us!

Brad Mcneil, Culinary Arts January 2010 grad, is working as a cook at Devils Tower Lodge in Devils Tower, Wyoming. He is preparing breakfasts and dinner for guests. The lodge is small and he is only 1 of 2 cooks there. Brad is really enjoying working at the lodge and living in this gorgeous spot in Wyoming.

What’s better than breakfast for lunch? Well, at CSR, not too much. Yesterday, in Culinary Arts, student learned to make everyone’s breakfast favorites from hollandaise sauce, to omelets, to bagels. If you’ve been curious how those doughy delicious bagels are made, watch student, David in Culinary Arts, poach them to perfection!

Did you know Sarah, CSR’s Social Media Strategist & Office Manager writes a monthly column for the Daily Camera? Well, if you didn’t make sure to put her latest article on your reading list. Last week, she wrote about cucumbers and eggplant, which she both happens to be growing in her garden this summer. Get the full how-to on seasonal farmers’ market produce each month from Sarah in her ‘At the Market’ articles. Find out how to store, choose, and whip-up whatever’s in season. “At the Market’ is published the second Wednesday of the month in the Daily Camera online and in print in the Lifestyles section.

Last night for dinner Sarah picked, cooked and enjoyed Roasted Eggplant Tamales from her garden. What are you making with the cukes and eggplants that are so abundant right now? Share your recipes with us, here at the blog, or on facebook or twitter.

Keep reading for Sarah’s Roasted White Eggplant Tamale recipe.

Roasted White Eggplant Tamales

Yields 8 tamales

Ingredients for tamales dough:

½ cup   Milk

1 cup    Masa harina

¾ cup + 2 Tbs   Butter, softened

½ tsp    Salt

1 tsp     Baking powder

Ingredients for filling:

1 White eggplant, roasted, peeled and chopped

1 White onion, chopped

3 Green chiles, roasted and peeled

1 Tomato, chopped

2 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp. Smoked paprika

1 cup, Green salsa (store bought is fine)

1 cup, Asadero cheese, shredded or crumbled

8 corn husks, soaked until pliable

Salt and pepper to taste

Method for dough:

1. Combine all ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixer and blend with paddle attachment until the dough comes together.

2. Turn the speed on the mixer up and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Method for Tamales:

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except salsa and cheese together.
2. Make an assembly line of corn husks, tamale dough, cheese, eggplant mix, and salsa.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a steamer basket sitting atop the pot.
4. Lay a corn husk flat on a clean workspace and place a scoop of dough atop the husk. Press the dough into the husk and spread it around to cover most of it in a thin, even layer. Top with a spoonful of eggplant mixture, salsa, and cheese and roll the tamale up so none of the filling is exposed.
5. Continue in this way until all of the husks and filling are used.
6. Transfer rolled tamales to sit vertically in the steamer basket over boiling water. Cover with aluminum foil so none of the heat escapes.
7. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the dough pulls away by itself from the corn husk.
8. Enjoy warm with rice and beans!