Well, it just so happens that last weekend was the perfect opportunity for such incapacitated cooking. It all started with my holiday party on Saturday night-- now, I won't get into the details of what exactly happened at said party, but let's just say I woke up in half an elf costume with Lorenzo licking frosting off my face.
Anyway, Sunday morning, still slightly wobbly, I decided to embark on Beef Adventure #2. You may remember that Beef Adventure #1 was slightly underwhelming, and not nearly special enough for Christmas dinner. This time, I wanted to up the beef ante, and decided to try a prime rib roast.
Now, normally I would just call up my butcher Mike, my personal meat hotline, but I was a little wary after a questionable sausage experience a few months ago. However, there was a torrential downpour outside, and I took it as an opportunity for Mike to prove his worth.
Mike Verdict: Solid
Long story short, we had a nice long meat chat and patched things up, and within an hour a delivery boy showed up at my apartment with an enormous side of beef, a whole lamb shoulder, kitchen twine, and a bottle of aspirin. Mike, your good name has been restored.
So what makes prime rib 'prime'? Well, USDA prime is the best grade of the best cut of beef there is, and we all know how I have no history at all of screwing things up, so clearly this was the cut for me.
Prime Rib was surprisingly not that difficult, or very different from any other roast. Sear all over and roast on low heat for a really long time. Make a sauce from the pan drippings. Yawn.
However, this cut truly was prime, and the results were fantastic.
Sticking with the whole retro theme, I made Yorkshire Puddings and brussel sprouts to go with the beef. By the way, have you ever had yorkshire pudding? Whhoooa, are those things good! Why dont I make everything with beef drippings?
Finally, it was time for my favorite part of hungover cooking Sundays, the hair of the dog. A nice bordeaux totally changed my outlook on life; a couple sips in I began to consider a shower, or even going outside someday.
But back to beef. Ok, maybe I could have done a better job on plate presentation, but all in all this meal was a huge step up from the last Beef Adventure. The beef was superb, the yorkshire puddings chewy and beefy, and, well, brussel sprouts are always good. I would tweak a few parts of the recipe and maybe add another side dish, but this, my many many readers, is close to a winner. Let's take a little look see at the old Christmas dinner rubric:
Conclusion:
Retro....Or Classic?
1= Totally Half Ass 2=Unimpressive 3= Meh. 4=Pretty Good 5=Blew Me Away
Specialness: 4
Tastiness: 4
Technical Difficulty: 3
Number of Dirty Dishes: 1
Average= 2.4/5. Note: If I tried, I could produce many more dirty dishes and easily bring this meal up to a 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment