Party Food

You can probably tell by some of the links I post that I’m a pretty big fan of Garden&Gun Magazine. Ok, it’s a little pretentious, and it has a very specific viewpoint about what the south is and isn’t, but I love their recipes, restaurant reviews, and hints about up and coming shops, musicians, and hot spots from my favorite part of the country so, when I read that they were as excited about the US Premiere of Downton Abbey as I am, well, it brought them even nearer and dearer to my heart. I didn’t love the show for the same reasons they listed, but I’ll share my thoughts before next week’s episode. The show airs tonight at 8, and my mom and I are busy making a plum pudding (recipe coming before next week’s episode!) to eat as we watch and swoon over Matthew Crawley and all of the fantastic clothes.

If you haven’t gotten into Downton Abbey yet, and apparently need a reason here are G&G’s top ten reasons why southerners love it (and all things Noble and English)

1. They drink a lot, but never have to drive anywhere.
2. Lord Grantham makes the women at G&G weak in the knees, especially when he does his “custodian of the land” spiel.
3. We like to look good when we hunt, too, whether it’s top hat and riding jacket or neon orange and camouflage.
4. They love their dogs as much as we do. If only ours never had to go to the bathroom…or made any noise whatsoever.
5. They call a valet with a limp and a criminal record “eccentric”. We call it Southern gothic.
6. Lady Mary is like a British Scarlett O’Hara: beautiful, spoiled and determined. Let’s just hope she leaves the drapery on the windows.
7. Carson’s pride of place is rivaled only by that of a Southern hostess.
8. We’ve loved Shirley MacLaine ever since her tomato-loving turn as Ouiser in Steel Magnolias.
9. We’ve all got a Dowager Countess in our lives, whether it’s our mother or mother-in-law—manipulative, tough as nails, and always ready with a one-liner.
10. No one loves—or plans—a wedding like we do in the South. Crawley/Crawley 2013, (err 1921?) people. Koozies on order.

If you’re not a fan of plum pudding (or like me, live in the country and have NO access to currants and cloves before 8pm tonight), you could always go for the KING of all English Christmas fare…the Prime Rib Roast to celebrate the show’s return. We attempted it for the first time this year to serve on Christmas Night this year and worried we’d bomb with such a fancy and expensive cut of meat, but y’all, it was like an extra Christmas present because it turned out so perfectly….  tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, melt in your mouth, full of delicious flavor perfection. I found the recipe here, (thank you, Susan!) and she found here, and with the addition of garlic, it worked like a charm. Never use any other recipe.

English Prime Rib Roast
Serves 6-8

What you need:
1 4-6 pound standing prime rib roast
2-3 tablespoons dry mustard
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh Pressed Garlic  (2-3 cloves)

What to do:
Preheat your oven to 200°F.  Season your roast generously by rubbing the garlic all over the meat (don’t leave it on there…you just want the flavor. Then rub the roast on all sides with the mustard, salt and pepper.  Put the roast, fat side up, in a roasting pan and  put it in the oven and cook until center of roast registers 120 F on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare. (Note from Serious Eats and Sticky Gooey, Creamy Chewy: This should take approximately 3 1/2 to 4 hours for a 5 pound roast.)

Take the roast out of the oven and make a tight tent with some aluminum foil, then put it in a warm spot and let it rest for 30 minutes or more.
When you’re ready to eat it, preheat oven to 500°F and when the oven reaches 500°F take it out of the foil and put it back in the oven.  You’ll cook it for about 8-10 minutes until it’s browned and crisp on the outside. Then you can carve and serve it immediately. sigh. it really was divine y’all…and it was our first shot.