Christmas in February - Prime Rib and Fixin's

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and I live in an area surrounded by small cattle ranches and, seasonally, that can lead to beef bargains not found in other areas of the country. During the Christmas holidays, standing rib and and strip roasts can be purchased here for what ground beef costs in other communities. My mother raised no foolish children, so I take full advantage of these bargains and pack the freezer when those holiday sale signs appear. That leads to some wonderful meals, and one of the the things I love to do is to serve a "Christmas" meal at odd times of year. We had some good friends for dinner this past Sunday and I decided to celebrate their company with one of the rib roasts stashed in the freezer. Whenever I do this, I go whole hog and make a dinner fit for the groaning board of an English country estate. There is, of course, the roast, but authenticity demands Yorkshire pudding, and the "pud" demands a gravy we find too heavy for the juicy rare, red beef we so enjoy. I make the gravy a day or two before the meal, while the wine sauce is a task for the morning of the feast. Potatoes, too, are made early on and sit in a slow cooker protected by a shallow puddle of cream that keeps them milky white for serving. I do, however, postpone the puddings till the last possible moment. While they can be made ahead of time, we prefer ours so freshly warm and moist you can almost hear them begging to be drowned in gravy. They share the oven with chunks of roasting carrots whose preparation is sheer simplicity, but whose color adds brightness to what can easily become a beige meal. While many think it unnecessary, we are salad folk and I think the meal demands shades of crisp greens to make it complete. To be honest, the salad, made with watercress and Belgian endive, is nearly as expensive as the beef and actually more work to make, but I can't prepare this meal without knowing it will grace my table. I generally make rolls of some type for the feast and dessert depends on the whims or dietary restrictions of the folks sitting at my table. This past weekend we had a luscious pear torte and a creamy lemon pudding to end the meal. I can't feature all these recipes in one post, so I thought I'd pick and choose and share those for the roast and its various sauces with you today. I have several recipes for standing rib roast, but I recently resurrected this one which is failproof. I think you'll enjoy its flavor and ease of preparation. Here is how it's made.

Roast Prime Rib of Beef...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Jeff Smith

Ingredients:
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 8-9 lb beef rib roast, bone in - room temperature
1 cup peeled yellow onion cut in 1/8-inch slices

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2) Rub seasonings on roast in order listed. Cover top surface with sliced onions. The onions prevent surface layer from charring.
3) Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and roast 1 hour more. Reduce oven again to 300 degrees F. and roast about one hour more or until beef registers 115 degrees F. for rare rare in the center when tested with a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and tent with foil, allowing roast to stand allow to stand 15 minutes in a warm place. Slice and serve immediately with wine sauce or horseradish Sauce (below).

Wine Sauce for Beef

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
Salt to taste

Directions:
Bring beef stock and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 2 cups. Add any pan drippings from rib roast to the sauce. Strain sauce and skim off as much fat as possible. Add salt to taste. Serve with rib roast.

Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill and serve with the beef.