Herb Crusted Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

IndyScan.com always get lots of hits from people looking for holiday food ideas.  I first posted this back in 2008 and every December it gets several hundred views.  I thought I’d re-post this to make it easier to find for those of you looking for it.

The Red Wine Sauce takes time and effort but it’s totally worth it.  Don’t forget the Horseradish Cream Sauce too!

From 2008:

The holidays are the time to break out the big guns and impress your friends and family.  We cooked our first standing rib roast a few years ago rib-roast-rawand it’s the go to dish for at least one family gathering each year.  A standing rib roast is NOT a cheap cut of meat but you’ll be surprised how many people you can feed with one of these, so when you break it down per person it’s not as bad as you think.

You order your standing rib roast by the bone.  Plan on feeding 2 people  per bone and don’t go less than 3-4 bones or you might as well cook streaks.  A quality instant read thermometer is key to cooking the perfect roast.  You can ball park the doneness with a timer but only a thermometer will tell you how far the inside has cooked.  Do yourself a favor & don’t ruin an expensive piece of meat by winging it.

I keep it simple when cooking my roast:

Olive oil
Herbs de Provence
Salt
Pepper

That’s it!  Make sure you bring your roast to room temperature (30-45 min) before cooking or you can guarantee it will be raw when the outside rib-roast-cookedis done.

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Put beef, fat side up, in a small roasting pan and brush on a light coating of olive oil.  Sprinkle all over with salt,  pepper and herbs.

Roast beef 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and roast until thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 115°F, about 1 1/4 hours more.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and let stand, uncovered, 25-30 minutes.

Meat will eventually reach 125°F (medium-rare).

Adjust the cooking time accordingly to reach the desired doneness.  End pieces will be more done than the center pieces so you should be able to make everyone happy.

Be sure to accompany this roast with a delicious Red Wine Sauce.  Enjoy & happy holidays!

Horseradish Cream Sauce

This sauce is great on a lot of dishes, especially the Herb Crusted Standing Rib Roast.  It’s easy to make and keeps very well.  Adjust the amount of horseradish to suit your taste and, by all means, use the prepared stuff if you can’t find (or don’t want to deal with) the fresh stuff.

Ingredients
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated fresh horseradish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place all of the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.  Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks (if it even lasts that long)

Braised Short Ribs

It’s officially cold in the Hoosier State and that means I’m in the mood for hearty comfort food that makes the house smell incredible (and helps keep the winter blues at bay).  My wife and I had an incredible tasting menu at Pizzology last year (special New Years Eve event) and the Braised Short Ribs stood out to me more than everything else (although it was all very good).  After that meal I knew I had to try to replicate the dish and start serving it to the family on a semi-regular basis.

English Cut Short Ribs

There are two different types of Short Rib cuts.  The ribs can be separated and cut into short lengths (typically about 2 inches long), called an “English cut” or the “flanken cut” which is achieved by cutting across the bones (typically about 1/2 inch thick).  This recipe calls for the English Cut and will need 2 ribs per person.

Flanken Cut Short Ribs

Once reduced the cooking liquid can be thickened with a roux or served as is.  The ribs go very well with a starch such as mashed parsnips, or potatoes.

One of the most consistent source for English Style Short Ribs in Central Indiana has been The Fresh Market in Broad Ripple and Carmel.  Even if they don’t have them in the case just ask, they’ll most likely cut them fresh for you.

 Braised Short Ribs (serves 4)

1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon (Spend around $10-12)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 short ribs, trimmed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
Flour, for dredging
10 cloves garlic, peeled
8 large shallots, peeled, and split in half
2 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, peeled, and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs Italian parsley
4 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts unsalted beef stock or chicken stock
Freshly ground white pepper
Kosher Salt

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large casserole, large enough to hold 6 ribs, over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust the ribs with flour and then when the oil is hot, place the ribs into the pot and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until well browned.

Transfer the browned ribs to a plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot; lower the heat to medium, and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 6 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend.

Add the wine, browned ribs, and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil; cover the pot tightly, and slide it into the oven to braise for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard whatever fat may have bubbled up to the surface.

Carefully transfer the meat to a heated serving platter with a lip and keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it thickens and reduces to approximately 1 quart. Season with salt and pepper and pass through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids.

Pour the sauce over the meat. Serve with vegetables of your choice.

Carbonnade: Beef and Beer Stew

carbonnadeEnjoy this dish over fresh egg noodles and a glass of Chimay Red beer.  It’s rich and very flavorful.  I like to start this on Sunday around noon & enjoy for dinner later that day.  Leftovers reheat very well.  Never had enough left to freeze!

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 3 medium yellow onions sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
  • 1 1/2 cups (12 oz bottle) Belgian beer (Chimay Red works very well here)
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

1 Pat beef dry with paper towels, then season well with salt and pepper. On the stove top, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the meat, without stirring, about 3 minutes on each side (do not stir, give the meat an opportunity to brown well). Transfer browned beef to a separate bowl.

2 Add 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven; reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; cook until onions are browned, about 15 minutes. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay, browned beef with any of the accumulated juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a full simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, let cook for 2-3 hours until beef is fork tender. (Alternatively can cook in the oven at 300°F.) Stir occasionally, scraping up anything that is sticking to the bottom of the pan. About half an hour before it finishes cooking, add the mustard and brown sugar. Adjust seasonings to taste.

3 Discard thyme and bay leaf. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Can serve plain, with potatoes, over noodles, or over French fries.