THE Dish: April Bloomfield's Roasted Rib of Beef

(CBS News) NEW YORK - British star chef April Bloomfield is credited with introducing America to the "gastropub."

The Washington Post describes a gastropub as "not quite a bar and not quite a restaurant," adding, "The gastropub is a British hybrid of sorts, offering a casual-meets-refined atmosphere that welcomes beer drinkers and wine snobs, non-fussy eaters and foodies alike."

April took the culinary world by storm when she became head chef at The Spotted Pig in New York.

She followed that by opening two other hugely successful New York eateries, The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, which has been called the "hogwarts for hipsters," and The John Dory Oyster Bar.

April also has a newly-released cookbook, "A Girl and Her Pig."

And she's involved with the childhood cancer-fighting charity Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, for which she's got a big event in Philadelphia Tuesday.

April visited "CBS This Morning: Saturday" to share recipes for her ultimate dish, "Roasted Rib of Beef."

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RECIPES

ROASTED RIB OF BEEF

Ask your butcher for a standing rib roast. We usually will cook a four rib standing roast, enough to feed eight people. The butcher should be able to trim or "French" the rib bones and tie it up nicely for roasting. We prefer to use a nicely dry-aged prime rib of beef. We look for lots of marbling and good bit of age to the the beef.

Leave the beef out to bring it up closer to room temperature. this will help cook it more evenly.

Season it generously all around with kosher salt. this can be done as the beef is coming up to room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.

If you have a pan big enough, sear the beef on all sides with a bit of olive oil. if not, pre-heat your oven to its highest setting and roast in until you get nice color, about 10-15 minutes.

Continue to roast the beef, on a tray with a rack with the fat side up and the bone side down, at 250 degrees for 45 minutes.

Turn down the oven to 150 and carry on cooking to your desired internal temperature. This could take up to three hours, but we prefer to cook at the lower temperature so that the beef cooks more evenly throughout.

Use a meat thermometer and insert in to the densest part of the beef close to the bones. Take into consideration that the beef will continue to cook once it's pulled out. So take it out of the oven 5-10 minutes before your desired finished temp. When cooking a rib of beef this way, it is more important to get the correct internal temperature than it is to cook roast it for a set amount of time.

To make it rare: 120-125 degrees; medium rare: 125-130; medium: 130-138.

We prefer not to cook a whole rib of beef to any temp above medium, but of course that's based on personal preference.

For more of April's recipes, go to Page 2.

MASHED POTATOES

Serves 4

• 2-1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, halved widthwise and rinsed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

Combine the potatoes with enough cold water to cover them by about an inch in a large pot. Add enough salt so the water tastes just a little less salty than seawater. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Cook the potatoes until you can poke the fattest part with a sharp knife (don't get poke-happy, or they'll get waterlogged) It'll take about 15 to 25 minutes total, depending on the size of your potatoes.

Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for about 5 minutes; set the pot aside. The steam coming off the potatoes is evaporating water. The less water in the potatoes, the better they'll better absorb the butter and cream.

Meanwhile, add the cream, milk, and nutmeg to a small pot and bring it to a gentle simmer over low heat. Turn off the heat.

Return the potatoes to the warm, now-empty pot and mash them with a masher or whisk until they're as smooth as possible. Set the pot over low heat. Add a little of the milk mixture, a few tablespoons or so, stirring it in quickly and well, then add some butter, a tablespoon or two. Stir until the butter is incorporated, then add a little more of the milk mixture, and continue alternating between the butter and milk mixture until you've used them all. If you feel like your mash is getting loose, though, stop adding the milk but continue adding the butter. The last thing you want is runny mashed potatoes. Season with salt to taste.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

• 2 large fennel bulbs, tough outer layer removed, fronds reserved, and stalks discarded
• 2 small skin-on red onions, roots trimmed but left intact, halved lengthwise
• 4 medium parsnips, peeled, topped and tailed
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, topped and tailed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Maldon salt
• 10 or so skin-on garlic cloves
• Several thyme sprigs (optional)
• Sage Pesto (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Trim the root end of the fennel, just to remove any brown oxidized bits, but keep the ends intact. Halve the fennel bulbs lengthwise. Ideally your parsnips and carrots will be about the same size. If the top portion of any of them is much thicker than the others, lop off this portion and halve it lengthwise.

Pour the oil in a flameproof heavy-bottomed roasting pan, shallow baking dish, or cast-iron pan large enough to hold all the vegetables comfortably. Set it over a high heat until the oil is nice and hot-it should ripple, crackle, and smoke a little.

Carefully add the vegetables, cut sides down for the onion and fennel, and let them sizzle away. Turn your pan every now and then if you feel that one spot's not getting hot, and peeking underneath the vegetables to make sure things are looking happy. As they brown, you'll smell the sweetness as you bring out the vegetables' sugars. If you see too much browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. When the undersides are a nice golden brown color, about 10 minutes, turn the vegetables browned sides up, and turn off the heat.

Sprinkle plenty of Maldon salt, about 1 tablespoon, over the vegetables, crushing it between your fingers as you do. Don't stir, because you don't want the vegetables to lose the salt. Scatter the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs around the pan and pop it into the oven.

The next part is a bit of a balancing act. If after 15 minutes or so in the oven, you see really nice color, but the insides are still fairly firm, turn down the heat to 350 F. Continue to cook the vegetables, turning them over now and then and being delicate with the fennel and onions so they don't fall apart, just until you can slide a knife into the vegetables without resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.

