Eating "Prime" With John Whalen III
Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
John Whalen III has been cooking under the tutelage of such acclaimed chefs as Jonathan Cartwright (Executive Chef of The White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, ME) since his teenage years. His new book from sister company Simon & Schuster, Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Cookbook, is available now. He is also the author of Paleo Grilling: The Complete Cookbook.
We're excited to share a mouth-watering prime rib recipe here, as well as a deliciously festive dessert recipe to finish off your holiday feast: Perfectly Chewy Molasses Cookies! Enjoy!
Frenched Prime Rib
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Active Time: 2 Hours
Total Time: 6 Hours
Ingredients:
- A 6-rib rib roast
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 3 bunches
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 3 bunches
Directions:
- Remove the rib roast from the refrigerator and place on cooling racks over a large carving board, bone side down. In order to french the rib roast, you will need to cut off the meat that is on top of the bones. To do so, go about 2 inches down the ribs and using a carving knife, cut down through the meat until you reach the bone. Make a sharp cut and then cut up the bone so that the top of the meat can be peeled off. This top meat is very delicate and flavorful and works great in stews.
- Stand the rib roast up and starting with the left bone, cut down 1 to 2 inches along the bone, cut across to the next bone, and then cut back up so that you get a rectangular chunk of the meat to come apart from the space between the ribs. Do this to all the ribs, and then gently cut away the meat so that the ribs are left to stand openly and on their own. Using a paring knife, gently scrape away any bits of meat that still cling to the ribs. Set roast aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Using your hands, massage the seasoning into the rib roast so that the grains of salt and pepper cling to it firmly.
Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Molasses Cookies
Makes about 12 cookies, depending on the size.
Active Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup white sugar, set aside in a bowl for rolling
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg, and molasses.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and stir to combine.
- Chill the dough for 1 hour.
- Shape the chilled dough into rounded tablespoonfuls, roll in the white sugar, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until just set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack.