Monday's Meals

This recipe comes straight from Williams Sonoma, which means it is unnecessarily complicated (is it really awful to use lemon juice?), requires state of the art cooking accessories (available only at their store), and amazingly delicious.

Also, would you believe this is a kids recipe?? They tout this as a fun and easy kid recipe, though recommend parents stay nearby for some help.

Okay, at what age should we expect our children to cut lemon with a sharp knife, operate a juicer, and press and chop garlic?

I don’t think we’ve quite hit that milestone on our end.

However, much like teen Jeopardy, this Williams Sonoma recipe may be one I can actually pull off.

Glazed Baby Back Ribs

When you serve these delicious ribs, be sure to pass around plenty of paper napkins!

Ingredients:
1 large lemon
1 cup tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large garlic clove
2 pounds (2 racks) baby back ribs

Directions:
Before you start be sure an adult is nearby to help.

1) Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2) Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.

3) Begin the glaze- Put the lemon on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the lemon in half crosswise. Twist the lemon halves over the cone of a citrus juicer to juice it. Pick out the seeds, measure out 3 tablespoons juice, and then pour it into a small saucepan.

4) Add the ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, butter, ginger and coriander to the saucepan.

5) Chop the garlic- Put the garlic clove on the cutting board. Place the flat part of a metal spatula over the garlic clove and press down hard with the heel of your palm to break and loosen the papery skin. Don't worry if you smash the garlic a little. Peel off the skin and throw it away. Using the knife, chop the garlic into tiny pieces. Add the garlic pieces to the saucepan.

6) Boil the glaze- Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring the ketchup mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat.

7) Coat and cook the ribs- Put the ribs in the foil-lined roasting pan. Pour the glaze over the ribs, turning the ribs to coat both sides with the glaze. Arrange the ribs meaty side up. Cover the roasting pan tightly with another layer of aluminum foil, put it in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

8) Remove the ribs- Ask an adult to help you open the oven and carefully slide out the oven rack. Wearing oven mitts, carefully lift the roasting pan from the oven and place it on a heatproof counter or other surface.

9) Brown the ribs- Using the tongs, carefully pull back the aluminum foil from the roasting pan. Be careful: The foil and steam will be very hot! Throw away the foil. Ask an adult to help you put the roasting pan with the ribs back in the oven. Bake the ribs until they are browned and the meat is very tender, about 1 hour more. Ask an adult to help you remove the roasting pan from the oven. Separate the ribs

10) To serve, let the ribs cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Using the tongs, transfer the rib racks to a cutting board. Ask an adult to help you now. Holding the ribs steady with a meat fork, use a knife to slice between the bones and separate the individual ribs. Pile the ribs onto a serving platter and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.