Braised Sirloins

Pretty self-explanatory: browning, sauteeing, deglazing, braising...

Beethoven Soup

The name Beethoven means "beet garden," so it was fitting to finish an adult ed class I've been teaching about Beethoven and soup with a version of borscht. There are as many ways to make it as there are cooks. Here's what I did...
I kept things pretty simple, using leeks, shredded carrot, diced parsnip, beets (that were previously roasted), beet greens, salt & pepper, vegetable broth, chicken stock. Simmered until vegetables were tender. I pureed the soup, added some honey, and then squeezed in a bit of fresh lemon. It was served with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. This could be served warm or well chilled.

Caramel Sticky Buns

Butter a casserole dish. Make a caramel sauce with cream, butter, corn syrup, brown sugar. Put in bottom of baking dish, sprinkle with pecans.
Cut refrigerated biscuits into fourths (two cans, jumbo flaky), toss pieces in a stick of melted butter. Layer over nuts, one package of biscuits makes one layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, cloves; top with remaining biscuits. Bake at 350F, til done, about 20-30 minutes. Center could still be doughy, so I lower the heat (so as not to burn the caramel), and finish baking until center is done.
Remove from oven, cool a minute, then turn upside down (I turned them into a larger baking dish).