This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is Cola and Jam Spareribs. A curious combination and not one that I was immediately drawn to. Ingredients include Chinese Five Spice powder, ginger, apricot jam, orange/lemon juices, and Coke. Hmm, well... here we go!

The recipe was straight forward and easy. We like ribs, in traditional BBQ style, so we were eager to try these as the aroma spread through the house.

Here's the rack on ribs rubbed with the spice mix and spread with the jam/juice mixture.

The next steps were easy! Bake and baste. The caramelization process was fun, and produced really nice color. I needed to add a little more water and ended up using the entire can of Coke.

After 2 hours, here are the finished ribs!

The meat was tender but not falling off the bone, and the flavor was interesting. We decided you have to approach the meal as a variation on roasted pork, rather than ribs. The Asian twist with the spices, and the sweetness of the jam create a nice flavor. Gary liked the spareribs a lot, I thought they were fine, but not crazy about them. I admit, I had fun cooking with fizzy Coke. A nice accompaniment for the ribs could be Spicy Asian Slaw. I made asparagus - overcooked - and a little past its peak. It wasn't a perfect combo, but tasted ok.

While this wasn't my favorite dish, it was fun to try, and fun to share. Next week's recipe is Rhubarb, a spring favorite. Enjoy!