Standing Rib Roast

Standing Rib Roast

I first roasted a rib roast for this past Thanksgiving dinner and I overcooked the meat 😦 . Oven temperature and roasting time is very important dealing with this expensive cut of meat. With so many different cooking methods out there, it’s so hard to choose the best one. Finally I decided to follow the one from Costco– the one they printed on the package of their seasoned rib roast… and I was so happy this time the meat turned out just right! Everyone gave it a thumbs up!! Richard and I have decided it’ll be on our Thanksgiving menu from now on… 🙂

It’s not required but I aged the meat in the fridge for about 6 days. It is said that aged prime rib gives a buttery flavor to the meat. Although it’s time consuming due to long roasting hours, but the ingredients are very simple. Give it a try next time when you see a rib roast in your grocery stores. Oh, meat thermometer is a MUST for this. You can find this kitchen gadget in many stores.

Happy New Year and all the best for 2011!!!

Standing Rib Roast (serves 6-7 people)

Ingredients:

7.5 lbs bone-in rib roast (must use bone-in for much better flavor)
cooking oil

seasoning rub (mix well):
1 tbsp freshly ground black peppercorns
1 tbsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Place oven rack to lower half (so the roasting pan is positioned in the middle of the oven).
2. Let the meat stand in room temperature for a few hours. Coat the meat with cooking oil, then rub the seasoning generously all over the meat.
3. Place the meat on a roasting rack, bone side down, inside a roasting pan. Roast at 500°F for 20-25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F and continue roasting, about 20 minutes per pound (It took me 2 1/2 hours to roast 7.5 lb of meat at 20 min/lb).
4. Remove the meat from the oven and check the meat using a meat thermometer to see if the roast  reaches desired internal temperature (see chart below). Let the meat rest by covering with 2 pieces of foil, for at least 20 minutes. The internal temperature will continue go up for 5° or so during resting (in my case, the thermometer read went from 135° to 140° during resting for medium cooked meat).
5. Separate the roast from the bones. Carve the roast and serve with au jus (see below).

To make Au Jus: Remove excess fat from the roasting pan and deglaze with 1 can of chicken broth, cook au jus on the stove until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Age Rib Roast: Rinse rib roast then pat dry with paper towels. Wrap the meat with paper towels and place it in a shallow pan in the fridge for at least 3 days. The longer it ages the flavor gets better. Change the paper towels everyday. On roasting day, trim off any discolored and/or dry part of the meat before coating with oil.

Thermometer Chart:
120 degrees for Rare
130 degrees for Medium Rare
140 degrees for Medium
150 degrees for Well Done

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Coconut Crunch 椰絲脆餅

This a new cookie recipe that I tried out during the holiday cookie bake maniac. It is very crunchy, but if you prefer your cookies a bit on the chewy side then bake them for a shorter time (maybe 15 minutes?). I find the cookies are still a little too sweet, so I will cut down on the sugars next time.

Coconut Crunch for the holidays!

Coconut Crunch (makes at least 5 dozens)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp dry milk powder
3 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 cup sugar– should cut down to 3/4 cup
1 cup packed brown sugar– should cut down to 3/4 cup
2 sticks (4 oz each) butter– softened
2 eggs

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and milk powder together. Stir in desiccated coconut and mix well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Add in flour mixture slowly and mix well.
4. take some dough and roll in your palm to a form a 1-inch diameter ball. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet, 2 inches apart (as cookies spread out flat during baking). Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. Bake in preheated 300°F oven for 18 minutes, turning half way to brown cookies evenly if necessary. Let cookies cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in air tight container.

Regina’s Note:

• If the cookies are not baked enough they will have a chewy texture– simply return to the 300°F oven and bake for a few more minutes until cookies are browned and crunchy.

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Tiramisu 提拉米蘇

Tiramisu

First, my apology for no picture posted in this entry… yes and again, I was rushing out the door for the party and forgot to take a picture of the dessert! I will update the blog with a picture when I make it next time as there’s still some marcapone cheese left in my fridge.

*** 12/31/2010 update: I posted the picture and also included the recipe for a smaller 9×9 inch square glass pan. Check the recipe below.***

With Christmas around the corner there is always a party in someone’s house. This is one of the dishes I brought to the holiday gathering. I made it the night before so no last minute stress of preparing. If you are making this dessert, be sure to use traditional Italian lady fingers which are crispy, as opposed to American lady fingers which are more of a cake texture and break apart when you dip them into the coffee.

I found this recipe from FoodNetwork.com. Generally tiramisu uses 6-7 raw eggs (eggs and yolks combined) but this recipe only uses 4 eggs(eggs and yolks combined). I change the preparing method a little– whisking eggs in a double boiler on the stove so to cook the eggs a little. If you can find pasteurized eggs it will be best to use for making tiramisu. By the way, do you know that ‘tiramisu’ in Italian means ‘pick me up!“?

Tiramisu Recipe— adapted from recipe from Steven Ullman (makes 1 glass tray of 9 x 13 x 2 inch)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
9 tbsp sugar
2 containers (226mg each) mascarpone cheese— see note below
1 cup heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
10 tbsp golden rum
2 cups espresso or very strong brewed coffee (4 heap scoop for 2 cups water)
4 dozen Italian lady fingers
unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

For a smaller 9×9 inch square glass pan:
Ingredients:
1 eggs
1 egg yolks
7 tbsp sugar–> 6 tbsp for eggs, 1 tbsp for whipping cream
1 containers (226mg each) mascarpone cheese– see note below
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
tiny pinch of salt
6 tbsp golden rum–> 1 tbsp for cream, 5 tbsp for coffee
1 1/2 cups espresso or very strong brewed coffee (4 heap scoops for 2 cups water)
2 dozens of Italian lady fingers
unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1. Place 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks and 7 tbsp sugar in mixing bowl over a pot with some boiling water (be sure water does not contact with the mixing bowl). Use a electric hand mixer, mix until the mixture reaches body temperature (very slightly warm). Remove from the pot, continue mixing until mixture forms a good ribbon stage. Mix in mascarpone cheese.
2. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar and pinch of salt until hard peak forms.
3. Add whipped cream and 2 tbsp rum to mascarpone cheese mixture, mix with hand mixer until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl combine coffee and 8 tbsp rum (see note below).
5. One at a time, quickly dip lady fingers into coffee mixture and then place on the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass pan. Continue until the lady fingers fill the entire layer on the bottom. Using a spatula spread half of the mascarpone cream over lady fingers. Repeat the process (dipping + cream) to make second layer.
6. Refrigerate 8-10 hours or overnight. Before serving dust the top generously with unsweetened cocoa powder (see note below). Serve cold.

Regina’s Note:

• Mascarpone cheese: I couldn’t find plain mascarpone cheese so I use coffee flavor mascarpone cheese instead.
• Coffee mixture: This dessert is not sweet at all. If you prefer a slightly sweeter version, add extra 1-2 tbsp sugar into the coffee mixture. Stir to dissolve.
• Cocoa powder: Always dust cocoa powder before serving for better presentation, as the cream will moisten cocoa powder over time and make the top of tiramisu look wet.
  

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