THE TABLE IS SET.....

for the French neighbors to come for an American supper.....

The menu centers around Ribs....or Travers de Porc.....cold salads, cornbread.....and Peach Crumble.

It is all a huge hit even though X had told me that they might not buy into the cold salad idea.  

Wrong! 

They loved it.  

Another big hit is the Tabasco rack.  Thanks to our friends at Tabasco, we have the complete complement of Tabascos....Everybody is trying a different kind.  Fun!

Great evening.....now I just have to figure out what I will prepare the next time we have 16 French speaking people around the table.

Suggestions??

RIBS 101

This is the practical side of things.  I love this menu because it can be done 100% ahead of time....important when entertaining this many people.   I, being in France, also have to think about availability of products.  There is no Costco or Sam's where I can go pick up a few packages of ribs.  I have to place an order with Daniel, the butcher.  And we just happened to be there when they delivered the pork.  Daniel trims out the 2 slabs and then he has another for me.....this would definitely not be enough if I were serving 16 Americans but X reassures me that we will have plenty. But honestly, we thought we were going to have 13 but invited extras at the last minute....

Two days ahead, I rub the ribs down with  Dragon Rub, place them on a rack in a large roasting pan. Add water to just below the rack.  Cover with plastic wrap, yes plastic wrap, then heavy duty foil, being sure to tuck the plastic wrap into the edges of the foil when you crimp around the edge of the pan.  Place in 400 degree oven and bake for 2 1/2  hours...If using non convection, you may need to go to 3 hours.

Ready with the Dragon Rub, on rack over water...Now cover as described above.

Out of the oven, refrigerate overnight.

 After grilling and ready for reheat!

Next day, coat with Sesame Ginger Teriyaki Sauce  and head to the grill.  Grill just to set the sauce.  You can do this part at the time of your party or you can do it ahead as I did. Then at the time of your party, put them on a sheet pan and reheat in the oven.

NOTE:  The Dragon Rub and the Sesame Ginger Teriyaki Sauce are essential traveling companions.  Asian flavored recipes take so many special ingredients that are hard for me to locate in France.  So thank you to my New England manufacturers that make life easy.  Follow the links above to their websites.  Of course, you can change up your rub and your sauce to create different flavor profiles.

It is also possible to freeze them on a sheet pan, then bag and pull them out as you need them.  So yes, they can be done weeks ahead