Slow Prime Rib

Another Christmas has come and gone. I hope all of you had a restful day, nothing too stressed, few family arguments, much laughter and memorable moments.

I spent my day with my immediate family and we enjoyed a classic Prime Rib Roast with the usual fixins' and some Greek touches.

For as long as I can remember, I've been doing Prime Rib as instructed by my father and his years of wisdom working in the restaurant industry.

My Pops & I have these "debates" about how to approach a dish or while watching a cooking show "if this dish goes with that ingredient".

Can you say generation gap?

Pops usual line is, "when I was working in the restaurant we NEVER did that, we would do it.....blah-blah-blah".

Yesterday, I had to keep him far away from the stove as the Prime Rib was roasting. You see, my dad likes to sneak into the kitchen and peak at what's being cooked and sometimes he make "adjustments" to a meal.

It could be anywhere from turning up or lowering heat, uncovering a simmering pot or opening an oven to check on a cake (Shreek)!

Prime Rib is one of those dishes whereby one always seeks to improve or perfect this wonderful, satisfying Sunday (or holiday) meal.

My inspiration for my Quantum Leap in Prime Rib came from recently watching an episode of Foodies, as shown here in Canada.

The hostess Lesia recently did her own Prime Rib and she too joined the chorus of those who prefer low & slow cooking.

I've read a myriad of methods or roasting Prime Rib, most divided into two camps: low and slow or fast & high heat. Oh there are cooks who combine a bit of both methods and I'd say I fall in the middle too.

You see, I'm still not convinced that roasting a Prime Rib entirely at 280F will give me a deep-brown Prime Rib that's juicy and cooked to perfection in the middle. During my Prime Rib experimentations, I've ended up with a Roast that ends up "Mcdonald's grey"...not a turn-on.

So, until I see or taste a better Prime Rib, I'm now going to go with this approach: a blast of high heat and then lower your oven for a slow gentle roast of your Prime Rib.

In my opinion, part of being a good cook (and offering delicious food) is to be pragmatic, not to be a 'know it all' and keep an open mind about improving upon family favourites. Pride has no room in the foodie's kitchen.

It's all about the "pursuit of delicious food", right?

Prime Rib Roast au Jus With Yorkshire Pudding

1 Prime Rib Roast, cap on - bone in
sea salt
black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp. of chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. of fresh thyme

Yorkshire Pudding
(makes 12)
4 eggs
2 cups of milk
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of salt
beef drippings
1 muffin tray

1. Ensure that the Prime Rib has been brough to room temperature before roasting. Season the cap only (not sides) of your beef with the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders and rosemary and thyme. Pre-heat your oven to 500F and set the rack in the middle position (ensure an evenly cooked roast).
2. Insert a meat thermometer into the top of the roast, right in the center. Place your roast in the oven and turn the oven light on. Keep the oven closed (some smoking will occur) and watch for the moment when your roast turns a deep brown colour (20-30 minutes).
   
3. Once your roast has achieved that deep-brown colour, reduce the oven's temperature to 260F. About an hour into roasting, add enough hot water to just cover the rib bones at the base (this will create your roast beef jus).
   
4. Allow the roast to cook until the thermometer has reached an internal temperature of 130F for rare, 150F for medium-rare and 170F for medium-well.
5. Carefully take your roast out of the pan and place on a large plate/platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 50-60 minutes (don't worry, the meat will still be warm at service).
6. Use this time to make your jus and Yorkishire Puddings. Pour the beef drippings from the roasting pan into a fat separator and reserve the separated beef jus and fat (separately).
7. Drop 1 Tbsp. of beef drippings into each muffin cup and pre-heat your oven to 400F. Add your flour and salt in one bowl and your eggs & milk in another bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients to blend and then whisk dry ingredients into wet and set aside.
8. When your oven has reached 400F, place your muffin tray on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the muffin tin and pour equal amounts of Yorkshire batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 30 minutes or until the Puddings have puffed up to a lovely golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve in a basket at your dinner table.
9. Pour the beef jus into a pot and add 2-3 bay leaves anf bring to a boil. Taste for to adjust seasoning (add water if too salty or add some beef base or boullion to enhance) and reduce by a third. Keep warm until dinner service and remove bay leaves.
   
10. To carve your Prime Rib, cut off the butcher's twine and place the roast upright on it's side to expose the rib bones vertically. Secure the roast with a fork and cut off the rib bones and reserve for making beef stock and a Beef Barley Soup.
11. Now flip the roast back to it's natural sitting position and remove the fatty cap. Carve your slices of beef and arrange on a platter. Serve with Yorkshire Pudding and the gravy boats full of jus.
    

Seafood Pie With Rösti Topping

Last year I recall seeing many seafood & fish pie dishes being presented by my Brit friends 'oer across the pond. To all of you, each and every pie you baked had me salivating and I promised you all and myself to add this dish to my roster.

The kicker for this dish is what the book calls a "rösti" topping. For those not in the know, rösti is a Swiss dish of grated potato, usually mixed with butter or animal fat and fried into lovely patties of spud goodness.

