To go with the warm lobster salad for my dad's birthday dinner, my mom requested braised lamb shanks. I had done them for Thanksgiving last year . So, I did a variation for last night. This time - inspired by a story I'm writing - I decided to braise them in an earthy mixture of coffee, beer, and the soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms. I made a smoked paprika-cherry glaze for my dad's party; for what we ate at home, I left it as a mushroom demi-glace. Ingredients 6 Tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced eight 3/4- to 1-pound lamb shanks white whole wheat flour mixed with 1 Tablespoon ground cardamom for dredging 2 cups coffee 2 cups beer (I used a coffee stout) 1 Tablespoon honey 1 Tablespoon ginger syrup 1 cup boiling water 1 cup dried shitake mushrooms 2 cups sliced fresh oyster mushrooms freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Place dried shitake mushrooms in a bowl an...