Sunday night friends came over and set up my new computer. Yay she says!!!!No more unplugging my computer to unfreeze it; no more squinting to see the monitor.... Some of my favourite blogs I have been unable to visit because the "dinosaur" made it impossibly frustrating to view them..the process from page to page was just tooooooooooo long. Now I can blog and Google to my hearts content. Is that a sigh of relief you hear.To thank my friends for hooking me up I made a prime rib roast dinner with garlic smashed potatoes, glazed carrots, Yorkshire pudding, sugar snap peas and two-mushroom gravy. My friend is lactose intolerant so I had to get a little creative in the dessert department. That recipe will come in a later post. I didn't take the time to take a photo...not even one...so you will have to use your imagination. To compensate I have included a photo of the main street of St. Jacobs in Ontario at Christmas last year.
Roast Prime Rib with Two-Mushroom Gravy & Herbed Yorkshire Pudding
1 4 1/2 pound prime rib roast of beef (2 ribs), trimmed and tied
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1 3/4 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Herbed Yorkshire Pudding
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup whole or low-fat milk
3/4 T minced chives
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 T unsalted butter
2 T vegetable oil
Gravy
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
4 T (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature, divided
10 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 T all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-salt beef broth
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 bunches fresh rosemary (for garnish)
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place roast, fat side up, on a roasting rack in a large, flameproof roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish, 3/4 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper with a whisk. Using hands or a pastry brush, coat entire roast with this mixture. Place roast in lower part of the oven and roast for 20 minutes to seal outside coating. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Continue roasting both the beef for 1 hour.
To make Yorkshire pudding batter, in a food processor or blender, combine flour, eggs, milk, chives, rosemary, and salt and mix well so that mixture is smooth. Place in a small mixing bowl and refrigerate, covered, for at least 45 minutes.
Continue cooking the roast for another 10 minutes, until rare to medium-rare. Remove roast from the oven, place on a carving board and cover with foil for 20 to 30 minutes (it will continue to cook and increase in doneness). Set aside the roasting pan; do not soak.
To make Yorkshire pudding, while roast is resting under foil, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place butter and oil in a shallow baking dish (copper works particularly well) and melt for 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately add chilled, whisked batter and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until pudding rises and becomes golden brown. Remove from oven and slice into four pieces.
To serve, slice beef into four servings, two of which will include ribs. Serve with Two-Mushroom Gravy and Herbed Yorkshire Puddings. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
To make Two-Mushroom Gravy
Combine 2 cups boiling water and porcini; let soak until mushrooms soften, about 20 minutes. Strain soaking liquid through fine strainer set over measuring cup; reserve porcini. If needed, add enough water to soaking liquid to measure 1 cup.
Coarsely chop porcini. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 6 minutes. Add porcini and garlic; stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Combine flour, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons crushed rosemary in small bowl; mash with fork to smooth paste. (DO AHEAD Porcini soaking liquid, mushroom mixture, and flour-butter mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill).
Set roasting pan atop 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add reserved 1 cup porcini soaking liquid, broth, and wine; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add mushroom mixture, then butter-flour mixture; whisk constantly over medium-high heat until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Pass mushroom gravy separately.
Serves 4
