The Best Prime Rib Ever!

5 Bone 40 Day Dry Aged Prime Rib!

The Torching of the Prime Rib, Click below to watch the Video.

McCalls Yule Log

Fabulous Wines

Leftover Beef Stroganoff became Roast Beef Hash!

Roast Beef Hash

Appetizers with Truffle Honey

Cheese from Scott and Tom

Brown Butter Hazelnut Cake from Proof

Leftover Prime Rib became Beef Stroganoff

I wanted Prime Rib, and Cathy found an outrageous recipe in Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home Cookbook for Blow Torch Prime Rib. It requires you to use a blow torch to sear the meat before you place it in the oven. You aren’t supposed to brown the meat just seal in the juices. I had to go to our local hardware store to buy a blow torch. As you can see from the short movie clip, it really works. I was afraid I would burn down the house, but it was safe to use.

Robert isn’t supposed to eat meat or drink wine, but he fell off the wagon for this superlative meat-a-thon. This was also one of Bea’s first trips out since her hip surgery. Tom and Scott also joined us.

We purchased 40 day old dry aged prime rib from McCall’s Meat and Fish. It was a huge 10-1/2 pound 5 bone prime-rib. It was enormous, tender, delicious and expensive! It was worth it.

Robert and Darryl brought Homemade Guacamole and Chips to start us off. We then had Butternut Squash And Tomato Soup. This is a wonderful thick Moroccan soup. You can find the recipe in our blog of: October 26, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.

We then had the Prime Rib - it was succulent and delicious! With the Prime Rib we served Garlic –Mashed Potatoes. This recipe from the Balthazar Cookbook, is the best. You can find the recipe on our blog of: November 12, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Bea brought excellent wine and we provided wines to go with the dinner. For dessert we had a Yule Log from McCalls. And Tom and Scott brought a Pear Tart. It was an amazing dinner.

We had served 7 people from the Prime Rib and we sent Bea home with leftovers.

I then had 2 Prime Rib Sandwiches made from the leftovers. They were delicious.

We then made Beef Stroganoff and 5 people over for the Beef Stroganoff. We used the recipe from Julia Childs to make it. You can get the recipe for the Beef Stroganoff from our blog entry of September 3, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

We now had leftover Beef Stroganoff, Cathy realized with the meat, mushrooms and Cream, it could for the bases for Roast Beef Hash! So the Prime rib leftovers morphed again into Roast Beef Hash.

Once again we used a Julia Child recipe, this time for Corned Beef hash, substituting the Beef Stroganoff. Superb! You can get the recipe on our blog of: September 29, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

The Prime Rib provided us with many great meals!

Blowtorch Prime Rib Roast

Ad Hoc at Home

Thomas Keller

One 2-bone center-cut rib roast (about 4-1/2 pounds), trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Gray salt or coarse sea salt

Horseradish Cream (recipe follows)

I cook rib roast in a very low oven to ensure that it is a rosy medium-rare from the very center almost to its outer edges. But we like the dark caramelized surface, for flavor and for visual appeal, which is typically achieved through roasting at high heat. We discovered that if you start by giving meat a quick heating using a blowtorch, though it won't look particularly brown after the toasting, it will develop a beautifully browned surface even in that very low oven.

Propane torches are inexpensive and easy to use. Available at most hardware stores, they usually cost less than $20; replacement cylinders are usually less than $5. Avoid the smaller butane-fired torches sold at gourmet shops; propane torches are more effective. You can use a torch for caramelizing sugar on creme brulee, browning meringue, and, as we do, giving a crust to your roast beef. Be sure to store your torch in a safe place.

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F.

Put the roast on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Hold a blowtorch about 1 inch from the roast and turn to lightly brown the fat on all sides; the idea is to start the fat rendering and to torch the meat just until the surface begins to turn gray. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven, with the meat toward the back of the oven, and cook until the roast registers 128°F in the center. The total cooking time will be about 2 hours, but begin to check the temperature after 1-1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes for medium-rare.

To carve, cut the meat away from the bones. Separate the bones and put them on a serving platter. Cut the roast in half through the center, turn each piece cut side down, and slice straight down into slices that are about V2 inch thick. Arrange the meat on the platter and sprinkle with gray salt and pepper. Serve with the horseradish cream on the side.

horseradish cream

1/2 cup very cold heavy cream

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

About 1/4 cup drained prepared horseradish

½ teaspoon fleur de sel, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

This is a basic, and very easy, horseradish sauce—prepared horseradish and cream, seasoned with salt and pepper and a little bit of sherry vinegar. It goes especially well with grilled or roasted beef, like this prime rib roast, and the Peppercorn-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Put the heavy cream and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk until the cream holds a soft shape. Whisk in the horseradish, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week, makes about 1 cup.

