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Small Ribs of Beef, a LA Mode

Braised small beef ribs in sherry or Madeira, brandy, consommé, finished with a reduced glaze.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Sherry and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Small Ribs of Beef, a LA Mode

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Prepare the ribs of beef for braising.

  2. Moisten the ribs with sherry or Madeira and brandy.

  3. Simmer the ribs in a pan on the stove for about 15 minutes.

Braise

  1. Add the consommé, cover with buttered paper and a lid, and simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours.

  2. When done, drain and trim the beef.

Glaze and serve

  1. Place the ribs in a sauté pan with some of their own liquid and dry them in the oven for 1–2 minutes before glazing.

  2. If already glazed, baste frequently with their own liquid for flavor.

  3. Dish the ribs and garnish with glazed carrots, turnips, and onions.

  4. Sauce with the braising essence reduced to half‑glaze consistency and serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,209 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Beef + sherrytop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together871 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Beef + brandytop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,000 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ribs of beef
The main cut; slow braising turns its connective tissue tender and rich.
Sherry or madeira
Adds sweetness and aromatic depth to the braising liquid.
Brandy
Contributes aroma and helps lift flavour compounds into the braising liquid.
Consommé
Provides the savoury liquid that braises the beef and forms the base of the sauce.

The step that matters

Simmering gently for 3 to 4 hours. A rolling boil toughens meat and can break the sauce; gentle heat lets collagen slowly convert to gelatin, leaving the beef tender and the liquid glossy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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