Diane Davidson - Chopping Spree

Ad Guys’ Roast Beef and Gravy

4-to 5-pound standing rib roast, prime grade

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melted unsalted butter, if necessary

¼ cup high-quality Burgundy

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3½ cups homemade beef stock or 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules dissolved in 3¼ cups boiling waterPreheat the oven to 450°F. Take out a roasting pan with a rack and line the bottom (underneath the rack) with either a very large piece of foil that completely covers the bottom of the pan and can be folded up over the sides or two pieces of foil that have been rolled tightly in the middle to form one large piece. The bottom of the pan should be completely covered with an airtight piece of foil.Use a paper towel to pat the roast dry, then season the roast with the salt and pepper. Place the roast, bone side down, on the rack. Insert an instant-read digital thermometer into the roast so that the sensor is in the middle of the roast.Place the roast in the oven and immediately reduce the oven heat to 325°. Roast until the temperature reads 115°F. (At this point the beef is quite rare, and the cooking is not done yet.) Remove the roast to another pan (even a large pie plate will do) and return it to the oven. (To obtain medium-rare, the roast should be removed when the thermometer reaches 125°F to 130°F; for medium, 135°F to 145°F.) If the thermometer reaches the desired temperature before the gravy is finished, remove the roast to a serving platter and tent it with foil.Drain off the fat in the bottom of the foil-covered pan and measure it; you should have ¼ cup. If you have more, discard it. If you have less, add melted butter until you have ¼ cup. Place this in a sauté pan over low heat.Pour the Burgundy directly into the bottom of the foil-covered roasting pan and let it sit while you start on the gravy.Raise the heat under the sauté pan to medium-low and whisk the flour into the fat. Whisking constantly, cook the flour in the fat until the mixture just begins to bubble and turn color, less than 5 minutes.Using a heatproof plastic spatula, scrape the flavorful brown bits adhering to the foil into the wine. Stir this wine mixture into the cooking fat–flour mixture. Whisking constantly, add the beef stock in a slow stream. When all the stock has been added, taste the gravy and correct the seasoning.Over medium-low to medium heat, whisk and cook the gravy until it thickens and bubbles. Serve hot with the roast beef. Makes 4 to 6 servings

The smoke alarm was still squealing as Liz, now splashing a second bottle of Evian over the still-flaming roast, yelled, “I don’t think they’re going to hire us again!”

In spite of all this, the luncheon came off well. I was disappointed not to have had a chance to talk to Pam about the Barry mess, but wasn’t sure I actually would have been able to. And anyway, my disappointment was allayed when Marla sashayed through the front door, claiming she was taking the place of someone who was sick. Because the luncheon was quite a bit smaller than Monday’s party, we didn’t have the opportunity to share gossip—except when she tiptoed into the kitchen to say Page and Shane had started to fight again, and that Page had stalked out. A few moments later, I saw Page’s Audi—a duplicate of her sister’s—whiz away.

Without his wife there to scrutinize and criticize his every move, Shane was unexpectedly brilliant. His enthusiastic pitch about The Gadget Guy On-Line reminded me of Tom Sawyer’s whitewash-the-fence psychology. Only a select few were good enough to do this job, and if you wanted to be in on this opportunity to invest, you were just going to have to get in line! Shane’s enthralled guests all beamed and asked, Was there an upper limit on how much one could invest? All, that is, except for Marla, who gave me a dramatic wink.

The food, despite our disastrous start, was out of this world, if I do say so myself. As if on cue, the snow began to flutter down again as Liz and I ferried out the steaming, fragrant bowls of soup dotted with floating dumplings. Liz stoked the fire in the dining room fireplace while I served Wild Girls’ Grilled Mushroom Salad. Since Liz and I had learned one of Julia Child’s lessons well—Never criticize your own food at a party—we were able to serve “Lightly Smoked Prime Rib” without batting an eye or even giggling. The investors gobbled it all up, right to the Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler, of which, like the investment, everyone demanded large pieces.

While we were serving the lunch, however, my curiosity began to nag. During the ring-stealing and fire-starting escapades, I’d seen a couple of things that had perplexed me, and I wanted to look into them—OK, snoop—a bit more. There were a few too many things about the Stockhams that were bothering me—the vicious way they fought, the nasty games they played, their ruthless habit of blaming others for their financial problems. All these, plus their current money mess brought on by The Gadget Guy’s eviction from Westside, were making me wonder if they were more involved in the death of Barry Dean than the cops suspected. Anything to try to help Julian, I said to myself, as I scooped globes of ice cream.

While Liz handed out seconds of ice cream and cobbler, I climbed back onto the kitchen chair and turned my attention to the bookshelves. The lowest shelf contained the usual assortment of gourmet cookbooks people bought these days but rarely used. All looked brand-new. Above them was another array of cookbooks, these of the specialty-fad type, featuring Cooking With Bananas the Fiji Way, Creative Tofu Touches , and Bread Soups from Around the World (spare me). My guess was that these books hadn’t ever been opened.

But above those, I’d spotted something that hadn’t quite fit. As Tom was always telling me, that’s what you should look for. Off the top shelf, I pulled a well-worn copy of Alcoholics Anonymous , otherwise known as The Big Book. Was Shane or Page an alcoholic? Or thinking he or she might be? The way Page had been hitting the wine this morning might indicate so. But why keep this reading material in the kitchen, as if to hide it? Still perched on the chair, I opened the book and caught two pieces of paper before they fluttered to the floor.

Wild Girls’ Grilled Mushroom Salad

4 ounces Portobello mushrooms (about 1 large or medium-size)

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms

1 ounce oyster mushrooms

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons best-quality medium-dry sherry (recommended brand: Dry Sack)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Nonstick cooking spray

6 cups field greens (mesclun)To clean the mushrooms, wipe them carefully with damp paper towels. Remove the stems from the Portobello and shiitake mushrooms and discard. Using a sharp knife, lightly trim the gills from the Portobello mushroom and slice into 1 x1-inch pieces. Slice the shiitakes in half. Weigh the mushrooms; you should have about 8 ounces total.In a large glass bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, sherry, and vinegar until well combined. Pour the oil into this mixture in a steady stream, whisking all the while. Place the mushrooms into this marinade and mix very carefully to coat all sides.Spray a grill with nonstick spray and preheat the grill for 5 minutes, while the mushrooms marinate. Do not over-marinate the mushrooms, or their delicate flavor will be lost.Grill the mushrooms over medium-high to high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve immediately on a bed of field greens. Makes 4 servings as a side dish, 2 servings as a main dish