Ring in the New Year with Prime Rib, Caviar Crepes, and Meringue
Cooking a holiday meal can be challenging for home cooks, but Chef Rachel breaks down the top holiday staples for a quick and easy preparation that wows guests.
Recipes by Chef Rachel Ponce
Photography by Jennifer Olson
A Champagne toast, festive clothes and perhaps a kiss with someone special are a few favorite ways to ring in the New Year. But the reflections on 2023 and wishes for 2024 can’t be fully celebrated without a memorable dinner spread. Certain dishes, like the ones included here, have a distinctive festive tone, yet many revelers shy away from them, fearing they are too complex to prepare. Here we offer simplified preparations of notoriously challenging dishes, which still provide a delicious and standout meal one last time in the year, after decking the halls.
Celebratory Crêpes with Crème Fraîche and Caviar
Serves 8
A New Year’s celebration calls for an appetizer that’s too glamorous for a normal Tuesday night. Go big with these crêpes, an easy recipe that looks and tastes extravagant. Practice makes perfect, so work on rotating the wrist to yield a perfectly circular crêpe. Caviar, while pricey, will set the tone of a party. For those who plan to stay in this year, do yourself a favor and make this for brunch. Then savor it with some bubbles in the Champagne flute.
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for batter
4 tablespoons butter, cubed, for cooking crêpes
Crème fraîche
1 2-ounce tin caviar, royal sturgeon preferred
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
PREPARATION
Step 1
Grease small skillet, then set aside to cool. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs and butter in blender and blend on high, pausing to scrape down sides in between blends, until silky smooth. Transfer batter to liquid measuring cup with a spout so it’s easily pourable. Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat so it’s hot enough that batter sets immediately upon touching pan.
Step 2
Make 1 crêpe at a time: Melt ½ tablespoon of butter in pan, just enough to lightly coat surface. Hold pan in one hand off surface of the stove, then pour batter into pan with other hand. Rotate pan 360 degrees while pouring and stop pouring as soon as batter forms thin layer over entire surface of pan. Return pan to heat and cook until edges of crêpe set and become crispy, about 1−2 minutes. Flip and cook 1−2 more minutes, or until cooked through. Let crêpe cool. Repeat for 7 more crêpes.
Step 3
If serving individually, fold crêpe, dollop with crème fraîche, top with caviar and chives. If serving as appetizer, coat crêpe with layer of crème fraîche and chives, roll up and slice into 1-inch pieces. Serve face up and top with caviar.
Prime Rib with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Serves 8
This cut of meat takes center stage in many homes during the holidays. It may seem intimidating, but this simplified preparation allows the host to feed a crowd without pressure. Get your cut of meat from most butchers and specialty stores, like this one from Primal Meat Company. This local butcher is a partner of Edible’s Pair With.
INGREDIENTS
1 8-pound bone-in prime rib roast
¼ cup and 2 tablespoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
PREPARATION
STEP 1
Place rib roast in roasting pan and salt entire roast with ⅛ teaspoon salt. Let sit at room temperature for 3 hours to release moisture inside. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Cut bones away from roast and tie back onto roast using kitchen string, to be able to cook roast on rib side for evenness.
Step 2
Use clean towel to dry off roast, wiping away moisture and salt. Rinse out roasting pan, place roast back in, fat side up. Gently salt roast again with remaining ⅛ teaspoon and pepper it. Roast for 15 minutes, then decrease temperature to 325 degrees F to finish roasting. Use meat thermometer to check for preferred doneness (medium rare 130 degrees F, add 5 degrees for medium and 10 for well done), roughly 12−14 minutes per pound.
Step 3
Remove roast, tent and let sit for 15−20 minutes. While roast rests, make horseradish sauce by combining in medium bowl sour cream, horseradish, mayonnaise, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of salt and chives. Slice roast tableside and serve with horseradish sauce.
Holiday Meringue Filled with Spiced Winter Fruit
Serves 8
The raw egg whites involved and the need for perfect measurements make the meringue a dreaded dessert to prepare. But here’s a little-known secret: Meringue powder eliminates the need for raw egg whites, and is pretty much foolproof. Use it to make royal icing, individual meringues, mini meringues for garnishing (like those fun looking mushrooms on top of yule logs), topping for holiday pies and more. This recipe elevates meringue with a filling of winter fruit, for a fresh, colorful, and of course delicious, take.
INGREDIENTS
For meringue:
¼ cup meringue powder, Genie’s Dream preferred
½ cup water
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For filling:
1 apple, peeled and cubed
1 red pear, peeled and cubed
¼ cup dried cranberries
½ cup red wine
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin spice blend
Balsamic glaze
PREPARATION
Step 1
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Use stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer to mix meringue powder and water together until incorporated. Add all sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat on high speed. Add in vanilla. Test mixture by touching meringue to feel for grittiness. If gritty, whip until smooth.
Step 2
Dollop meringue on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Swirl with large spoon so meringue is taller on the periphery and bowl-like in the middle. Bake for 45 minutes. While meringue bakes, prepare filling. In medium saucepan place apple, pear, cranberries, wine, water, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to medium heat so liquid begins to evaporate, about 20 minutes. Drain fruit* and set aside.
Step 3
Once meringue finishes baking, remove from oven and sprinkle pumpkin spice blend over top. Return to oven with heat off. Let sit with oven door cracked for 2 hours. Once time has passed, assemble by carefully plating meringue, placing the strained fruit mixture on it and topping with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
*Fruit juice wine mixture strained from fruit can be saved for a holiday sangria!
A special thanks to Primal Meat Company, which donated the meat for the prime rib recipe. The butcher shop focuses on the artistry of butchering, offering a variety of fresh, locally-sourced meats. Their mission is to provide our customers with a local butcher who’s focused on whole animal butchery, meat education, and the creation of community. Ranch and farm raised products are delivered direct to the consumer. “We encourage our customers to think outside the box when it comes to creating delicious meat dishes.”
