Dinner for the Mysterious Frenchman

So, my husband informed me the other day that I will be cooking dinner for his friend from work. Normally, no big deal. However, it later slipped out that said friend is named Jean-Paul and is visiting from France on business. Now, I am a foodie for sure- a good cook with moments of greatness, even. There is just something strangely intimidating about cooking for the French. So, the dilemma became what to serve. Do I go classic French with an American twist? All out American? Regional (I am in VA, so Southern)? Maybe ethnic? If so, do I cook red meat, seafood, or play it safe with chicken? Well, this is what I decided. Let me know what you think. I just hope he's not a vegetarian, though any red-blooded Frenchman would probably cringe at the thought...French bistros being known for steak au poivre, etc....

Dinner:

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

Creamy Chive Mashed Potatoes

Haricot Verts with Shallots

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Crusty Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread (store bought)

Dessert:

Sour Cherry Pie with Crumb topping (Bakery bought)

Homemade Whipped Cream

I normally wouldn't buy the bread and pie, but it is a Monday and the kids had school today.....

Here's the approximate recipe for the braised short ribs:

2.5 lbs boneless beef short ribs (bone-in would be even better)
2 shallots, sliced (you could totally use a small cooking onion if saving money)

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk

1 clove of garlic

1 T thyme (fresh) or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 portobella mushroom caps, rough chopped

1-2 cups dry red wine (good enough quality to drink)

1-2 cups beef stock (reduced sodium)

olive oil for searing

1 T butter

salt and pepper to taste

In a smoking hot skillet with olive oil, sear (liberally salt and peppered) ribs on all sides until brown. Throw those in you slow cooker or dutch oven. Add butter to same pan, lower heat and sweat the veggies (I add garlic to the pan at the last minute so as not to burn it) . Thorw veg. into the slow cooker or pot. Add the wine and stock in roughly equal parts until mostly covering meat and veg. Throw in the thyme. Cover and let cook in the slow cooker for a long time or at least until the meat is falling apart. If in a dutch oven, cover and lower heat to low. Yum! haven't done this next part yet, but I plan on reducing some of the cooking liquid to form a nice gravy for the mashed potatoes and meat. Make sure to season to taste. Enjoy.

By the way, if you were just planning on the beef dish, you could definitely add some red bliss or white potatoes to the pot and have an affordable, one-pot dish that could even be left in the slow cooker all day on low. Also, save the rest of the wine for pairing with your delicious meal!