Prime Rib with Juniper Berries

Serves 4 people

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 1-1 ½ hours depending on desired doneness.

This is definitely not a beginner’s recipe, but you don’t need a culinary degree either. Juniper berries are hard to find in the grocery store. You may need to visit a specialty gourmet or spice store or order them on line. They are critical for the rich sauce, but you can do without them and still have a great piece of meat. This recipe can stretch to feed six, but you probably won’t have any leftovers.

• A two-rib standing rib roast (about 4 pounds)
• Two 12-inch lengths of cooking twine
• 2 tablespoons white peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons green peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons juniper berries
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon water

1. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Wipe out your coffee grinder (or buy a special spice grinder) and grind the peppercorns, juniper berries and fresh thyme together. You can use a mortar and pestle, but it takes longer.
3. In a bowl, combine the spice mixture with the flour, butter, Dijon mustard, brown sugar and salt to make a paste.
4. With a sharp carving knife cut down between the rib bones and the meat, almost completely separating the rib bones from the meat, but leaving them barely attached at the bottom. (You can have the butcher do this for you.)
5. Spread the meat with the paste, making sure the bone-side meat is well covered as well. You’ll have more paste than you need.
6. Tie the rib bones back to the meat and place in a roasting pan, rib side down.
7. Slip the roast into the oven and, for a four-pound roast, let it cook about 60 minutes for rare, 70-75 minutes for medium rare and about 80 minutes for medium. Add 15-20 minutes more for each pound over four pounds.
8. Check it with an instant-read thermometer when you get close to the time. If you want it to be rare when you eat it, take it out of the over at 120°F, for medium rare 135°F and for medium 150°F. The internal temperature will increase 10 degrees while it is resting.
9. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes on a cutting board, loosely covered with aluminum foil.
10. While it’s resting, pour off most of the fat from the drippings in the pan. Keep as much of the juice as you can. You’ll be able to see the difference. The fat is the clear, oily looking stuff.
11. Put the roasting pan on the top of the stove and turn the burners to medium. Pour in the red wine and stir, scraping up the brown bits. Continue simmering until the wine is reduced by half.
12. Add beef broth and simmer for five minutes.
13. Dissolve the cornstarch in the Worcestershire sauce and water and add to wine/beef broth mixture, whisking to combine. Boil for a minute or two more until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm on the stove. If burners are at a premium, return the roast pan to a warm oven to keep the sauce warm.
14. Remove the string from roast. Cut off the rib bones, and carve the meat into ½ inch slabs. Arrange on a warm serving platter. Cut the bones into individual ribs and arrange them on the platter for those who like to gnaw on the bones. (The closer the bone, the sweeter the meat, or so the saying goes.)
15. Serve with the sauce.