Skip to main content

Improv Cooking Challenge: Coffee Rubbed Prime Rib Roast with Homemade Butter


I found a new cooking challenge. Just what I need, right? But, no, seriously, after I participated in the #ValentineCroque challenge, I decided that I wanted to try a few more. I stumbled on the Improv Cooking Challenge hosted by Lesa of Edesia's Notebook. The idea: we are assigned two ingredients and are challenged to create a recipe with those two things. February's assigned ingredient: Coffee and Cream.

I considered some sweets, including an Espresso Panna Cotta, but I settled on a savory. Though I did make Candied Coffee Bacon and Cream Scones. Don't worry...I'll be making that Espresso Panna Cotta soon. But, for my official recipe, I'm sharing Coffee Rubbed Prime Rib Roast with Homemade Butter.


Ingredients serves 4
The Roast
  • 1 (2 rib) prime rib roast
  • 2 T coffee grounds (I used beans from local-to-me Verve Coffee Roasters)
  • 3 T organic dark brown sugar
  • 1 t sweet paprika
  • 1 t smoked paprika
  • 3/4 t dried ginger
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved
  • 1 T freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 T freshly ground salt
  • splash of olive oil
  • 2 to 3 onions, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 C brewed coffee
  • 1/2 C coffee stout
The Butter
  • 2 C organic heavy whipping cream
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 T fresh herbs (we used parsley and oregano)

Procedure
The Roast
In a medium bowl, combine the coffee grounds, sugar, paprikas, ginger, cumin, vanilla bean seeds, salt and black pepper. Massage spice mixture into the beef, coating evenly.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On the stovetop, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sear the roast on each side for two minutes to create a nice crust.


Add the onions, coffee, and beer to the pot. Bring to a boil.


Then cover the Dutch oven and move the pot to the oven. Roast at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting for another 75 to 90 minutes, depending on how well done you want your meat. We like ours medium and it took about 90 minutes.


Let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Put the pan back on the burner to reduce the liquid and onions to a thick, caramelized sauce that's fantastic with the roast.


Slice and serve with the reduced onion-coffee sauce and homemade butter. [See recipe below.]


The Butter
I'll be honest: I have never made butter like this. Obviously this is an activity that the boys have done with my mom, so I just went with it. It tastes amazing. So, we'll definitely be doing this again soon. I'm sure there's an easier way; but this was fun.


Pour cream into a lidded jar, filling it up about 2/3 full. We repeated the process to finish the entire pint. Next time I'll get a bigger jar. Shake. I'm not kidding. Just shake. We put on some good music and shook that jar like a maraca.


Once the cream is to the point where it's holding peaks, place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and compress the cream with a spoon. We ran the cream through about 4 times before the solids separated and butter turns a brighter yellow. Reserve the liquid - we made pancakes with it the next morning.

While your butter is still soft, fold in salt and herbs. Place it in the fridge till desired consistency.


There you have it. My first prime rib. My first homemade butter. My first Improv Cooking Challenge. This was a blast. Can't wait till next month. For now, here's what everyone else brought to the table! Enjoy.

Comments

  1. Much like the Crazy Ingredient Challenge to which I belong. This month our two items were lemon and basil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Where do I find the Crazy Ingredient Challenge. Sounds like fun!

      Delete
  2. Welcome to your first month is Improv! I love that you went savory too! And the homemade butter- fantastic! I am also in the Crazy Ingredient Challenge with Wendy and they are both really fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I JUST commented on your post that I love that you went savory, too.

      Delete
  3. mmmmmmmmmm! I love adding brown sugar to my coffee rubs (much to the chagrin of my youngest who detests "sweet" meats...) but I've not tried it on prime rib.
    And the kid-made butter -- WOW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Melody. Yes, it was a hoot watching him shake that jar of cream into butter. And it was delicious.

      Delete
  4. I love the addition of the vanilla bean in the rub. We are going to be eating so much coffee rubbed meat soon! I have my kids shake the jar to make butter, too! My daughter said "I've seen you do this in the food processor before, why are we shaking a jar?" Because you can, and it's entertaining, obviously!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Whoa ... I love coffee rubs, but I have never thought to add vanilla ... genius! This is totally going on my to-make list ASAP!

    Kimberly {Rhubarb and Honey}

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an