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By Root 508 0

the night of La Grande Tempête, the huge windstorm that struck Paris and destroyed thousands of trees in the city, parks, and, most notably, at Versailles. I spent many fretful hours at Heathrow worrying about the contents of my luggage, but when we finally arrived in Paris, after a very bumpy flight across the Channel, the roast and terrine were both still cold and unharmed by their long voyage. At last, we made our way to Paris. Our taxi ride revealed the extent of the devastation.

This recipe began with one in Gourmet magazine that has evolved over time. By the way, our French dinner guests were very impressed by the Canadian foie gras.

One 4-rib standing rib roast, 8 to 10 pounds (3.5 to 4.5kg)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons green peppercorns, coarsely ground

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground

1 teaspoon white peppercorns, coarsely ground

1 tablespoon allspice berries, coarsely ground

3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 shallot, finely diced

1 cup (250 ml) dry red wine

2 cups (500 ml) Brown Stock (page 12)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1.Two hours before you plan to cook it, remove the roast from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

2.Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the beef, bones down to form a natural roasting rack, in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes.

3.While the beef is roasting, mix all the peppercorns and the allspice berries in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the butter, flour, sugar, and mustard and blend to a paste.

4.Remove the beef from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Transfer the beef to a platter and discard the fat from the roasting pan. Spread the fat side of the beef with the peppercorn paste and return it to the pan. Roast for another 2 to2¼ hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meat, away from the bone, registers 125°F (51°C).

5.Transfer the roast to a warm platter, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving. During this time, the internal temperature of the roast will rise to 130°F (54°C), for medium-rare.

6.While the roast rests, discard the fat from the pan and place the pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Continue to boil until the wine reduces by half, then add the stock and boil for another 5 minutes. If you prefer thicker gravy, mix the cornstarch with the vinegar, whisk into the sauce, and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened slightly. If not, add the vinegar alone. Strain into a sauceboat.

7.Carve the beef into thick slices, and serve with the sauce.

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Carving a Rib Roast

Carving a rib roast is straightforward, since your butcher will have removed the chine, or backbone. Stand the roast on its bones, with the meat side facing you. Run the carving knife between the meat and the feather bones on the thick side of the roast, at right angles to the rib bones. Slice off any excess fat from the top of the roast, and turn the roast on its side, so that the ribs are to one side and the meat is facing down. Cut the meat into thick slices from the fat side to the rib bone, cutting along the rib bone to release each slice. Once the rib bone is exposed, you can cut it free from the roast and continue carving. Serve the ribs with the roast or set them aside for Deviled Bones (page 28).

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Deviled Bones

The trick to this recipe is hanging on to those prime rib roast bones—bone lovers usually polish them off with the roast. My friend Miriam sent me James Beard’s recipe, and I found another recipe reputed to have been served in 1923 for breakfast at the famous London club Boodles. It’s not my sort of breakfast, but I could eat a couple of rib bones with a good green salad for lunch or dinner. Both