Setting The Ranch Table With Elizabeth Poett’s New Cookbook

Attention Western cooking lovers! Elizabeth Poett is bringing us more delicious recipes with her new cookbook, The Ranch Table. A seventh-generation rancher living on the same 14,000-acre piece of land, Rancho San Julian, Poett shares her love for the Western way with her great-great-great-great-grandfather José de la Guerra.

Poett gives some history of her family’s historic ranch in her new cookbook, her approach to cooking and entertaining, and her life on the ranch through Mother Nature’s seasons. The ranch life, as Poett explains, is very predictable; for example, in spring, they welcome new calves, lambs, and chickens, but it’s also unpredictable because, as ranchers, they rely on the land, and weather can change in a flash.

Her cookbook follows the four seasons and highlights seasonal celebrations with unique dishes and recipes. Poett’s cooking is very seasonal because she sources most of her ingredients from her ranch, but these recipes are still easy to replicate even out of season.

Poett’s cooking show, Ranch to Table, on the Magnolia Network and streaming on MAX, started its fourth season at the beginning of October. Just as her new cookbook reads, Poett is easygoing and engaging on screen, and the food she cooks is delightful. The ranch-to-table trend isn’t a trend for her. It’s a way of life.

Poett also shared three of her favorite recipes from her new cookbook. Check out Chile Relleno Casserole, Pork Ribs Steamed in Apple Cider, and Campfire Cookies.

Chili Relleno Casserole

I love classic chiles rellenos—I make them a lot in the summer, when poblanos are in season—but the traditional method of dipping them in batter and frying just a couple at a time makes them hard to cook for a crowd. This casserole solves that problem. It has all the fresh flavors I love, but I can make it ahead of time and then put it in the oven just before my guests show up. It even makes a great brunch dish; just assemble it the day before and throw it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to bake the next morning.

Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes
(Serves 6 to 8)

Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing
One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
6 poblano chiles, grilled, skinned, and pulled into strips or one 28 ounce can fire roasted green chiles, drained
1 pound freshly grated Monterey Jack
12 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 × 13 inch baking or casserole dish with the butter.
2. Spoon one-fourth of the tomatoes (and their liquid) into the dish (just enough to moisten the bottom of the pan) and spread them out evenly. Spread one-fourth of the chile strips evenly across the tomatoes, then scatter one-fourth of the cheese evenly over the vegetables. The ingredients will have lots of space in between them. Repeat this layering process 3 more times with the remaining ingredients to make 4 layers, reserving the last quarter of the cheese.
3. Whisk the eggs and cream with the salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the casserole, adding it evenly to all parts of the dish. Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes so that the egg soaks in (you can use a fork to push the ingredients down into the egg if something looks dry). Sprinkle on the reserved cheese.
4. Bake the casserole for 40 to 45 minutes, until it looks puffy and has a golden top. Let it rest for 15 minutes to firm up, then cut into squares and serve warm.

Pork Ribs Steamed in Apple Cider

Ribs are great for big crowds because they’re super simple to cook, it’s easy to make enough for a lot of people, and they’re loved by both kids and adults. The thing that makes this recipe really great is that you steam the ribs in apple cider after they’re grilled, which gives them a ton of sweet flavor and helps them become fall-off-the-bone tender. And because this last step doesn’t take any hands-on work, you can grill all the meat ahead of time, then just set them to steam about 30 minutes before you plan to serve your meal, and they’ll be hot and ready to go.

Active time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hour 10 minutes, or longer if resting overnight
(Serves 8 to 10)

2 cups light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons mustard powder
4 racks baby back pork ribs (about 12 pounds total), at room temperature
2 cups apple cider or apple juice

Instructions:

1. Mix together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and mustard powder in a medium bowl; set it aside.
2. Working with one rack at a time, place the ribs on a large cutting board, bone side up, and remove the silver skin by using a butter knife to loosen a corner of the membrane, then slowly pulling it off the meat.
3. Coat the ribs generously on both sides with the rub, pressing it into the meat, and transfer them to a sheet pan. Let the meat sit and absorb the rub for at least 20 minutes or (preferably) refrigerate it overnight, covered with plastic wrap, and bring to room temperature before cooking.
4. Heat a wood, charcoal, or gas grill to medium. (If you’re working with charcoal or wood, pile your coals on one side of the grill and let the flames die down so you have hot, white coals; if you’re using gas, the temperature should be around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.) Grill the meat, bone side down, on the side of the grill farthest from the coals until the outside is golden with some dark charred spots and the crust has caramelized slightly, about 15 minutes. Flip the ribs and grill for another 15 minutes on the other side. Reduce the heat to low (or transfer the meat to a cooler part of the grill) and continue grilling for another 30 minutes, flipping occasionally so all sides get even heat.
5. Fit a large pot with a steamer and pour the cider into the bottom of the pot. Set the pot on the grill (or on the stove) and heat it until the liquid is steaming. Cut the ribs in half (or in thirds) so that they fit into the pot and put them in the steamer, making sure they don’t touch the liquid. Cover the pot and steam the ribs slowly over low heat for 30 minutes.

Campfire Cookies

These treats are basically s’mores in cookie form. I really love s’mores; we make them on New Year’s Eve, and I always have the ingredients around for parties, so kids can sit around our fire pit and make them. Eventually, I decided that I wanted a way to enjoy this flavor combination even without a fire going, so I combined them into huge, decadent cookies. Now I can bring them to parties or pack them in a picnic basket. They’re perfect all year round.

Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including chilling
(Serves 12 cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 sleeve (4.8 ounces) graham crackers
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
36 to 60 mini marshmallows
Maldon salt or other flaky sea salt

Instructions:

1. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) and beat it on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and beat the mixture until it’s well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until they’re just incorporated.
3. Put the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they have a grainy, sandy texture. Transfer 1 cup of the crushed graham crackers to a medium bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.
4. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add the remaining flour and beat again. Scrape the bowl and mix by hand until everything is fully incorporated. Mix in the chocolate.
5. Roll the dough into 12 equal balls (each about 2 inches in diameter) and space them out on the prepared sheet pans. Refrigerate the dough on the pans for at least 1 hour, until fully chilled.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Remove the sheet pans from the refrigerator and bake the cookies for 18 minutes, rotating the pans between the racks halfway through, until they are golden brown on the edges and just set in the center. Pull the sheet pans out of the oven. Add 3 to 5 mini marshmallows to each cookie, lightly pressing them into the cookie’s surface. Dust each with a pinch of flaky salt.
8. Bake the cookies for another 2 to 4 minutes, until the marshmallows have settled into the cookies.
9. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Photography and recipies: courtesy The Ranch Table by Elizabeth Poett. Copyright © 2023 by Elizabeth Poett. Reprinted by permission of Magnolia Publications/William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Photography by BJ Golnick.