The Family Meal: No. 20
I was very generously gifted a copy of The Family Meal from my momma this Christmas.
The concept of the “family meal” has taken particular significance in my life. Growing up, we always sat down together for dinner, and it was very rare that dinner was something not made by my mom. Truly a concept that has lost its luster in our age of television, constant communication and instant gratification, and a concept that remains very dear to me as we consider starting our own little family someday. (SOMEDAY people, emphasis on the someday). In a restaurant, the concept is the same, only it is the staff who sits down to eat together.
My project for 2012 is to cook my way through The Family Meal. One menu, every Sunday.
This week: No. 20. Cauliflower with bechamel. Spare ribs slathered in a citrusy BBQ sauce infused with lemongrass and ginger. Bananas marinated in a tart lime simple syrup.
Cauliflower with bechamel and a drizzle of truffle oil. Truffle oil was not in the recipe, but I added it, because, DUH.
Ribs ready for the oven. I know Ferran Adria is, like, a god of haute cuisine, but he’s wrong on the roasting time for a rack of spare ribs. 1.5 hours @ 350 was not enough. Mine roasted for 2+ before they were falling off the bone.
Marinated banana slices. Super easy, and perfect for this time of year when there is like NO fruit in season!
Finished ribs and cauliflower. Tasty stuff!
Bananas post hour long marinating session. Incredibly flavorful! If you love lime or tart desserts, this is for you. It was so light and packed with flavor - and all it is is bananas, thinly sliced, marinated in a small amount of simple syrup with the addition of half a lime’s worth of juice and zest.
Overall, this meal was really great. The homemade BBQ sauce was a bit labor intensive, but it was full of flavor (though not spicy like we normally like it). Everything was very easy, required few ingredients (with the exception of the sauce) and required very little hands-on time. Looking forward to the next meal!
