Best. Steak. Ever.

Fellow Home Chef/Next Food Network Star Wannabe/foodie/wine enthusiast Erika dropped by last night for what can really only be described as a sinfully good evening of food and wine. Both of us were experimenting with old favorites tonight: hers a sweet and fruity baked brie wrapped in fillo dough--mine an indulgent cut of beef tenderloin (aka filet mignon aka frickin delicious) with a French cognac sauce.

I had never had baked brie before, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Erika sliced a couple of quarters of brief in half, covered the bottom halves with peach preserves and sliced almonds, and laid the top halves over the combination. Then she wrapped them in fillo dough (which will now make tons of appearances here in coming weeks), spread with a little butter, and we stuck them in the oven.

Holy crap. So simple. So profoundly amazing. The light sweetness of the preserves plus the bold flavor of the smoothly melted cheese matched up perfectly with the soft crisp of the almonds and (in my opinion) the flaky fillo dough. There wasn't a single bit left.


In the meanwhile, I was going to work on the tenderloins. I dashed a bit of kosher salt and coarsely ground black peppercorns (about 1/4 of their original size) along with some cumin and coriander and pressed them into my room temperature steaks. Then covered with melted butter and drizzled with honey, hoping it would make the steaks caramelize on the outside and hold in the flavor of my spices. I pan seared them over high heat in a bit more butter and olive oil, about two minutes on each side, and the strategy worked. The honey caramelized to give the steaks a beautiful, crusty outside, with very few juices left over in the pan. Perfect.

Then tossed them in the over for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees for medium rare. While the steaks were cooking, I added a dash of butter, about a quarter cup of cream, a couple of splashes of cognac, a heaping tablespoon of hot chinese mustard, salt, pepper, and some beef stock and reduced by half over medium-high heat. Pulled the steak out and let it sit for five minutes before spooning the sauce over it and serving with my green bean frites (green beans brushed with olive oil, salted, peppered, and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until a little shrivelled). Best steak I've ever made. Bar none. And arguably the best steak I've ever had. Period. (Unfortunately, Erika cannot say the same. I undercooked hers, terrified I was going to pull out a well done tenderloin. Whoops! Sorry, Erika!)

Steamed Chicken with a Lemon Basil Sauce

I realized that one of my big weakness in my cooking repertoire is a mastery of sauces. I also realized that I still had frozen leftover chicken marinated in the sauce Alyse mentions here.

I wanted to keep the flavors of the marinade, and really not add anything else like oil or butter. So I tried a little something new. Yup, I steamed chicken. Just like I would steam broccoli. Except with chicken. I placed it in a steamer insert and steamed it for ten minutes. Fan. Tastic. I don't know why more people don't do this. It came away super moist, juicy, and with all the flavors I marinated it in. Fantasticness.

So for my first attempt at an impromptu sauce, I took some of the juices from the chicken and added butter, cream, pepper, salt, saffron, paprika, sherry, lemon juice, and basil. Simmered for about ten minutes, and spooned over the chicken. Served it with some french fries. Nice. Plus, leftovers for two days of lunch. Even nicer.

Mozzarella Sticks: A Work In Progress

There are three appetizers in a restaurant that, no matter where I am, what time of day, or what mood I'm in, will grab my attention: hot wings, chicken tenders, and mozzarella sticks. The first two I've been able to make at home for some time now, but I've never attempted mozzarella sticks from scratch....until this weekend.

But the other day the rarely inspiring Giada de Laurentiis of "Everyday Italian" on the Food Network gave me a recipe for a set of mozzarella sticks so tantalizing that it has earned a permanent place on my Tivo. It joins such greats as "The Ladies Man" and "Office Space."

The recipe is simple--about a 60/40 combination of italian style breadcrumbs and parmesan coat sliced mozzarella that has been prepped with beaten eggs. Freeze to set the breading, and pan-fry. How hard could it be?

The first try was a disaster. First the oil was too cold; I panicked and turned the heat all the way up, so now it was too high. The sticks stuck to the pan, the mozzarella came pouring out, and I had a huge mess. Amazingly, the leftover mess, which could really only be honestly called "mozzarella pile" was fantastic. I knew the ingredients were right--I just had to get the oil temperature right.

My second go around was sure to be met with more success. I got the temperature of the oil right, but by the time I flipped the sticks, mozzarella was already pouring out of the breading. Equally disastrous, except for these two that got super close attention:


Unfortunately, those two sticks weren't done on the inside. The mozzarella was warm, but not melted. Argh!

The third time will have to be the charm. I've realized you need to do them in smaller batches and pay super close attention. The problem is not merely keeping the sticks from burning/sticking to the bottom of the pan. You also have to cook them long enough to melt the mozzarella on the inside, but not so long that it melts enough to break through the breading. I'll combine that strategy with a double coat of egg/breading/egg/breading and see how it goes. Expect updates this weekend.