Note

When you season food with salt (or other seasonings, for that matter), whether the food is raw or cooked, always season from high above the food to ensure an even distribution. By contrast, when you hold your hand right over the food as you sprinkle the salt, the seasoning winds up concentrated in a smaller area.

Hungry Cat Salad

Once again we made the Hungry Cat Salad. This is another favorite salad of ours. You can read about why it is called The Hungry Cat Salad on our blog post of: November 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Two Winter Salads and Risotto of the Vigil

Every year around Christmas Time we make Risotto of the Vigil. It has a lot of ingredients in it, but it is worth the effort. You can find the recipe on our blog of: December 22, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. We had for several nights (it makes great leftovers). One night we had a Pear Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts, another night we had a Shredded Radicchio with Anchovy Vinaigrette, Bread crumbs, & Sieved Egg  You can find the recipe for the Radicchio Salad on our blog of: Jan. 11, 2007, click the date to get the recipe.

Sausage and Mushrooms with Polenta

We decided to make Sausage and Mushrooms with Polenta. McCall's has wonderful house made sausage. This is a very hearty dish, that reheats well. I love sausage, this is a great preparation.
You can find the recipe on our blog of: Feb. 25, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Pork Stew with Prunes

This is a favorite winter recipe. I love the Polenta with the Pork and Prunes. Of course we got the meat at McCall's Meat and Fish. You can find the recipe on our blog of: September 26, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Brisket Soup

Lets start with the basics. MAKE THIS SOUP! It is called exactly what it is: Brisket Barley Soup with Crispy Kale. We found it in the New York Times. This is one of the best winter soups we made in a long time. It is delicious! We started with the best brisket possible from McCall’s Meat and Fish. I especially loved the crispy Italian Cavalo Nero that is crumbled over the soup just before serving. Everyone who tried the soup loved it. Serve this soup with a Red Wine and hot French Bread and you will be in heaven.

Brisket Barley Soup with Crispy Kale

New York Times

By MELISSA CLARK

SUMMARY

Making soup out of brisket has a major advantage over the usual braising: Because you are cooking the meat submerged in broth, it stays juicy. As it simmers, the brisket cubes soften enough so you can cut them with your spoon. The chewiest thing in the soup will be the barley, but in a good way. Some slabs of brisket comes more thoroughly trimmed than others, so you may have to do some knife work when you get it home. But fear not, if your broth ends up a little greasy, just chill it and then spoon the fat off the top when it’s cold.

TOTAL TIME

3 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

                        3 pounds brisket, fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

                        1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt, more as needed

                        1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, more as needed

                        3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

                        3 leeks, thinly sliced

                        2 celery stalks, diced

                        2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

                        3 thyme sprigs

                        2 bay leaves

                        2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

                        2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

                        2 medium turnips or kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

                        2/3 cup pearled barley

                        2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, more as needed

                        10 ounces Tuscan kale (1 large bunch or 2 small), ribs removed and leaves sliced 1-inch thick

PREPARATION

1.

Season brisket with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add brisket in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Drizzle in additional oil if pan seems dry. Transfer browned meat to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add leek, celery and garlic to pan; cook until soft, about 7 minutes.

3.

Return meat to pot. Pour in 12 cups water, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, part covered, for 1 hour. Stir in carrots, parsnips, turnips, barley and remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer until barley is cooked through and meat is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Stir in vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

4.

Just before serving make the kale: heat oven to 450 degrees. Make sure kale is very dry, then toss kale with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. Spread it out on one or two baking sheets. It should fit in one layer without crowding. Roast until leaves are crisp in places (some spots will still be soft), 5 to 10 minutes. Serve kale on top of soup.

YIELD

8 servings

Thai Fried Rice

When ever we eat at Mozza’s Chi Spacca we seem to order the fantastic and huge Tomahawk Pork Chop. It is more than Cathy and I can eat. We bring home the leftovers and make Thai Fried Rice. I like this version of fried rice because it is spicier than Chinese fried rice and has the zing of the lime juice that is squeezed on it at the end – just before serving. We use the recipe for: Fried Rice with Crab from Thai Street Food by David Thompson. We simply substituted the Crab with Pork. You can the recipe from our blog of April 4, 2013. Simply click the date to get the recipe.

Thai Turkey Soup

Shumon joined us for dinner. We made turkey stock from the carcass of our Thanksgiving Turkey. We froze half of the tasty stock to use later in the year. With the other half we made one of my favorite soups: Thai-style Turkey Soup with Tamarind, Lemongrass and Fragrant Herbs from the Los Angeles Times. This is a very rich and delicious soup. You can read the recipe on our blog of: November 25, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe. I hope you make it, you will like it.

With the soup we served left over Risotto. You can't serve a South Asian too much rice!