flanken ribs

Conrad is home!

For two nights.

Okay, before I blog anything else, I just have to say that this Vosges chocolate bunny we're eating for dessert is so darn good. It's made with the Barcelona Bar chocolate - dark milk chocolate with hickory smoked almonds and sea salt. If only we had two of the delicious (and cute) little things.

Conrad got home around 5ish, and once he'd done his laundry I got food on the table for us. Flanken ribs was the name of the cut of beef I picked up. I've honestly never heard of them before. I didn't spend time looking for a recipe, but instead I prepared them much in the same way I prepare lamb shanks - oven braised.

I cooked them for a few hours in the middle of the day, then strained off the braising liquid to cool and allow the fat to congeal so I could skim it off. I returned the ribs to the oven at a low heat closer to dinner time and reduced the braising liquid to a thick sauce. In a separate pan I reduced some black currant balsamic vinegar (the darker sauce in the photo) to drizzle over top the ribs - a sweet and sour counterpoint to the meaty, salty braising reduction. Alongside went asparagus, and a bottle of a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out dinner.

The picture of me, by the way, goes to show that I do allow unflattering pictures of me on the blog. Fair is fair - once in a while!