Inside My Mid-life Crisis

Wow, where does the time go? I can't believe it is almost summer! This whole working full time thing has got me very behind on all my fun stuff. I have a small quilt that has been on the frame for 2 months. Well, maybe I will get it done in time for Mia's NEXT birthday. You will see by the date on the photos that I have been meaning to do this blog entry for quite a while.

Here is a tutorial on my world renown Salt Crusted Prime Rib. You will also see them called a standing rib roast.
You will need: A roast; this one is about 4 pounds, Garlic, Black Pepper and Kosher Salt, meat thermometer and a baking pan.

 Here is the roast, that little strip on the left is called the lip (and is my favorite piece--yum)
 It is also bone-on. If this were a larger roast I would cut and tie it. This is when you slice the bones off the roast cutting right up against the bones so they all come off together--then you tie the bones back onto the roast with kitchen string during cooking. Cutting the bones off just makes it easier to slice and serve. Your butcher will also do this for you. Even at Fred's or Safeway- you just need to buy at a time when the butcher is at the store...
 Ahhh garlic. Peel several cloves of garlic (the more the merrier and it depends on the size of your roast.
  If the cloves are really fat I usually slice them in half LENGTHWISE.
Pierce your roast in an "X" about an inch into the meat , every couple inches. See the fat on the top? It's called the fat cap and you want to leave it intact (unless is super thick, then you could shave a bit off)
 Poke the garlic cloves into the X's
 This is where the term "garlic studded" comes into play...
 Next, LIBERALLY pat black pepper all over the top of your roast.
 Now for the salt crust- gather a bowl and some water.
 Gradually add water, stirring it into the salt until you can make a loose ball with it
 Now make a base layer of the wet salt about the same size as your roast in your baking pan- no need to grease the pan or anything.
 Place your roast on the salt bed, bones down, garlic on top
 Using a spatula, gently pat the wet salt on the top of the roast try to get at least a 1/4" thickness.
 Now, this is trickier, gently pat wet salt on the sides of the roast, some will fall of but try to get as much coverage as you can.
 It's very important to have a meat thermometer for a roast. Poke the thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the roast. roast in a 350 oven about 20 minutes per pound and pull the roast when the temp is about 130-- Then let the roast rest for at least 15-30 minutes out of the oven; it will continue to cook and the juices will settle bringing the temp up to 140 which will be med-rare in the very center--medium on the edges where the roast is smaller. The end cut is the 2 outside slices. Brant and Lindsay are "butt cut" eaters!
 Roast some lovely veggies to accompany your beautiful Prime Rib. I have Broccoli, Cauliflower, Red Onion, Fennel and Mushrooms with Olive Oil and Penzy Lemon Pepper for seasoning.
 Slice your veggies as close to the same size as possible. If you haven't tried fennel- you are missing out, its a real treat and very good this way.
 Place your sliced veggies in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and shake on the lemon pepper- don't be shy with your seasoning!
 This can go in the oven with your roast during the final 15 minutes and while the roast is resting. Toss the veggies around after about 15 minutes and test for doneness. Dont' overcook them, you want them to be a little al dente'
 I'm serving a terrific Alexandria Nicole 2009 A Squared Cabernet with this roast. It is almost brick color in the glass, aroma is plumb-y goodness. It was smooth with a slightly tannic finish. Not as complex as their other Cab- but it was less expensive and younger.
 OK- here is our rested roast. Pull the Thermometer out (might still be hot-watch out)
 Lift off the crust- see how the salt is now solid? Throw the salt away.
 I have now cut the bones off- If this had been cut and ties before cooking you would just have to cut the kitchen string and remove the. Bones go immediately into a zip back in the freezer- Beef Barley Soup is for another day! I will try to remember to blog it next time so you can see it. It's one of Brant's favorite of all the home-made soup I make.

 AAAAHHHH a perfectly medium rare prime rib roast. It don't get much better then this. Enjoy!

It's been a while since I posted--we have suffered a lot of drama, the loss of Blackberry, then the tragically unexplainable loss of Jack. It's been tough. We have little Geronimo now to keep our hearts happy. We pray for good health for him and cherish him everyday. Though I don't think Pete would use the same verbs....

Thank you Suezy for sharing the "Mushroom Crust Quiche" recipe...Here is my take on it, I have modified a bit...

3/4 lb fresh mushrooms coarsely chopped
4T butter
1/3 c fine dry breadcrumbs (I happened to have Italian flavored on hand)
1 c cottage cheese (I used low-fat)
1 c shredded Monterrey jack cheese (I used mozzarella and I think any would be fine)
1/2 c chopped green onions
5 eggs slightly beaten
Salt & Pepper
1/2 t cayenne (I used Chipotle instead)

 Sauté mushrooms in butter
 Stir in breadcrumbs when mushrooms are tender
Pat in to a tart pan or pie pan--spray with non-stick spray, I forgot and the eggs stuck all to the edges making the ring difficult to remove.
Combine remaining ingredients, stir and pour over mushroom crust
Bake 350 35-45 minutes--time really depends on your oven-mine is super hot so I spun it around after 20 minutes for an additional 10 minutes. Would have taken longer in a pie pan due to the depth of the filling.
Let stand for ten minutes then cut into wedges and serve with a slice of crusty baguette and salad or fruit.

ENJOY!

We survived another holiday season. Sadly we lost our beloved Blackberry and have welcomed a happy distraction, Jack. Now if our house can only survive another puppy!

I am writing this blog while at our Tony and Jan's cabin at the property waiting for the Hawks game to start. We have about 6 inches of snow up here and it is beautiful. Jack is enjoying his first trip to the property and made it around the loop, in a coat, in the snow. He did immediately take a nap upon our return.

Last night I made Jacques Pepin's Leek Soup- super easy and super good!

1 Leek (this one pictured was huge and made a double batch)
1 C sliced mushrooms (pictured is a cup of regular and a cup of chanterelles)
1 C Potato buds
4 C chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 T olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 C milk or Fat-Free Half & Half (optional)
Cut the "root end" off the leek. Slice leek lengthwise then crosswise in half inch sections. Rinse well to clean any mud and to separate the leek leaves. Leeks grow in the ground like an onion and are frequently muddy. This one was really clean.
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot and saute the leek and mushrooms until just tender. Add a dash of salt & pepper.
Add the chicken stock. It's OK to use vegetable or mushroom stock if you want to make vegetarian. Beef stock could also be used but I have never tried that. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. (BTBRTS if you are an Ann Burrell fan)
Gradually stir in the potato buds.  Simmer about 10-15 minutes.
Finish with a little milk or fat-free half & half (about 1/2c) if desired. I usually do.
Serve with crusty bread and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc-not too cold.
Brant even likes this soup cold or lunch-box temp; ala vichyssoise style!

Wine Corner-New Years Edition
Suezy treated us to a WONDERFUL wine for New Years. This wine was enjoyed with spaghetti sauce cooked all day long by my darling husband.

Abeja 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon- Columbia Valley; Walla Walla WA

Dark red/purple with a slightly blackberry aroma. The taste was complex with a lush, round mouth feel, well balanced acidity and smooth tannins as evidence of the little bit of age and the French Oak. A real winner. No longer available from the winery I will have to go on a quest to find another bottle or two and it will be well worth the effort! Thank you Suezy for sharing this special find with us!

Thanksgiving is a time when we reflect about how grateful we are for our many blessings. This year is certainly no exception at the Brothers house. We had all four generations of our women at the table. My amazing, patient, supportive and super handsome husband. A good family friend joined us and as usual we had a wonderful, bountiful feast in our lovely home with a cozy fire. We are truly blessed.

Lindsey shared her expertise with the shaker by making us all a pumpkin pie-tini...pumpkin pie vodka, whipped vodka, half & half and a splash of soda..shaken not stirred Moneypenny....and yes it was as rich as it sounds, just one please or you won't be able to remember eating dinner!

We have enjoyed a variety of nice wines over this long holiday weekend, here are a couple of the highlights!

Honorable mention but sadly no photo of the bottle:
2010 Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon, JL Giguiere Lake Country, Zamora CA
Dark red, blackberry aroma; medium acidity with full tannins and a dusty-chocolate finish.
I have "yum" written on the tasting notes ie the honorable mention!

2007 Steppe Cellars Semillion. This is one of our Club wines from Steppe in Yakima Valley.
This Semillion tastes just like fall to me. Straw yellow with a slightly melon aroma but an apple-pear taste. Creamy  with pleasingly crisp acidity. Nicely balanced but sturdy enough to hold up to lighter food such as the roast chicken it accompanied.

OK- Suezy, Theresa; get ready, this one is right up your ally......

