Roast Rib of Beef with Port and Stilton Gravy

• 8 1/2 lbs beef standing rib roast (a 4-rib roast)
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 tablespoons garlic oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fatty juices, from the roast beef pan
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ruby port, plus 1 tablespoon cooked onions from the roast beef pan (optional)
• 2 cups organic beef broth, from a carton
• 1 1/4 cups crumbled blue cheese
• 1 teaspoon red currant jelly
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra juices from the roasting pan and carving board

1. For the Roast Rib of Beef:
2. Take your beef out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature, which could take an hour or possibly more, and preheat the oven to 425F.
3. Put the onion slices into a roasting pan and sit the rib of beef on top of them.
4. Use the onion slices as props to help the rib sit up on its bones in an L shape.
5. Smear the oil over the white fat of the rib and sprinkle with the salt, thyme and cayenne pepper.
6. Cook according to the beefs weight and your taste.
7. I like my beef nice and rare, so I give it 15 minutes per pound, which means, for a roast this size, a cooking time of about 2 hours unless the beefs straight out of the refrigerator, in which case, add another 20 minutes or so.
8. If you want medium beef, give the roast, from room temperature, 20 minutes per pound, and if you like well-done meat, 30 minutes per pound.
9. As for feeding capacity, this size of roast will certainly look after a big tableful, from 8 with lots of leftovers to 14, without the definite promise of them.
10. When the beef comes out of the oven, remove to a carving board and allow to rest in a warm part of the kitchen under a tent of aluminum foil for 30 minutes before carving; or just leave, tented in its pan, for the same time.
11. Do not start cleaning up the pan, even if you have taken out the beef, however, as you will need some of the pan juices and onions for the gravy.
12. For the Port and Stilton Gravy:
13. Make a roux by adding the 2 tablespoons of fatty juices from the roasting pan to a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and then the 1/2 cup of port, and keep heating and whisking over a fairly gentle heat, until thick and bubbling.
14. If you want to blend the onions and broth, do so now, by putting any but the blackened onions in the blender goblet with the beef broth, and liquidizing.
15. Or leave the broth just as it is, straight out of the carton.
16. Take the saucepan off the heat, and gradually whisk in the beef broth.
17. When all the broths added, put the pan back on the heat and cook, whisking to make sure any lumps are banished, over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
18. Crumble in the blue cheese, then drop in the red currant jelly and turn up the heat to let the gravy bubble for 5 minutes.
19. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed, and then the remaining tablespoon of port, along with any bloody juices what we called red gravy when I was a child from the carved beef.
20. Pour into a warmed gravy boat.

beef standing rib roast, onions, garlic oil, kosher salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, fatty juices, flour, ruby port, beef broth, blue cheese, red currant, salt, extra juices from the roasting pan

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/roast-rib-of-beef-with-port-and-stilton-gravy (may not work)