Four years ago, when Ed Schrank decided to build a dream home for his family in the Diamond Hill section of Sweetwater Country Club, he began by planning the heart of his house—the kitchen. Schrank in his "previous lives" had been a professional photographer, sheriff's deputy, custom home builder, and day chef in a French restaurant. He now heads the Florida and Caribbean operations for Boyken International, one of the nation's largest construction-management firms.

Schrank and his wife Susan, a career nursing executive, both love to cook. In fact, Susan is a gourmet cook, and their son Ben is a classically trained professional chef. So the design of an ultimate gourmet kitchen in the Schrank home was not only a place to start, but the only place to start.

And what a kitchen it is!

"I wanted to make the kitchen and the eating area around it as inviting as possible," Schrank says. "We wanted it big enough to allow us to have friends over who shared our passion for food and could literally prepare gourmet meals side by side with us. It's absolutely our favorite form of entertainment and fun."

The spacious, high-ceiling kitchen is ringed by mahogany-stained, custom-made cherrywood cabinets supporting a sea of rounded granite countertops, and a full complement of professional appliances: a six-burner commercial gas stove; a high-output stainless exhaust hood fitted with shelves and heat lamps; a 30-inch double oven, oversized microwave oven and a stainless steel refrigerator.

No detail was left to chance. Susan Schrank enjoys baking, so a unique feature of the granite preparation island is its lower-than-normal height, which gives her leverage to apply the proper angle of straight-arm pressure when she rolls dough. Other distinctive features of the island: an extra sink for cleaning vegetables, a warming tray for holding prepared items or to hasten rising dough; and plenty of electrical outlets for small appliances.

Ed Schrank admits that preparing gourmet meals with Susan or friends isn't always fun and games. Both are naturally competitive in their professional lives, and the exacting art and science of delivering top-notch dishes to the table, especially when they're entertaining business guests at their 12-place dining table, can sometimes create almost as much stress as it is intended to reduce.
"I know she's relaxed and in her element when she starts singing Italian opera while she's preparing a favorite Italian dish," Schrank says with a laugh. "He's right," jokes Susan, a former professional singer. "And whatever I cook he'd better like."

During our visit the Schranks prepared osso buco, the Northern Italian classic featuring veal shanks. They graciously shared their recipe with Seminole magazine.   S

The Schrank's Osso Buco 4 veal shanks (crosscut and tied) 2 tbsp. flour 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper 2 small onions (sliced into thin rings) 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. dried thyme (whole) 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbsp. minced salt pork, rind removed 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1 can whole Italian tomatoes, coarsely crushed by hand 1-1/4 cups Chablis or other dry white wine 2 cans Italian-herb chicken broth 2 bay leaves 3 fresh basil leaves Salt and pepper to taste Gremolata (recipe below) Grated parmesan cheese (optional) Cooked orzo pasta, rice or risotto Preheat oven to 350° Season flour with salt and pepper. Coat veal shanks with flour mixture (shake off excess flour) Heat oil in Dutch oven on stovetop Add onions, thyme and garlic Add veal; brown on all sides Remove browned veal to a separate plate; cover and keep warm Add wine to pan; deglaze over medium heat for 5 minutes Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil Add veal and any juices on plate; cover Transfer to oven and bake for approx. 2 hours or until fork-tender Remove and serve with a sprinkling of gremolata Gremolata Mix together 2 tbsp. finely chopped flatleaf (Italian) parsley, zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, and 1 garlic clove, finely chopped. To serve: Remove strings from the veal shanks. Place each shank on a serving of cooked orzo or rice. Pour some of the sauce over each serving and sprinkle with approx. 1 tsp. of gremolata, and grated parmesan, if desired. Provide a small fork with each serving for eating the marrow. Serves 4