2004 Castillo Clavijo Gran Reserva Rioja; Criadores De Rioja S.A-Alberite Spain
This was a "big red" suggestion to us by the gal helping us navigate our first trip to Total Wine & More. She was dead-on with this one and it may even be worth a special trip to Southcenter to get a couple more bottles.

As you can probably tell by the name, this is a Spanish red. It's an estate reserve (reserve actually means something on "old world" wines unlike here in the US...) red blend.

70% Tempranillo, 10% Garnache, 10% Granciano and 10% Mazuelo.  You may recall hearing me extol the virtues of a big Tempranillo on other wines, this did not disappoint. I read that the Tempranillo and Granche combo is classic Rioja zone blend but what about those other two??
Graciano is a low yield grape specifically used in Rioja Gran Reserva's to give the intense aroma and the ability to age well.
Mazuelo is what Carignan (karen-yawn) is referred to in Rioja region and what brings the tannins and
acidity to the blend.

I got a little nervous with this one as the cork was dry and broke when I pulled it. To capture any cork bits, I poured the wine through the strainer in my splayer and aerated it into the decanter.
I got all warm and fuzzy with the oaky aroma wafting up during the trip into the decanter. I was further buoyed by the brick red color traveling down the glass into a red brown pool...... then the pour into the glass, with oaky anticipation the swirl, the sip, the push of air to send notes to the epithelium...ok I'm down right wine giddy now as the tannins meet the oak, then a cedar-silky long finish, ahhhhhh a keeper.
OK what time does Total Wine open? I have to have a couple more bottles and at about $15 a bottle, not out of budget!

Fall has officially fallen in the Pacific Northwest. The rains have come, it's starting to get a little cooler though it is rather unseasonable warmish still. Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons. Time to get the soup pot and the crock pot out, the leaves are so lovely and best of all, NEW CROP APPLES!  My trip to the pumpkin patch yielded a variety of squash that will eventually become meal participants, but in the mean time a bountiful centerpiece when coupled with some leaves and twigs gathered during a park walk with Blackberry.

The first fall soup of the season was served a couple weeks ago. I found this "lighter" version of pumpkin soup in the Parade magazine. By their recipe, 6 servings at only 110 cal per serving. You don't get into real calorie trouble unless you eat it with pretzel rolls and fresh sweet cream butter....heh heh heh... is it any wonder I can't loose weight regularly!

I served the soup with roast chicken thighs and cauliflower. Cut any excess gross fat blobs off the chicken, score next to the bone to speed the cooking, season liberally with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and chopped fresh rosemary (Brita, go snip your plant..) Bake at 350 about 45 minutes while you prepare the soup.
The fat from the skin sends yummy goodness running over to the cauliflower without drowning it in fat. Brant says this is his new fave way to eat cauliflower...

Spiced Pumpkin Soup- my editorials will be in italicized blue...
1T canola oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 t minced garlic (one big clove)
1 t curry powder (sweet/yellow)
1 t cumin
1/4 t cardamon- I didn't have it, didn't use it and didn't miss it-I was not about to spend $9 bucks on a jar of a spice I would never use for a 1/4 t--skip it.
1/4 t salt (I use kosher of course)
1/4 t black pepper
2 C reduced fat/low sodium chicken stock/broth
1 15oz can of pumpkin (NOT pie filling, pure pumpkin!)
1 12oz can fat free evaporated milk
6 T plain,fat free Greek yogurt
**2/3 C light coconut milk- more later on this

In a large pot heat oil over low for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until soft (sweat the onions), add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the spices, salt & pepper. Cook for another minute stirring all the while.

Whisk in the stock and the pumpkin. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.


 "BTB-RTS" If you ever watch Chef Anne Burrell, you will here her rattle off those letters, its a basic cooking technique, bring to boil, reduce to simmer....

Add evaporated milk and simmer another 2 minutes.


Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth (I didn't do this, it was pretty smooth since my onions were so finely minced.) Add more broth to thin if desired (mine was thin enough as-is)
Ladle into bowls garnish with yogurt and parsley.
**now, I skipped the yogurt (it just sank to the bottom) trade the yogurt for 2/3-3/4 C light coconut milk added at the same time as the evaporated milk-delish and a zero impact on the calories if you skip the yogurt.

We enjoyed this meal with a crisp and clean, apple-y, medium dry 2010 CMS Sauvignon Blanc- Available at Costco for $8 a bottle and it is a WA wine from Hedges.
Happy Fall everyone!