Christmas is a holiday that has been around since as early as the 4th century, with Christmas dinner becoming as much of a tradition as giving gifts. Each country has its own particular “traditional” menu. In America, we have adapted our traditions mainly from the United Kingdom, and with it, Prime Rib Roast.
Prime Rib Roast is a now classic centerpiece on the Christmas dinner table. Tender, juicy beef that is roasted to perfection and marinated in seasonings might just be the highlight of the meal that friends, family, and guest look forward to the most. We’ve paired a traditional beef roast recipe with an elegant Italian red, Vietti Nebbiolo Perbaco. Stop by our Providence wine store to pick it up!
Wine Pairing:
Native to Piedmont, the Nebbiolo grape is the key grape in the wine of Barolo and Barbaresco. Its most common descriptors are ‘tar and roses’ because it has the toughness of tar and earth, yet a soft, floral character that keeps the wine balanced. The Vietti winery, one of the top-level producers in Piedmont and one of the first to export to the U.S., Nebbiolo Perbacco is perfect for that Christmas dinner roast because it is strong, intense and powerful growing, more complex and elegant as it ages with generous flavors of fruit, menthol, spices and hard candy.
Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Sauce or Au Jus
Adapted from “The Way to Cook” by Julia Child
Serves 10
Horseradish sauce:
1 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Prime rib:
1 (5-pound) fully trimmed rib roast of beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped carrots
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups rich beef stock or broth
½ teaspoon arrowroot dissolved in 2 teaspoons water
Method of Preparation
- Prepare a horseradish sauce by stirring together the sour cream, horseradish, mustard and white pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Thirty minutes before serving, remove from refrigerator.
- One hour before roasting, remove meat from refrigerator. Rub the exposed ends of the meat with oil and place in a roasting pan fat side up.
- Roast in a preheated 325-degree oven for half an hour. Baste with the fat that has accumulated in the pan. Roast for an additional half hour. Place the carrots and onion around the roast and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. Continue to roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Baste the roast occasionally with the drippings.
- Remove the roast from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Pour the fat from the pan and place pan over medium-high heat. Pour in the beef stock or broth, add the dissolved arrowroot and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, scraping up the caramelized juices in the bottom of the pan. Strain and keep the au jus warm.
- Carve the roast and serve with the 2 sauces.