Beef rib, Rossini style

Today's lunch : Beef rib, Rossini style. Home-made. Simple. Delicous. We were four... and hungry.

Take a 1,8kg beef rib, at your local favorite butcher, one of the best in town if possible (it always makes a difference). The meat has to be tender, bloody, with not too much fat, if possible.

Take some foie gras (a quick sorry for our californian friends...), if possible truffle-flavoured, and slice it thinly (or not). 5 or 6 slices should be enough. 

Take some truffled salt, or best, real black truffles, depending on what is available, and your budget. Sprinkle the rib with it, quite much (yes, do not be shy), on both face, and hand-massage the meat for it to absorb, 1 minute. It is a key-part when you will fry it, in order to create a 1cm (half inch) crust on each side.

Open the meat in different areas, where you will insert the slices of foie gras (see picture 8). Since it has been opened, the rib should be a little less structured, and may fall apart at some point. To prevent it to further go this way while cooking, use a kitchen string to tighten it (see picture 9). This should do the job, if properly tightened.

We are now ready for the cooking. Pre-heat your fan oven at 200°C.

2 steps:

Step 1:

Put some salted butter and natural oil in a pan, high heat. Pan-fry on high heat each side of the rib for 7 to 9 minutes. We aim at create a crust all around. I personally grab the bone at a certain point to fry the sides, until this brown color be well-spread all around. The foie gras should stay in place, and should be lightly cooked since it touches the hot pan. Now a delicous smell of truffle, meat and foie gras should tease your nostrils. Do not panic, for such a piece of meat, and this amount of time, there is no way the core center be cooked. It will stay juicy and red. Do not be afraid if the outer part of the rib seems too cooked : you will see the difference later, when you will serve a bloody slice of meat with a tasteful, brown, crusty outer layer.

Step 2 :

Quickly, put the rib in a plate and put it in the fan oven. 8-10 minutes per side should be enough. This will help to cook the intermediate layer a little, without touching at the core part. It will also warm the meat, helping to serve at the right temperature (and avoid a classic "hot outside - cold inside"  mistake).

Wait, it is not finished !

To help keeping the meat juicy, once finished, get it out of the oven, cover it with aluminium foil for 4 or 5 minutes. It will stay warm, since you have not slice it yet. Some smoke will appear when uncover, ready to slice and to serve....

We used some mushrooms and green beans as sides

An exceptional 1990 Clerc Milon (Bordeaux, Pauillac) and a 1997 Langoa Barton (Bordeaux, St Julien) went along...

Enjoy!