This seafood pie emulates that taste and texture on the topping. Many fish & seafood pies get the mashed potato topping but when I read this technique, I loved it from the the "get go" and the result is a textured, fab looking topping that will please the eye and the belly on these cold autumn nights.

The dish comes from a book called Easy Entertaining by Julia Aitkens. There are few few photographs in the book but it's jammed with many simple dishes that will WOW your guests with little effort.

This recipe originally called for smoked salmon - I had smoked mackerel. It's all good as long as you added something smoked for the proper flavour mix.

Seafood Pie With Rösti Topping

Filling
1 1 1/4 cups of cold milk
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1lb cod, haddock or other white fish 8oz. raw shrimp, peeled & deveined 8oz. of bay scallops
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed & rinsed)
4oz. of smoked salmon
3-4 bunches of scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced dill pickles
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 large bay leaf
1 clove of garlic

Topping
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1/3 cup of melted butter
salt and pepper

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. For the filling: In a large sauepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk, wine and flour, bay leaf and whisk until smooth. Stir in butter and bring to a boil while whisking and the mixture becomes smooth and bubbly. Reduce to medium and whisk for a couple of minutes until it thickens.
2. Add the fish and seafood, mixed vegetables, scallions, herbs, pickles and Worcestershire, salt and pepper and stir gently. Taste & adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf and garlic clove. Spoon/pour the mixture into a 11 by 7 inch baking lined with parchment.
3. For the topping: Add the potatoes (skin on) to a large pot of water and fill with enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and add salt and boil for 15-20 minutes, until just under-cooked. Drain and place in cold water to cool down just enough for you to safely handle them.
4. Peel the skins off the potatoes with the aid of the back of a knife and using the largest holes of your box grater, grate the potatoes evenly over the surface of your seafood pie mixture.
5. Using a brush, dip it in your melted butter and sprinkle over top of your potato topping. Lightly season the topping with salt and pepper and place in your pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes. If necessary, heat the broiler and the broil your seafood pie for 2-3 minutes to get a golden-brown topping.
6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into portions and serve immediately with a dry white wine.
   

Shepherd's Pie

I've been emotionally scarred. My father worked all his adult life in the restaurant biz. My father also rarely dines out.

My dad has witnessed many kitchen nightmares and on occasion, he'd share his experiences. Don't get me wrong, I still eat out but I know a few things to look for in a clean restaurant and some foods one should avoid.

I'm sure you've heard this one but if you're dining at a new place, have a quick look into the bathroom and see what the condition is like. The bathroom and kitchen are cleaned by the same staff. You do the math about how the state of the kitchen will be where you're about to eat.

Shepherd's Pie. My father told me to never order it if it was the "special" on a Monday. You see, the leftovers would get ground-up and used to make a Shepherd's Pie special, usually on a Monday.

If you see it on special on an other day, chances are you're getting a decent meal but then again...did you check the bathroom?

Here's my take on Shepherd's Pie. This time I was under close scrutiny from restaurant Nick (my dad) and in his senior years, he's become quite fussy. Without a doubt, restaurant Nick has to be my toughest customer but he grudgingly approved of the meal.

Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with ground lamb but I've grown up eating it with ground beef. This dish is also known as Cottage Pie and after reading numerous recipes on both sides of the recipe ledger, I can only conclude that the same dish is called Cottage Pie in the UK and Shepherd's Pie, 'oer here in the Colonies.

Shepherd's Pie is a layered, all-in-one meal. You get meat, veggies and starch (potato) - all in one serving. I found the dish quite easy to make, with the toughest part being the piping of the mash potato with the icing bag.

You can surely use a spatula but I find that this action can make your pie layers uneven. My only last note is to use at least 6 medium to large potatoes. The last thing you want is to find out you're piping out the topping and you've run of of mashed potato.

Beyond that, grab some ground beef, thaw some frozen veggies and boil some potatoes...it's Shepherd's Pie tonight!

Shepherd's Pie

Potato Topping
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup half/half cream
1 Tbsp. butter
pinch of nutmeg
sweet paprika for topping

Vegetable Filling
2 1/2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)

Meat filling
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1kg. lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. dry thyme
1 heaping Tbsp. of flour
1 cup of beef stock
1/2 cup mushroom stock (from a bouillon cube)
1 Tbsp. of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
14" X 12" baking dish

1. Get a pot of water boiling. Add salt to the water when it boils and add your potatoes. Cool until done. Make them into mashed potatoes, keep warm and reserve.
2. Get a large skillet on medium heat and add your oil, onions, celery, carrots and bay leaves, some salt and saute for about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add your garlic and ground beef and turn the heat to high and brown your meat while stirring. When your meat has browned, add your thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and stir for a couple of minutes.
4. Now add your flour and stir it in to incorporate. Add your beef and mushroom stock and allow the beef mixture to simmer on medium heat until you get a thick, almost gravy-like sauce. Take off the heat, remove bay leaves and reserve.
5. Preheat your oven to 375F.
6. Assemble your Shepherd's Pie by spreading out the meat mixture on the bottom, then layout your mixed vegetables in the middle and finally using a piping bag, top your Shepherd's Pie with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with sweet paprika, which will give your topping a beautiful brown colour.
7. Place in the oven on the middle-top rack and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let your pie rest for 20 minutes before serving.