Air to Ground, Philadelphia Approach

A pressed short rib block lacquered black as a flight recorder, set down in a swirling mushroom-beef storm and landed on a soft pretzel runway. Chamomile cream drifts alongside for the exhale that comes right after the wheels touch pavement.

Serves 4 · as served on Bluesky ↗

When the air gets choppy up there the whole cabin holds its breath together, and that's the feeling I wanted on the plate — something dark and swirling that settles right down the second it lands. I'm pressing a short rib into a tight black rectangle, lacquered up with squid ink till it looks just like one of them flight recorders, on account of that thing's built to survive anything thrown at it. Around it goes a mushroom-beef bisque, poured tableside so it swirls like weather moving in fast, and underneath, a soft pretzel crumble runway, because if you're touching down anywhere near Philadelphia you'd better see a pretzel somewhere on the plate. Finish it with a little chamomile cream, light as a held breath let out slow — that's the part where everybody in row fourteen finally unclenches their hands from the armrest. My neighbor Gary flies out of PHL for work every other week and I'm making this one for anybody who's ever white-knuckled a landing.

Ingredients

Fresh

• 1 piece yellow onion (diced)
• 2 piece carrot (diced)
• 2 piece celery (diced)
• 4 piece garlic (smashed)

Fridge

• 3 lb beef short rib (bone-in, trimmed)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
• 3 tbsp whole grain mustard

Pantry

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 cup beef stock (divided)
• 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (divided)
• 1 tbsp squid ink
• 3 piece soft pretzels (day-old, torn)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 piece chamomile tea bags

Spice rack

• kosher salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Season the short rib all over with salt and pepper, then sear in a heavy pot over high heat until deeply browned on all sides, about 8 minutes, and set aside. ⏱ 8 min
2. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook until softened, about 6 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. ⏱ 6 min
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half. ⏱ 5 min
4. Return the short rib to the pot with 3 cups of the beef stock and the shiitake mushrooms, cover, and braise low and slow until the meat is fork-tender, about 3 hours. ⏱ 3 hr
5. Pull the meat off the bone and shred it, then pack it tightly into a plastic-lined loaf pan, weight it down, and chill until firm, at least 4 hours — this is your black box. ⏱ 4 hr
6. Strain the braising liquid, skim off the fat, and simmer with the remaining beef stock until concentrated into a dark storm-front bisque, about 15 minutes, then season with the remaining soy sauce. ⏱ 15 min
7. Whisk the squid ink with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce to make the black lacquer glaze.
8. Turn the chilled block out, trim it into a neat rectangle, and sear on all sides in 2 tablespoons of the butter, then brush all over with the lacquer until glossy black.
9. Warm the heavy cream with the chamomile tea bags, steep 5 minutes off heat, discard the bags, chill, and whip to soft peaks for the calming foam. ⏱ 5 min
10. Pulse the soft pretzels into coarse crumbs and toast in the remaining butter until crisp, about 4 minutes, for the landing runway. ⏱ 4 min
11. Whisk the mustard with the honey and swipe it across each plate, mound the pretzel crumble on top, set the black box in the center, pour the bisque around it tableside, and finish with a spoonful of the chamomile foam.

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