Prime Rib Recipe - My thoughts on Christmas Dinner

For many years we celebrated Christmas dinner with a traditional roasted turkey, but most recently we have deviated from that segment of tradition by enjoying our Christmas Dinner of Roast Prime Rib.

 

Through the years spent in the food industry, I have witnessed in numerous research & development laboratories, attempts to shorten cooking time, injected compounds to enhance the flavor of the meat and other means of tenderizing and basically changing the structural composition of the Roast. Of course, being young and brave and enjoying the element of “change”, I enthusiastically joined in on the “taste tests” conducted before the “new improved” product would be introduced to the market place. Rarely did this type of product reach the retail market but these experiences firmly implanted in my mind the need for simplicity when it comes to standing rib roasts.

I do not casually use the terminology of “Prime Rib” in relationship to “standing rib roast” as being the same.  The similarity is, the standing rib roast I choose, is of Prime grade meat.  Because of the additional marbling of fat veins throughout the meat, the tenderness and flavor is, in my opinion, somewhat superior to the lesser grades most frequently available in the super markets. Therefore, I can refer to my roast as true “Prime Rib”.

As for other lessons learned, do not try to rush the cooking time by increasing the heat. The meat could possibly be more “chewy”, less moist as well as a less satisfactory flavor.

Remember “low and slow”, simply allow the extra time in your meal preparation

The seasonings should also be reasonably simple to prevent over riding the natural flavors of the roast. Following are a few suggestions from my kitchen for preparation of a Standing Rib Roast. Please consider the following as “tips” as I am not including a formal list of ingredients.

For a 6 lb roast:  Total cooking time 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Trust your instant thermometer.

Bring your roast to room temperature at least two hours before cooking. After an hour season with coarse salt and coarse cracked pepper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

The Rub:  In a small bowl combine 8 finely chopped garlic cloves, finely chop the leaves of 10 sprigs of thyme as well as the leaves of 10 sprigs of rosemary, and 2 T Olive oil. Whisk to blend then rub this mixture over the roast. Set aside.

Peel about 10 shallots but leave whole, about 10 Roma tomatoes halved and 4 T. unsalted butter cubed. Place this combination in the bottom of a roasting pan and evenly distribute. At this point you have a choice of using a rack over the vegetables or placing the roast directly on the vegetables (bone side down).

Cooking: Place the roast in the oven and cook for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and continue to cook, basting the roast every 30 minutes with the pan drippings, until a thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 115-120 degrees F for rare. Remove the roast from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, set aside to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

To serve:  place the roasted shallots and tomatoes on a platter, place the slices of roast alongside, season with coarse salt and pepper to taste, and if you are so inclined, drizzle with some good balsamic vinegar.

Tip: Guide for doneness other than rare.  120 to125 degrees F. for medium rare; 125 to 130 degrees F. for medium.  Please also consider my approach to this recipe as a guideline only.  Use your creative spirit and talents to create your own variation with other vegetables and herbs. Have fun with your cooking and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Happy Holidays and good eating.

Clark Williams

Fresh Fruit Tart Recipe - Revisited for Thanksgiving

Now that the weather is changing from summer to Fall and to Winter  (in some locations), and with the Thanksgiving Holiday coming on more rapidly than we planned, there will be more incentive for us to practice our baking skills in preparation for the “Big event”.

While reviewing my previous posts and comments from viewers, it became apparent there is a continuing interest in “tarts”, so this post is a follow up with a slightly different pattern.

The basic recipe remains the same only the construction of the tart is different.  Please keep in mind it is not necessary to try to duplicate the pattern as your creative skills can be put to the test to design one even more appealing to you.

As a reminder, Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for our bountiful food supply, our friends and family and the lovely followers of my blog. It is also a time to share with those less fortunate so they may also have a warm meal and a show of friendship.

