Brisket and Non-Dairy Cornbread

One of my best friends and I get together every other week or so for lunch since we work a few blocks from each other, but we try to get together with our husbands as well every month or so.  It's nice because while she and I are sorority sisters who have known each other for 10 years now, we've become friends with each other's husband and the two guys have become friends as well.  To a point where our husbands argue that we're their friends.  Anyway, we had the two of them over for dinner the other night.  I knew when we invited them that my meal would have to be either meat or parve since my friend is allergic to dairy.  Fine with me, that meant I could break out my nice china for the meal! But what to make?

A few weeks ago, during Hurricane Sandy, my husband and I were at one of my other best friend's home to recharge our phones, check work e-mails and generally just warm up while we had no power.  My friend invited us to stay for dinner, and from the yummy aroma in the air, we couldn't resist accepting the invitation.  She served the most delectable brisket.  Of course I had to ask her for the recipe!  This was the perfect thing for our dinner party.

Thankfully I was planning on being home for most of the day of this dinner.  The brisket cooks low and slow - 250 degrees for 7 hours.  For sides I made a dairy-free cornbread, roasted potatoes and steamed greenbeans.    It actually lead to a pretty relaxing day.  I made the cornbread in the morning, put the brisket it, put the potatoes in the oven when the brisket came out to rest and then steamed the beans.  I served a black bean hummus when they first arrived and then a salad.  Dessert was a zucchini bread, which I will blog about later this week.  All in all, I think it was a pretty successful dinner party!

Brisket (very slightly adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients 

1 beef brisket (estimate 1/2 lb per person)
garlic salt
onion salt
celery salt
3 ounces liquid smoke
Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle barbecue sauce

Directions 
- Trim fat from brisket.
- Sprinkle meat liberally with all the salts.
- Line a baking pan with enough foil to seal over the meat.
- Put meat on foil lined pan and pour the whole bottle of liquid smoke over the meat.
- Seal the foil and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day drain the meat and sprinkle with worcestershire sauce.
- Cover with the foil.
- Bake 6 hours in a 250 degree oven.
- Open foil and pour on the whole bottle of barbecue sauce and bake 1 hour longer.
- let rest for 30 min before serving


Dairy-Free Cornbread (recipe from Whole Foods)

Ingredients 
1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 
1 1/2 cup flour
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup plain soy milk or rice milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup corn oil

Directions

- Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil a (9-inch) square baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a second large bowl, whisk together soy milk, eggs and oil. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.