The Wall Street Journal-20080216-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Food - Drink -- Chefs At Home- Taming Hell-s Kitchen- Fiery English Chef Gordon Ramsay Serves a Sedate Sunday Lunch

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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Food & Drink -- Chefs At Home: Taming Hell's Kitchen; Fiery English Chef Gordon Ramsay Serves a Sedate Sunday Lunch

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THE CHEF: GORDON RAMSAY is the only chef in London to hold three Michelin stars, with his eponymous flagship restaurant in the city's affluent Chelsea neighborhood. His empire spans Japan, Dubai and the U.S., where he has three restaurants including at New York's London hotel, which was recently awarded two Michelin stars.

KNOWN FOR: Mr. Ramsay has made a name for himself serving up modern British-French cuisine. But the former professional soccer player has established a reputation among a much wider audience as a fiery- tempered, foul-mouthed chef through his reality cooking television shows. At home, however, he emphasizes the importance of social skills with his four children (who range in age from 6 to 9 years of age) by regularly sitting down with them to Sunday lunch. Mr. Ramsay, who grew up with the family-lunch tradition, sees it as an important ritual for his children to learn manners as well as discuss anything that has upset them. "It's almost therapy in a way," he says.

THE MEAL: Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding -- the quintessential British Sunday lunch -- with cabbage and caramelized onions, adapted from "Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch" (Quadrille Publishing). The Yorkshire pudding mix can be made two or three days before and kept in the fridge. Be sure to make the baking tray piping hot, says Mr. Ramsay, so that when the cold batter hits, the puddings will puff up. Once ladled into the tray, sprinkle with coarse salt, and then once in the oven, leave the door closed. "Treat it like a souffle."

COOKING TIP: Mr. Ramsay says the biggest mistake people make is not letting beef rest for sufficient time, which allows the meat to reabsorb the juices released during cooking. He recommends letting it sit for at least 25 or 30 minutes before slicing.

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Roast Beef With Yorkshire Pudding & Red Wine Gravy

Yield: Serves 6

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 3-rib (3-4 pounds) prime beef roast, bones attached (ask your butcher to remove the bones and tie the meat back onto them for easiest carving)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Yorkshire pudding:

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or beef drippings)

For the gravy:

3 thyme sprigs

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled but smashed

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 plum tomatoes, halved or 2 canned plum tomatoes, drained

1 cup red wine

2 1/2 cups beef stock

-- One hour before cooking, take the meat out of the refrigerator to let it come to room temperature.

-- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium- high heat and add the oil. Sear the meat until brown on all sides, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the meat, still in the pan, to the oven and roast, allowing 15 minutes per 1 pound of meat for medium-rare or 20 minutes for medium.

-- Meanwhile, make the Yorkshire pudding batter: In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and salt. Blend until well combined and place in the refrigerator until ready to use (allow to rest for at least 30 minutes).

-- When the meat is cooked, transfer to a cutting board with a well, cover with foil, and allow to rest while you make the gravy and puddings. Increase the oven to 450 degrees.

-- Put 1 teaspoon of the oil (or beef drippings) into each section of a 12-hole Yorkshire pudding tray or muffin tray and put into the oven on the top shelf until very hot, almost smoking. As soon as you take the tray from the oven, pour in the batter to three-quarters fill the tins (it should sizzle) and immediately put back into the oven. Bake until the Yorkshire puddings are well risen, golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't open the oven door until the end or they might collapse.

-- Meanwhile, make the gravy: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of leftover drippings from the skillet or pan. Place over medium heat and add the thyme, garlic and onion and cook until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, wine and stock and bring to a boil, mashing the tomatoes into the liquid, until reduced by half. Pass the gravy through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to extract their flavor. Bring back to the boil and reduce to a gravy consistency, measuring a little more than 3/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper.

-- Remove the ribs from the meat and carve the beef thinly. Serve with the warm gravy, Yorkshire puddings and sauteed cabbage.

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Sauteed Cabbage With Caramelized Onions

Yield: 6 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1 2-pound Savoy or other green cabbage, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 red onions, thinly sliced

Handful of sage leaves (about 10), chopped

Knob (about 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

-- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook for 3 minutes. Drain into a colander in the sink and refresh under running cold water; drain well.

-- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook until they release their liquid. Uncover, and continue to cook slowly over medium-low heat until softened and caramelized, stirring frequently to avoid their browning onto the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped sage and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the butter and allow to melt, then add the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.