Clark Williams, Personal Chef

Basic Tart Dough    

Ingredients:

1                                  Egg Yolk

1½ to 2 T                     Ice water

1 tsp                            Vanilla Extract

1 ¼  cups                    AP flour

1/3  cup                       Sugar 

¼ tsp                           Salt

8 T  (1 stick)                Butter, unsalted, cut into ½ “ cubes

Method:

In a small bowl, whisk the beaten egg yolk, water and vanilla and set aside.

Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until combined.  Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles oatmeal with some larger (roughly pea size) clumps.  Drizzle the yolk mixture over the flour mixture and pulse until dough forms a ball.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat it into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Use the dough immediately, or wrap it in a plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.  NOTE: the dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month.

When the dough has rested, lightly flour the work surface and your hands, and flatten the disk.  Gently lift the disk and turn it over on to the floured surface.  Lightly dust the top of the dough and the rolling pin, then roll out until the dough is about 1/8” thick, gently lifting and occasionally turning the dough a quarter turn.  Roll the dough until it is approximately 2” greater than the diameter of the tart pan.

Press the dough into and up the sides of the tart pan and trim the excess with a sharp knife or by rolling the pin over the surface of the pan.

Bake at 350 F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is lightly brown.  Remember to prick the fresh dough with a fork before baking.  Set aside to cool completely.  Makes 1 9½” tart or 12 miniature tartlets

Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ cup              Confectioners sugar

1 ½ cups         AP flour

1 ½ sticks        Unsalted butter, softened and sliced

Filling:

1 pkg.              Cream Cheese (8 oz), softened

½ cup              Granulated sugar

1 tsp                Pure vanilla extract

Topping:          Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blueberries, raspberries

Glaze:

1 can               Frozen limeade concentrate (6oz) thawed

1 Tbsp             Cornstarch                 

1 Tbsp             Fresh limejuice

¼ cup              Granulated sugar                   

Whipped Cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F

For the crust:  In a food processor, combine the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and butter, process until the mixture forms a ball.  With your fingers, press the dough into a 12” tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides of the pan.  Pat until the crust is even.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling and topping:  Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth.  Spread over the cooled crust.  Cut the strawberries into ¼” slices and arrange around the edge of the crust.  For the next circle, use kiwi slices.  Add another circle of strawberries, filling in any spaces with blueberries.  Cluster the raspberries in the center of the tart.

For the Glaze:  Combine the limeade, cornstarch, limejuice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes.  Let cool.  With a pastry brush, glaze the entire tart.  You will not use all the glaze.

Refrigerate the tart.  About 15 minutes before serving, remove and slice into 8 wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8

 

English Hash - Recipes from 'back when'

While browsing through a dusty box recently, I discovered an old recipe book in which many of the recipes were handwritten.  That really means a group of recipes used by someone’s grandmother or mother for feeding the family or at church socials at a time when life was simple and the food was uncluttered by a myriad of chemicals we have to deal with in today’s world. 

Being a curious person, and because I had a few pieces of previously prepared beef and also being a big fan of Hash, I selected a recipe to try even though I was uncertain how to measure a “little bit” or “a pinch or two” so I began my adventure, undaunted about the unknown and was rather surprised (pleased) by the outcome. If you are curious, you can begin with the following:

                                                  English Hash

                                                  Circa 1934

“Cut in small dice one pound of roast beef, free from gristle, but mix with a small quantity of the fat part.  Fry one finely chopped onion in butter to a slight brown color, then add a heaping tablespoon of flour and fry together for two minutes.  Then add a cup of light gravy or rich soup stock, and stir well to obtain a sauce; add the beef and a tablespoon of ketchup and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.  Put this hash in a deep metal or fireproof china dish, cover it with mashed potatoes, to which the yolk of two eggs have been added, sprinkle with bread crumbs and melted butter, and bake for ten minutes in the oven so that the potatoes will be well browned”.

This is an exact replication of the recipe including the punctuation of the sentences. It seems sometimes when I happen upon old recipes, that we could do well by returning to the uncomplicated methods of creating foods for our pleasure, therefore I suggest considering  “a little bit of this “ and “a pinch or two” as being an integral part of your creative cooking process.

