Ann Seranne's Bone-in Prime Rib Roast

 

Ann Seranne was born in Ontario in 1913. She moved to the United States in 1936.  She became famous for two things: dogs and food. She was a very serious breeder of Yorkshire terrier show dogs. And she was a serious lover of all things having to do with food. She earned her living as a food consultant and eventually became the editor of Gourmet Magazine.

But she is little remembered these days, for she was a one-hit wonder in the vein of Billy Ray Cyrus and his song "Achy Breaky Heart". But, oh, what a hit she had. She single-handedly created the greatest recipe for medium-rare prime rib. Published in the New York Times in 1966, it was revolutionary. It was beyond simple. And absolutely foolproof.

Her recipe called for blasting the bone-in roast at 500º for a brief period and then turning off the oven...leaving the beef undisturbed for 2 hours. Unbelievably perfect medium-rare, every single time. Plus you can carve the roast the minute you take it out of the oven because it has already been resting for 2 hours.

For this recipe to work, your prime rib roast must be bone-in. You can cook it with the bones intact or do what I do... I have the butcher cut the bones and then tie them back to the roast. That way, I can just make a couple of snips of the butcher's twine and carve the roast up....reserving the ribs for a later snack that only I will get to enjoy.

Ingredients

One, 2 to 4 rib, beef prime rib roast, weighing 4 to 12 pounds

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Au jus and horseradish for serving

Directions

1. The day before you are going to cook the roast, unwrap it and set it on a wire rack inside a cookie sheet. Salt the entire roast generously with Kosher salt. Place roast, uncovered, back in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight.
2. Remove the roast from the refrigerator 4 hours before cooking and let it come up to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
4. Place the roast in an open, shallow roasting pan, fat side up (bone-side down). You don't need a roasting rack as the bones will serve that purpose.  Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
5. Put the roast in the preheated oven (on the second lowest rack) and roast for 5 minutes per pound ( e.g., a 6-pound roast would cook for 30 minutes at 500º). When the cooking time is finished, turn off the oven. Do not open the door at any time. Allow the roast to remain in the oven for two hours. The roast will have a crunchy brown outside and a perfect internal temp of 130º. Remove the rib portion from the roast, then slice and serve with au jus and horseradish.

NOTE: Prime rib prices are through the roof right now, so make sure your oven is accurate so you don't wreck the roast. Buy an oven thermometer (they cost less than $10 on Amazon) and verify that 500º on the oven dial is the same as 500º in the oven. The perfect 500º temp is required to make the recipe foolproof.

Wine Pairing: Barolo

Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash

 

Hungarian Goulash originated with Magyar herdsmen (gulyás) in the 9th century. It was cooked in large metal cauldrons over fires using tough cattle meat harvested from their herd. Seasoned simply with paprika, onions, salt and caraway seeds...it evolved from a simple peasant stew to become a permanent symbol of Hungarian identity. 

While it is often served in a simple bowl (like chili), it pairs very well as a hearty topping on top of pasta. Buttered egg noodles are always a hit...or for a little European flair, try spaeztle (which is a German potato pasta). 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2-1/2 pounds chuck roast, cut in 1-inch cubes

Salt and pepper

2 medium onions, sliced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon hot paprika

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds (mortar and pestle)

Optional for thickening/thinning goulash gravy: Potato flakes or extra beef broth (see #5 below)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat half the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Liberally season the stew meat with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the beef chunks in the oil until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Add to slow cooker.
2. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the onions and garlic. Cook the onions until they're soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika, smoked paprika, and thyme to the pan and mix well with the onions, cooking for an additional minute. Add to slow cooker. 
3. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and some of the beef broth. Using a wooden spatula, scrape loose all the bits of flavor and spice. Pour this liquid into the slow cooker.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker: remaining beef broth, tomato paste, both paprikas, thyme, bay leaves and crushed caraway seeds. Stir to mix throughly. Then cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. After 8 hours, taste goulash and add salt and pepper to taste. If you want your goulash gravy thicker, add potato flakes, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each add. If you want your goulash gravy thinner, add beef broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each add.  
6. Divide into bowls and serve. Alternatively, the goulash can also be served on plates over buttered egg noodles or spaetzle.

Wine pairing: Syrah