Cookbooks seem to be a commodity whose demand is fizzling out. With the amazing amount of food blogs out there with mouthwatering photos and hunger pain inducing ingredient lists, it is hard to take the time (and money) to buy a cookbook and read it as a novel. With that said, there is nothing like the weight of a hard cover cook book, with photos you run your hands across to get your creativity moving. So over the holidays, at an amazing buy three get the fourth free event at Chapters, I bought what might be my most beautiful book yet, “Daniel: My French Cuisine” by Daniel Boulud.

To start myself off on the journey down cooking proper French inspired cuisine, I decided to stick with what are classified in the book as “Basic Recipes”, starting to develop that muscle so I can one day put together the Dover Sole Ballotine à la Polonaise or the Grain Crusted Venison with Lambic-braised Red Cabbage and Honeycrisp Apples…

In the mean time, I placed the Braised Short Rib on a bed of creamed spinach with mashed potatoes/parsnips and sautéed carrots with tarragon.

Braised Short Rib

Inspired by Daniel

Ingredients

• 2 cups red wine
• 4 bone in short ribs
• salt and cracked pepper
• flour for dusting
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, cut into small dice
• 1 rib celery, cut into small dice
• 4 large shallots, quarted
• 1 small leek, white and light green parts only, diced and rinsed
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 1/2 tbsps tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups stock (lamb, beef)

Directions