The ribs are a great dinner to serve guests because you can do most of the cooking ahead of time. After the guests arrive, you only have to baste the ribs with sauce and BBQ them in front of your guests. Serves 6.

3 racks baby back ribs
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Barbeque Sauce
2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brewed espresso

Preheat the oven to 325°F

Cut each rack of ribs in half crosswise between 2 ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Cover a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Set 3 of the half-racks side by side on the prepared baking sheet and top each with another slab.

Bake the ribs, rotating the slabs top to bottom every 30 minutes, until tender, about 2 1.2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven and cover with a foil tent to keep them moist until you are ready to grill them.

To prepare the barbecue sauce: Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until it is golden. Remove from the heat and let the garlic cool in the oil. Whisk in the ketchup, honey vinegar, soy sauce, and espresso. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat.

Prepare grill and grill in a covered grill with the vents open. Baste occasionally with additional sauce until the ribs are caramelized.
Enjoy with rice, salad, fresh bread and, of course, a bottle of ZMV Sorprendere

*Adapted from Best of the Best, Food and Wine Books, V 6, 2003