On Tuesday, I was treated to a most delicious lunch at Williams-Sonoma (Columbus Circle) hosted by Staub. The food was phenomenal — the chefs behind Seasonal cooked us up a plate of braised short ribs (heaven) with a fingerling potato puree, and white asparagus. For dessert, I finished every spoonful of my strawberry-rhubarb cocktail with vanilla meringue. I'm on a mission to try making the braised short ribs. Below is the recipe that they passed onto us.
Unlike my enameled cast iron at home with its white interior, I love how Staub's dutch ovens are black (so you don't have the brown staining.) At the lunch, they talked a lot about the engineering behind the lids of the cookware — the lids are flat with little bumps that are designed to collect condensation and create a rain forest effect in the pot. Perfect for braising. I have to say I'd love to try the tasting menu at Seasonal for a special dinner sometime — was really impressed with the food. And the chefs were sweet to share lots of little tips, like how they cook their white asparagus in milk for the best flavor.
braised short ribs, recipe by Seasonal
10 oz Brandt beef short rib
.5 tsp kosher salt
.25 tsp cracked black pepper
1.5 oz root vegetables (carrot, celery, leek)
1 oz shallots
2 oz red wine
2 oz demi glace, garlic clove, thyme
Season and brown the short rib. Add root vegetables and shallots to the casserole. Deglace with red wine and demi glace. Add garlic, thyme, pepper corns and bay leaf and braise until tender (will take several hours!). For the sauce, reduce and strain multiple times to remove impurities.