Stack the vegetables nicely on a serving plate. I like to set an onion half and a few fennel halves on the plate first, then start arranging the carrots and parsnips on top so they face this way and that. Add the rest of the veg, including the garlic cloves, and spoon on some of the sweet fat left in the pan. Add a little more salt, but only if you fancy. I like mine not very highly seasoned. Roughly chop a handful of the reserved fennel fronds and sprinkle over the top. If you're using the sage pesto, add some of it in dollops here and there.

For more of April's recipes, go to Page 3.

SWISS CHARD WITH OLIVE OIL

Serves 4

• 2 bunches Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pounds), washed really well
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated garlic
• 1/2 lemon
• Kosher salt
• Maldon salt for finishing

Bring a large pot (with a lid) of water to a boil, and add a few handfuls of the kosher salt until the water tastes very salty, though not quite as salty as the sea.

Right before you're ready to cook the chard, slice the leaves from the stems. Trim the brownish ends from the stems and cut the stems into rustic pieces, 1 or 2 inches long. Add the stem pieces to the boiling water, and stir occasionally until they're tender but still have a little crunch, about 2 minutes. Add the chard leaves to the pot, stir well to make sure they're all submerged, and pop on the lid. Let the water return to a boil, remove the lid, and cook, stirring now and then, until the stems have just lost their crunch and the leaves are tender and silky. It should take 6 to 8 minutes from the moment you add the chard leaves.

Drain the chard well in a colander, but please don't squeeze it to buggery. Put it in a bowl, then drizzle on the olive oil and add the garlic. Toss it well with your hands, rubbing the leaves to make sure the garlic gets dispersed. If you'd like, squeeze on just enough lemon juice so that it all tastes bright, not acidic, and sprinkle on some Maldon salt.

Lay the chard gently on the plate in a lovely tangle-with some air in there, not in a big, dense clump-and serve.

MARINATED STRAWBERRIES

Serves 4

• 2 pints strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved if large
• 3 tablespoons vodka
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons thick balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 3 to 4 twists black pepper
• 1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

Combine the strawberries, vodka, lemon zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Use a knife to scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the bowl, and add half the sugar. Stir gently but thoroughly. Give a taste. You might need to add more sugar if your strawberries aren't that sweet. If you do, add it gradually. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. Let the mixture chill (give them an occasional stir) for at least half an hour and up to an hour. The longer it sits, the more flavor the vodka will extract from the berries.

ETON MESS

For the meringue:

• 3 large egg white (without a trace of yolk)
• A generous 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

For whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 vanilla been, split lengthwise
• Marinated Strawberries, chilled

Make the meringue: Preheat the oven 200F. (The success of the meringue relies on low oven temperature. Because some ovens aren't well calibrated, be sure to test the temperature with an oven thermometer before risking your meringue.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Fill a medium pot with an inch or so of water and bring to a boil. Use a clean whisk or rubber spatula to stir together the egg whites and sugar in a clean large stainless steel bowl. Once the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat and set the bowl of egg whites over the hot water, so the water isn't touching the bowl's bottom, and stir constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is white, frothy, and no longer grainy, about 8 minutes.

Remove the bowl. Use a whisk, handheld electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on high to very stiff, shiny peaks, 4 to 5 minutes. (They should be so stiff that when you hold the whisk horizontally, the peaks stick straight out without bending.) Gently fold in the lemon zest.

Spoon the mixture into 4 equal mounds on the lined baking sheet. I like to take an extra few seconds to make sure each one is spiky. Bake the meringue until it's dry and crunchy on the outside but still soft and chewy inside, about 6 hours. Let it cool. (Stored in an airtight container lined with parchment paper, the meringues will keep for up to a day at room temperature or up to a week in the freezer.)

Make the whipped cream: Combine the cream and sugar in a large bowl. Use a knife to scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the bowl; discard the pod. Use a whisk or handheld electric mixer to whip the cream to semi-stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Eton Mess: Crumble the meringues into a large mixing bowl; you should have a combination of small crumbles, medium pieces, and large chunks. Add the whipped cream and stir gently just until the meringue pieces are coated. Add about three-quarters of the strawberries and their liquid and stir very gently just until the berries are well distributed but you still see streaks of red in the white cream.

Carefully scoop the mixture into a large serving bowl, scatter the remaining strawberries on top, and drizzle on the rest of the strawberry liquid. Serve straight-away.

FROZEN MOSCOW MULE

Makes 5 or 6

• 4 1/2 cups spicy ginger beer, preferably Fentiman's
• 2 limes
• About 9 ounces vodka

Pour the ginger beer into a medium baking dish. Use a Microplane grater to finely grate in the zest of 1 lime (be careful to avoid the white pith), and have a stir. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Just before you're ready to make the drinks, grab a sturdy fork (an old one is best, because you're going to be a bit rough with it), and start chipping away at the frozen ginger beer with the tines until it's all shaved looking, like a lovely slush.

Fill rocks glasses with the slush so it's almost overflowing (about 3/4 cup), pour 1-1/2 ounces of vodka in each one, and then, if need be, top off with a bit more of the slush so it towers above rim.

Cut the remaining lime into wedges and squeeze one over each drink. Pop a stirrer or small straw in each glass and drink away.