My Just Desserts

I'll be the first to admit my cooking forte has nothing to do with desserts (despite the claims of a drunken Neighbor Brad last night). It's a matter of practice time. I'll never make desserts 5 out of 7 nights a week like I do with main courses. But both nature and I abhor a vacuum, and I definitely have a vacuum of talent and skill when it comes to dessert. So who better to experiment on than my friends?

First up was a Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, inspired by a request from my mother for an "Irish Dessert." (My brother is going to Notre Dame next year, along with a collection of other kids from the hometown--for my mom, this inexplicably demands a networking party for the Notre Dame moms of Peachtree City. I don't claim to understand suburban life.) I paired it with a chocolate mint sauce that I made from a combination of semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate, sugar, and water that I had boiled 8 or 9 mint leaves in. The cake was moist (maybe a bit too moist--it probably could have baked for another hour or so) and creamy. The flavor was fantastic, although next time I'll add brown sugar.

Next up was a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie, a different spin on my last effort. I can probably get away with using the tofu as the thickening agent instead of the cream cheese if I want to keep the fat content down. I'll try that next time.

My favorite was the Cider Poached Apples with Spiked Strawberry and Blueberry Coulis (how do you make coulis plural? I've wanted to do that all week.) I boiled down a mixture of apple cider and cinnamon until it was about half, and poached apple sliced in that mixture until just tender on the outside and then stuck them in the freezer to cool off (I didn't want them steaming hot, just warm) Separately, I tossed thawed frozen strawberries in my blender with some sauvignon blanc and sugar and repeated with blueberries. For each coulis, I added a dash of allspice, a couple of bay leaves, and about a teaspoon of ground cloves and simmered for a little less than ten minutes. I removed the sauces from heat, removed the bay leaves, and added just enough Hennessy to give it a spiked, smokey flavor--about a shot's worth. Served the sauces drizzled over the apples with a side of cinnamon yogurt (just some vanilla yogurt mixed with ground cinnamon to taste).

Helloooooo, nurse:

Wings!

Since I discovered the phenomenal combination of bleu cheese dressing and hot wings during my early days in college, very few things have given me as much pure happiness on so many different occasions and in so many different venues.

From Hooters (no, seriously though, they really do have good wings--I'll get them for take-out) to hole in the wall spots in South Atlanta, to Chili's....

Ok, Chili's wings don't really belong--but when it's one of the best things on a mediocre menu that you have to serve to people for hours at a time....

I haven't found much in the way of good wings in DC since I've been up here, so there was really only one option. Make them yourself.

I deep fried my wings for about ten minutes and tossed them in a mixture of frank's hot sauce and butter...about 50/50...that I heated along with a quarter of a minced habanero. If replicating at home, I'd leave out the habanero unless you love you some spice. Decided to mix it up and serve with some sliced yellow bell pepper instead of the traditional celery sticks. Great choices, all around. 15 minutes, and I had a phenomenal dinner. Beat that, Rachael Ray.

Cherry Infused Honey Balsamic Chicken

Wanted to get a little experimental tonight, so I mixed together some of my favorite flavors in the hope that they would work. And I think they did, but not quite sufficiently. Missing a little something....

I started by sauteeing some mini chicken breast strips--about four breasts worth, cause I wanted leftovers--in olive oil with salt, thyme, and pepper to taste. Set aside the chicken and added equal parts honey and balsamic vinegar to the skillet....about three tablespoons of each....and scraped the bottom of the pot. While stirring, I added four cherries that I had pitted and crushed with a mortar and pestle. After simmering just a few minutes, I tossed the chicken in the sauce and served it over julienned celery and red bell pepper. I paired it up with some steamed broccoli sprinkled with lemon juice and parmesan and some more fresh red cherries.

The flavor of the sauce was good; it just wasn't thick enough or substantive enough for my tastes. I definitely don't want to toss the concept, so I'll look to find a way to thicken the sauce and go from there.

Lime Chicken Vinaigrette

This recipe is a T original, and quite possibly the best meal I make--at the very least, my personal favorite.

One of my favorite things to do is come home in the evening, rummage around in my pantry/refrigerator, and create something from whatever is lying around. It's fun to watch, as I wander aimlessly until I see something unique that I can make a recipe around. It is from one of these moments and a glance at a bottle of Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette that my Lime Chicken Vinaigrette was born.

Like the Jack Daniels Salmon I mentioned the other day, this is one of the few original recipes where I bothered to record exact quantities. So you can (and should) make this one at home. It's a simple marinade that becomes a reduction. I'd strongly suggest serving with a full-bodied pinot noir or malbec. Of course, in my world, malbec goes with anything. But that's just me.

Have fun with this one, and please let me know how it turns out if you make it!



Oh, and remember the stuffed bell peppers I told you about? Check it outtttt.