Dijon-Horseradish Crusted Rib Roast with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce and Pan Jus

I'd never made a standing rib roast before. My family has high expectations of this dish, and I was trying a new recipe, so I was more than a little scared. Especially when my oven's internal probe told me it was done cooking at 4pm.

But it turned out perfect - medium-rare in the middle, nice and crusty along the outside.

This is based off a recipe in The Wine Lover's Cookbook.

Dijon-Horseradish Crusted Rib Roast with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce and Pan Jus

3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp prepared Horseradish
3 tsp herbes de provence
4 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
15 lb standing rib roast, boned and tied

Horseradish-Mustard Sauce
3/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/2 cup stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup white vinegar

Pan Jus
2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
3 cups beef stock
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine the Dijon mustard, horseradish and herbes in a small bowl. Place rib roast fat side up in a roasting pan. Liberally apply the mustard mix to the surface of the roast. Place roast in cold oven. If your oven has a temperature probe, use it, following manufacturer's instructions. Turn oven on and heat to 425ºF for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and cook until internal temperature reaches 130º (figure 15 minutes per lb). Turn oven off and leave door closed.

While roast cooks, mix together ingredients for the horseradish-mustard sauce. Refrigerate until it's time to serve.

30 minutes before serving, turn oven back on at 250º to bring roast to temp (about 150ºF internal temp). Remove roast from oven, cover with foil to keep warm.

Place pan on stovetop over medium heat. Add wine and beef stock, bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid reduced by half. Run jus thru fat separator to discard the fat and solids.

Carve roast, setting ribs aside (some people like to gnaw on them but they also make great bones for soup/stock). Serve with jus and horseradish-mustard sauce

Wine Pairing: Serve with a well-matured Cabernet Sauvignon. We had it with a 40-year-old bottle of Bordeaux.

Hot Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

This was incredibly easy to do and made a good drink for both the kids and adults.

Hot Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

1 lemon
1 orange
3 1/2 cups apple cider
2 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole allspice
6 whole cloves
1 (1/4-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced

Carefully remove the rind from lemon and orange using a vegetable peeler, making sure to avoid the white pith just beneath the rind. Cut citrus rind into 1- x 1/4-inch-thick strips. Combine the rind strips, cider, and remaining ingredients in a crock pot and set to low for 4 hours. Strain the mixture through a sieve over a bowl, discarding solids. You can keep the cider in the crockpot on low or warm throughout the party.

Cranberry Ginger Cake

I found this recipe originally and decided to modify it. A lot. It wasn't upside down, it was dairy free. I was a bit worried about the texture before folding in the egg whites but it turned out fabulous.

Cranberry-Ginger Cake

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cups fresh cranberries, finely chopped
fat-free whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 9" cake pan with cooking spray.

Heat a skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter to pan, stirring until melted. Stir in ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add in chopped cranberries, stirring to coat. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine 1/4 cup butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Fold cranberries into batter; pour into a prepared cake pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Top each serving with whipped topping.

Balsamic-Butter-Glazed Baby Carrots

This recipe originally came from Southern Living but, like most recipes, I drastically reduced the amount of fat that went in and no one was the wiser.

Balsamic-Butter-Glazed Baby Carrots

5 lbs baby carrots
6 cups water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
6 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
6 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Combine carrots and 6 cups water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

Cook vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in brown sugar and butter until smooth.

Pour vinegar mixture over warm carrots, tossing to coat. Stir in thyme and next 3 ingredients. Serve immediately.

Chipotle in Adobo Sauce

Chipotle in Adobo Sauce

10 medium-sized dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and slit lengthwise
1/3 cup onion, coarsely chopped
5 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a pan with 3 cups of water. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the chilies are very soft and the liquid has been reduced to 1 cup. This recipe will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

For chipotle puree, place the cooked chipotles and sauce in a blender and puree. Put through a fine sieve to remove seeds.

Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes

I actually made 4 versions of this as I have a nephew with milk allergies. So about 1/3 of the mixture was dairy free (made with soy milk and soy cheese). Then, of each grouping, 1/2 had chipotle, 1/2 did not. As I was making these a few days in advance, I had masking tape on each of the tupperware containers reading "Dairy free, no Chipotle", "Dairy Free with Chiptole", "Regular, no Chipotle" and "The Full Monty".

I was also making enough to feed 23 people. Keep that in mind. Below is the regular, dairy-full recipe.

Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes

14 medium baking potatoes
3 3/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
3 3/4 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
6 tablespoons pureed chipotle chile in adobo sauce
3 teaspoon salt
12 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 450°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Bake potatoes at 450° for 50 minutes or until done; cool slightly. Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Combine potato pulp, milk, 2 1/4 cup cheese and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Spoon potato mixture evenly into reserved shells. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cup cheese evenly over potatoes. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.