Clark Williams

Beer Can Chicken Recipe - One Two Cha Cha Cha

Beer Can Chicken

When my daughter comes to visit, she always asks me to make beer can chicken....now is it because she knows she gets to consume the excess beer or is it the fact that she likes to talk to the chicken like it's a dancing talking bird? Quite humorous.

The brand you choose should be one you like to drink and as the summer months are warm, a few extras on ice wouldn't hurt! 

Ingredients:

1                      3 ½-4 ½ lb. Fresh whole chicken       

1                      12oz. Can of beer

                        Dry seasoning rub

                        Butter for basting

Option               Handful of mesquite, hickory or applewood wood chips for smoking soaked in water for 1 hour and placed in a chip smoker box on the grates

Seasoning Rub:

3 T                   Black pepper

3 T                   Kosher salt     

1 tsp                Liquid smoke

½ cup              Brown sugar, tightly packed

½ cup              Spanish paprika

2 tsp                Granulated onion

2 tsp                Granulated garlic

1 tsp                Cayenne pepper

Tip:                 Combine the liquid smoke with the salt for even distribution of the smoke flavor then combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, set aside in tightly sealed container to prevent caking until ready to apply.

Method:

Preheat grill for indirect medium heat. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels, apply rub to the entire carcass making certain to put some inside the cavity. Fold the wings to the back of the chicken (no trussing necessary). 

Pour about 1/3 of the beer from the can to prevent the beer from boiling over during the cooking process. (It is your choice what to do with the 1/3 portion of beer). Insert the can of beer into the cavity. Place the chicken in an upright position on a metal tray (I use a foil pan with 1”sides which also serves as the drip pan), spread the legs to act as a support for the chicken while cooking. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting intermittently, or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees F.

Remove from grill and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully remove the beer can from the chicken paying particular attention to the contents of the can being very hot.

Cut, serve and enjoy.

**Note, the cook time in this recipe is for my grill. Many grills do not have high BTU's and will take longer to cook. You can always finish in a 350 degree oven if your cook times are not working as noted above.

Enter the wild world of blogging 101

A K A , retired old guy posts his first blog page.

My name is Clark Williams, also known as the foodie guy down the street. My neighbors seem to know when I am home and more so, when the next batch of pesto will be ready. My love of food stems back 50 + years while making my way through the food industry from blending spice compounds for a custom application to seeing  the final product emerge and tasting the blissful end results.

In my retirement years and with my love of all things food, I decided to persue becoming a personal chef just for the pure love of the craft. My intent was to fine tune the skills I had acquired in the food industry and take them to the personal level.

My first post will comprise of a tried and true recipe I wish to share, and if I don't break Blogger in the process, I look forward to coming back and sharing more.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ cup              Confectioners sugar

1 ½ cups          AP flour

1 ½ sticks        Unsalted butter, softened and sliced

Filling:

1 pkg.             Cream Cheese (8 oz), softened

½ cup             Granulated sugar

1 tsp               Pure vanilla extract

Topping:         Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blackberries, raspberries

Glaze:

1 can              Frozen limeade concentrate (6oz) thawed

1 Tbsp           Cornstarch                  

1 Tbsp           Fresh limejuice

¼ cup            Granulated sugar                     

Whipped Cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F

For the crust:  In a food processor, combine the confectioners sugar, flour, and butter, process until the mixture forms a ball.  With your fingers, press the dough into a 12” tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides of the pan.  Pat until the crust is even.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling and topping:  Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth.  Spread over the cooled crust.  Start your design from the edge inwards. Cut the strawberries into ¼” slices and arrange around the edge of the crust.  For the next circle, use kiwi slices. Add a circle of blackberries and raspberries finishing with a whole strawberry in the center to finish.

For the Glaze:  Combine the limeade, cornstarch, limejuice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes.  Let cool.  With a pastry brush, glaze the entire tart.  You will not use all the glaze.

Refrigerate the tart.  About 15 minutes before serving, remove and slice into 8 wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8