Community Magazine February 2014

80 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE T H C H I C K I T C H E N ESTHER DEUTSCH Who says easy can't b e fabulous? Esther Deutsch, author of CHIC Made Simple shares her philosophy: If your food looks irresistible - it tastes as such. Her recipes are designed to look – and taste – like gourmet cuisine. Yet the recipes are so easy, they take just minutes. Rack of Flanken with Cola Marinade and Coffee Barbecue Sauce WHEN I’M entertaining guests for the first time, this is one of the dishes that makes its way onto the menu. It’s foolproof and it always brings rave reviews. No matter what rib recipe you’re experimenting with, the key to transforming a rack of ribs (or, in this case, flanken) into a juicy, “fall-off-the-bone” dish is to bake it “low and slow.” This recipe entails baking the flanken for at least four hours to get the meat soft and succulent. Rack of flanken is a specialty cut, so you’ll have to ask your butcher to prepare it for you in advance. If you don’t have flanken, this recipe works equally well with any other meaty rack of ribs. The meat is marinated in cola overnight, so have in mind that you’ll have to begin preparing this recipe in advance. Don’t use diet cola for the marinade, since it’s the sugar and phosphoric acid in regular cola that work wonders in tenderizing the meat. Ingredients: • 1 5-bone rack of flanken (6–8 lb.) • 1 bottle (1 liter) Coca-Cola • Kosher salt • Fresh black pepper • 8 cloves garlic, sliced COFFEE BARBECUE SAUCE • 1 cup chili sauce • ½ cup brown sugar • L cup honey • 4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce • 2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 Tbsp. liquid smoke • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard • 1 tsp. coffee, dissolved in several drops of hot water • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice • ½ tsp. kosher salt • ½ tsp. fresh black pepper DIRECTIONS 1. Place the flanken and the cola in a large heavy-duty plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. 2. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Remove the flanken from the marinade and transfer it to a large baking pan. Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle with the sliced garlic cloves. 3. Prepare the coffee barbecue sauce: In a bowl, whisk all the sauce ingredients until well combined. Pour half of the sauce over the ribs, reserving the rest. 4. Cover the ribs tightly and bake until the meat is fork tender, at least 4 hours. Pour the remaining sauce over the ribs and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer. Serves 6.