Cook Up Some Comfort Food: Celeb Favorites

Eva Longoria Parker's Beso BBQ Brisket

"Comfort food is about nostalgia. When I eat barbecue, it takes me back to my childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas. We'd have barbecue for every special occasion -- Easter, birthdays, baptisms. These days I make a brisket, which I slow-roast and cover with a more contemporary, Latin-influenced sauce. It's a favorite dish at my restaurant, Beso, in Las Vegas."
- Eva Longoria Parker, The Desperate Housewives costar will publish a cookbook next April

Work: 10 minutes
Total: 16 hours

2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons juniper berries
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 6- to 7-pound brisket, excess fat trimmed
Beso BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1. Combine sugar, salt, anise, fennel, garlic and onion powders, juniper berries, and paprika in a bowl; rub over both sides of brisket. Place meat in a roasting pan and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 10 to 24 hours.
2. Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Discard all marinating juices. Pour 4 cups Beso BBQ Sauce and chicken broth over brisket; cover pan tightly with foil. Roast until tender, 5 1/2 to 6 hours. Allow brisket to cool slightly before slicing thinly; serve with cooking juices and remaining BBQ sauce. Serves 6 to 8.
   
   

1. In a saucepan cover one 2-ounce package (4 to 5) dried mulatto or ancho chilies with water and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, cool, discard stems, and roughly chop; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced onion, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno, and 1 peeled and cored apple; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in one 6-ounce can tomato paste, 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar, one 12-ounce jar unsulfured molasses, 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and reserved chilies. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and stir in 3 cups of ice. In batches, puree sauce in a blender. Can be kept refrigerated, up to 3 weeks. Makes 7 cups.