Some years ago when we spent a lot of time in England the Queen was coming to the seaside town, where we had a condo, to commemorate a historic occasion. As part of the event somebody decided, for some not clearly defined reason, it would be a good idea to present my wife and me to the Queen along with a few other couples. This occasion required a dinner for friends and business associates and we planned a party which grew to about 100 people.My English staff handled most details but my wife and I declared that we needed to be involved in planning the meal and working with the caterer.
As Americans with interest in food preparation we had ideas about what should be served at our party. At the dinner planning meeting, the English members looked at us with a degree of puzzlement when we asked for suggestions to consider. It was then stated that, “Buck: The fish will, of course, be Scottish salmon and the meat will be beef” There was not any expectation of other items to be considered. I suggested that I wanted the event to be more than mundane and Roast Beef would be a little ordinary. My administrative assistant Lauren asserted, in her dominating imperial fashion, that the Beef would not be mundane and she would arrange for an accompaniment that would make it especially memorable.
It turned out to be a great meal with Roast Beef done to perfection. Shortly before the beef was served two fierce looking Asian military warriors appeared fully dressed in their Class A uniforms with short swords and each carrying a bagpipe. Answering my look of surprise Laura (with a grin) explained that this beef dish would be one not soon forgotten. The pipers she had engaged for our dinner from the Royal Gurkha Rifles would see to that. The pipers started playing and the beef was served to the Gurkha piping. It seems that an old tradition of the Nepal Gurkha Rifles was to Pipe in The Beef. We have never served beef at home, or anywhere, since then without first checking for bagpipes.
You are on your own finding Gurkha Bag Piping Soldiers but here is a Rib Roast beef recipe that will impress without pipers.
Ingredients;
6-8 pound bone-in prime rib roast
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
For the Sauce
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horse radish
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
Preparation:
Step 1. Preheat oven to 450’
Step 2. Rub roast generously with salt and pepper
Step 3. Lay meat in roasting pan, ribs down and roast for 20 minutes
Step 4. Lower temp to 325′, roast for an additional 18 minutes per pound (med-rare)
Step 5. Check temp of meat with thermometer and remove from oven when internal temp is 115’
Step 6. Cover pan with foil and set on top of stove for another 10-15 minutes. The roast will continue cooking and juices set. The meat is finished when the internal temp is 125’
Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Taste test and add more horseradish if desired
Service: Cut meat into slices and serve with the sauce and fresh green beans. To really live is up, a baked potato or mashed potatoes will be a traditional finishing touch.
Afterthought: Some think that the roast is improved with a bit more seasoning. An extra step would be to create an interesting paste to cover the roast before cooking. If you are interested try this–
In a food processor mince
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 teaspoons Sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Then add
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Process all ingredients to form a paste
Coat the roast on the top and sides with the paste and then follow the roasting instructions.
The photo of the Prime Rib was from www.beefretail.org a good site for beef info
