Beef Short rib Shortcakes with Cherry Balsamic Sauce

I don't know who picked up NYC and dropped it in Antarctica, but it is freezing out here. I mean, can't walk outside without a bank robber ski mask cold. I mean, ears falling off and hitting the pavement like ice cubes type weather.

Yes, I am from California. We don't do weather like this. Nonetheless it's an excellent time to practice recession recipes. What recession?!?! The one that's making hundreds of restaurants go out of business and cut back on overtime and staff. And forcing more people to cook at home and choose less expensive cuts of meat.

That kind of recession.

If you're like me and feeling the cold inside and out, then this recipe is sure to bring some comfort back in your life. It was one of those experiments that I would happily serve at my own restaurant and to friends and family. Beef short ribs are cooked best when braised at a low temperature over a long time. They are fatty and tough, so the slow cooking aids in turning blubbery sinews into mouth watering morsels.

At the supermarket there are normally two types of beef short ribs: 'flanken' cut which are short ribs cut across the bone into more manageable pieces or 'short ribs" which look like long logs of beef muscle on the bone.

I chose the normal short ribs for this recipe and cut them off the bone so I could keep the rib meat in one piece for half of the cooking time. My goal was not to have a mushy stringy pile of meat but actual pieces. After cooking the rib meat for an hour, I sliced it thick and returned it to the braising liquid for another hour. To finish the dish the braising liquid is de-fatted and a splash of balsamic vinegar and some fresh cherry halve are added to give a little sweetness and acidity to the rich red-wine beef sauce.

The buttermilk biscuits are from my thoroughly destroyed (torn with gooey fingerprints everywhere) 1975 copy of the Joy Of Cooking and I have yet to find a better a recipe. They are quick to whip up in a Cuisinart and simple to roll out.

And frankly, nothing compares to warm soft biscuits fresh from the oven – with or without the short ribs and sauce. This recipe was supposed to provide left overs. But it didn't. Everything was demolished – the best compliment of all! Serve with horseradish cream.