Free Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child Page B

Dijon mustard, chives or other herbs, and so forth. Make a larger quantity, roll it into a sausage shape, wrap it, and freeze it; it is ready for instant use.
    ROASTING
    Roasting or baking means to cook food in the oven, usually in an open pan—sometimes with a cover, but not with a liquid. Roasting with a liquid is officially called braising or stewing. Roasting is certainly the most painless way of cooking a whole chicken or turkey, prime ribs of beef, legs of lamb, and so forth. Fortunately, a roast is a roast is a roast—all of them are done in much the same way. Give yourself plenty of time. Always preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before you begin, and start testing rapidly with your instant meat thermometer 10 to 15 minutes before the end of your estimated roasting time. Remember that the roast needs a 15-to-20-minute rest before carving, which allows the hot and bursting juices to retreat back into the meat. A large roast will stay warm a good 20 minutes at least before being carved, so plan accordingly. Note: All roasting times in this book are for conventional ovens.
    MASTER RECIPE
    Roast Prime Ribs of Beef For a 3-rib 8-pound roast, serving 6 to 8 people
    Roasting time at 325°F: 2 hours for medium rare—internal temperature 125° to 130°F (about 15 minutes per pound).
1 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Deglazing Sauce
½ cup each chopped carrots and onions
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup chopped fresh plum tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Rub the exposed ends of the roast with oil and a sprinkling of salt. Arrange the roast rib side down in a roasting pan and set in the lower third of the preheated oven. After ½ hour, baste the ends of the roast with accumulated fat, strew the carrots and onions into the pan, and baste with the fat. Continue roasting, basting again once or twice, to a meat-thermometer reading of 125° to 130°F at the large end.
    Remove the roast. Spoon fat out of the roasting pan. Stir in the thyme and tomatoes, scraping up coagulated roasting juices. Blend in the broth and boil several minutes to concentrate flavor. Correct seasoning, and strain into a warm sauceboat.
    ROAST BEEF: SIZES AND APPROXIMATE ROASTING TIMES TO MEDIUM RARE (125° to 130°F)
    5 ribs, 12 lbs / serves 12 to 16 / roasts about 3 hours at 325°F
    4 ribs, 9½ lbs / serves 9 to 12 / roasts about 2 hours and 20 minutes at 325°F
    3 ribs, 8 lbs, serves 6 to 8 / roasts about 2 hours at 325°F
    2 ribs, 4½ lbs / serves 5 to 6 / roasts 15 minutes at 450°F, 45 minutes at 325°F
    ROAST BEEF: TEMPERATURES AND MINUTES PER POUND
    Rare, 120°F, 12 to 13 minutes per pound
    Medium rare, 125° to 130°F, about 15 minutes per pound
    Medium, 140°F, 17 to 20 minutes per pound
    Roast Top Loin (New York Strip) of Beef
    A boneless ready-to-roast 4½-pound strip serves 8 to 10. Timing: 1¼ to 1½ hours; roast at 425°F for 15 minutes, then at 350°F, to internal temperature 120°F for rare or 125°F for medium rare. (It’s the circumference of the meat that dictates the timing; thus all lengths roast in about the same time—a little less or a little more, depending on weight.) Oil and salt the 2 exposed ends, and roast fat side up on an oiled rack, strewing ½ cup chopped onions and carrots in the panhalfway through. Make the sauce as suggested in the master recipe.
    Roast Tenderloin of Beef
    A boneless ready-to-roast 4-pound tenderloin of beef serves 6 to 8. Timing: 35 to 45 minutes at 400°F, to internal temperature 120°F for rare, or 125°F for medium rare. Just before roasting, salt the meat lightly and brush with clarified butter. Set in the upper-third level of the oven; rapidly turn and baste with clarified butter every 8 minutes. For sauce suggestions, see the box below.
    SIMPLE HORSERADISH SAUCE—ESPECIALLY FOR ROAST BEEF. Whisk 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard into 5 tablespoons bottled horseradish. Fold in ½ cup or so of sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
    Roast Leg of Lamb
    A