Roast Prime Rib Au Poivre

White, black, green and pink peppercorns add wonderful flavor to this very special roast. A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or French Bordeaux is the perfect wine to serve. As for vegetables, mix butter and tarragon with cooked baby carrots and green beans for a delicious accompaniment, then round it out with my Double-Baked Roquefort Potatoes. Now that's a holiday feast!

• Ready In: 3 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 (9 lb)  prime rib roast, excess fat trimmed (about 4 ribs)
•  salt (to taste)
• 2  tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4  teaspoons  minced garlic
• 2  tablespoons  mixed peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 1  teaspoon  mixed peppercorn, coarsely crushed
• 1⁄3 cup  minced shallot
• 3 1⁄2 cups  canned beef broth
• 1⁄3 cup cognac or 1⁄3 cup brandy

Directions

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Place beef, fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle beef with salt.
3. Mix mustard and garlic in a small bowl. Spread mustsard mixture over top of beef. Sprinkle 2 T. crushed peppercorns over mustard mixture.
4. Roast beef 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Roast until meat thermometer inserted in center of roast registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, tenting loosely with foil if crust browns too quickly, about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Transfer beef to platter; tent with foil to keep warm and rest.
5. Meanwhile, pour pan juices into a 2-cup glass measuring cup (do not clean pan). Freeze pan juices for 10 minutes. Spoon fat off top of pan juices, returning 1 T. fat to roasting pan. Reserve juices.
6. Melt fat in same roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add canned beef broth, then Cognac (be careful, liquid may ignite). Return pan to heat and boil until liquid is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add pan juices and remaining 1 t. crushed peppercorns. Transfer pan juices to sauceboat.
7. Carve roast and serve with juices.