Our Local Christmas Feast

It's Christmas Day and I thought I would share some pictures of what we had for dinner.  Our rib roast from Hemlock Highlands was complete and amazing.  Matt always uses up the leftover juices to make an au jus and  then we have French dips later on.  I'll have to share that recipe as well.  Leftovers are almost as important as the entre itself.  
I am wishing all of you a most wonderful holiday. I hope it was special and full of fun.  Ours definitely was. 



Our rib roast from Hemlock Highlands.  Leftovers will definitely be cherished and recipes shared.  Stay tuned.

Roasted potatoes Ina Garten style.  I used thyme instead of parsley.  Super crispy and very yummy.

We broke open a Chateau Neuf de Pape that I bought Matt for his birthday from Seifert and Jones.  The best place for sure to buy wine in Bellingham.

After almost a year of recipe testing I finally found my favorite recipe.  It's a combination of various ones.  I plan on sharing soon. 

Christmas Eve: Getting the Hemlock Highlands roast ready.

Here's the roast, marinated and ready to rest in the fridge.

Hey there friends.  It's Christmas Eve and we are having a rib roast for Christmas Day.  We get our beef from Hemlock Highlands in Skagit County.  In fact this year we ordered 1/4 of a cow which means that we get to have more choices for roasts. 
Hemlock Highlands specializes in Scottish beef.  This beef comes from the more modest hairy cows (or coo's) and it is the best tasting beef I've ever had.  I've had beef from all over the world and this tops even Kobe beef.
That being said, I thought I would share the recipe I use for our Christmas Day main course.  I do a dry-rub that must sit at least overnight.  It is true indulgence and is a special treat for a good cut of beef.  There are not many ingredients and the process is very simple, but you do have to plan ahead.  At the very least I let the rub sit on the meat overnight.  24 hours is ideal. 

Dry-Rubbed  Rib Roast 
by Mario Batali
The Babbo Cookbook

Ingredients:2 tbsp.. sugar
1 tbsp. kosher salt
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. hot red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. feshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry porcini mushrooms, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Process:
Combine above ingredients in a small bowl.  The ingredients should form a thick paste.  Dry the roast with a paper towel and rub the paste over the entire roast.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight or 24 hours. 
Remove the roast from the refrigerator about an hour before roasting and brush off excess marinade with a paper towel. 
Roast in the oven at 350 degrees.  Cook until internal temperate is 140 degrees for medium rare or 160 degrees for medium.  For a 4-6 lb. roast it should take between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.  That's about 20 minutes per pound for rare and 25 minutes per pound for a medium rare roast.  Here's a good link for some general guidelines. 
Let the roast site about 10 minutes before serving.