Good Eating: Sweet Corn Soup And Barbecue Pork Ribs

Chef Michael Leviton from Lumière Restaurant  in Newton, Mass., is ready to sweeten your ribs!

Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:

8 ears of corn, shucked (kernels removed and reserved, cobs reserved)

4 tablespoons butter

Water

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

4 ounces thickly sliced bacon (preferably from the Niman Ranch) cut into

18th inch cubes

4 ounces cooked lobster meat cut into ½ inch cubes

1 tablespoon finely minced chives

Method:

Place the reserved the corncobs in a non-reactive stock pot or sauce pan large enough to hold them. Cover the cobs (barely) with cold water. Bring to boil a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, skimming any impurities that rise to the top. Simmer for 30 minutes and strain through fine strainer.

Meanwhile, heat (over a medium flame) a non-reactive pan large enough to hold the corn kernels. Add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the corn kernels. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and cook the kernels over medium heat while covered. Stir frequently until tender. Do not allow the kernels to brown.

When the corn stock and kernels are both done, cover the kernels with the stock by about 1. Save the rest of the stock. Cook over low heat until the corn is very, very tender (about 45 minutes to an hour). Add some of the reserved stock if the soup appears to be getting a little dry.

Puree the soup as fine as possible in a blender or food processor. Strain through the finest possible strainer. Adjust the texture with the extra corn stock and the flavor with a little salt and pepper if necessary. Keep the soup warm while preparing the garnish.

Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon dice and cook for about 1 minute, until barely warmed through. Add the lobster and cook until hot. Add the chives and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle 8 ounces of soup into each of four bowls. Divide the garnish equally among the four bowls (placing it artfully in the center of each bowl). Serve and enjoy.

Bourbon and Ginger Ale Braised and Grilled Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back pork ribs (preferably from the Niman Ranch)

2 cups ginger ale (preferably Schweppes)

½ cup bourbon (preferably Maker's Mark)

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Season both sides of the ribs with the salt and pepper. Pour the bourbon and ginger ale into a roasting pan large enough to hold the ribs with as little overlap as possible. Add the ribs, cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven.

After one hour, remove the pan from the oven and flip the ribs. Re-cover the pan and place in the oven for one more hour.

Remove the pan from the oven, uncover and let the ribs cool to room temperature. (The ribs can be prepared to this point, refrigerated overnight and finished the next day)

Pre-heat a gas grill to low or build a fire in charcoal or wood-burning grill and let the coals burn down to a point where you can hold your hand about six inches from the coals for about 5 seconds. Carefully lay the ribs on the grill and brush the side facing up with Lumière BBQ sauce. Let the ribs cook for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown and crusty on the fire-facing side. Carefully flip the ribs over and baste the side facing up with sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until the ribs are lightly charred. Serve the ribs with extra sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Lumière BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

? cup butter

1 medium yellow onion - peeled and thinly sliced

1 large clove garlic - peeled and thinly sliced

1 ½ cups ketchup

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup ginger ale

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons powdered mustard

Method:

Heat a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan over medium high heat. Add the butter. When the butter begins to turn golden brown, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until the onion and garlic are lightly caramelized.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and reduce the heat to low. Cook the sauce for about 15 minutes or until it begins to simmer and thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and puree as finely as possible in a blender or food processor. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The sauce should keep well in the refrigerator for about two weeks.