Filet Mignon Roast with Sauce Béarnaise
Ah... the joys of Gift Cards...
Victor's mom got us a gift card for Christmas so I thought I would exchange it for a ridiculously-expensive piece of meat. A seasoned filet mignon roast. I mean... why not?!? I think the whole concept of gift cards is to buy something you would not normally buy yourself, and a filet roast is definitely something I would not normally buy.
Or cook and serve on a non-occasion Tuesday.
But that's the other half of the fun. Doing the unexpected.
I pan-seared the roast then put it into a 375° over for about 30 minutes. I didn't use a thermometer with this - just the look-and-touch method. After all these years, the touch is still there - perfectly rare in the center.
A filet roast on a non-occasion Tuesday requires more than mere potatoes and vegetable. I did a gorgonzola mashed yukon gold potato and French green beans with mushrooms, garlic, and almonds.
And a semi-classic Béarnaise sauce for the beef.
I have had such incredibly-good luck with blender hollandaise and blender béarnaise that I will probably never whisk one over simmering water ever again. Really.
Just too easy.
Béarnaise Sauce
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp dry tarragon (or 1 tbsp fresh)
- Pinch black pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 stick butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
Place shallot, tarragon, pepper, and wine in small saucepan. Reduce to about 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid. Strain.
Melt the butter, keeping it hot.
Add egg yolks and tarragon vinegar to blender. Mix. With blender running at high speed, slowly dribble in the hot butter. When butter is all added, whirl in the wine reduction.
Enjoy.
The potatoes were simply boiled and mashed with a bit of gorgonzola, butter, milk, salt, and pepper. I rarely peel the potatoes and I like lumps. Your mileage may vary.
The green beans were steamed and then sauteed with mushrooms, fresh minced garlic, and a handful of sliced almonds. A bit of salt and pepper finished them off.
Not bad for a non-occasion Tuesday dinner.
Beef 'n Biscuits
It's still snowing outside. I don't quite see the 8"-12" they're predicting, though. Right now it looks like a bit of a bust at our house. Bummer. But it's put me in winter cooking mode nonetheless.
Tonight was Beef 'n Biscuits.
A simple beef stew with a biscuit topping.
There's no real recipe to this. Make a beef stew (or open a can of Dinty Moore) and make some biscuits (the recipe is on the back of the baking mix box) and pop it all into the oven for 15 or so minutes.
The only real secret is to make sure your stew is really hot before putting the biscuit dough on. If it's not hot, the bottom of the biscuit will not bake and it will be doughy.
I use a medium scoop when dishing the biscuit dough, but a hefty tablespoon will work just fine. Just be careful not to make the biscuits too big. They will rise and get much larger in the oven.
This is pure comfort food and perfect for a snowy evening.
Caffe Vergnano 1882
The weather outside is getting frightful. Time for a cup of coffee.
But not just any ol' coffee... We're having a pot of Caffe Vergnano 1882 Crystal. From a nice half-kilo bag.
Victor's nephew, Nick, got it for us from Eataly in NYC along with a bottle of Frantoio Lucchi & Guastalli Terra di Tramontana Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva. That translates to "Really Expensive Olive Oil."
The label states the coffee is:
A Vergnano signature blend created by Vergnano for the connoisseur of the true Italian espresso. Unique in its appearance and unfailing in quality. Even the most untrained eye cannot help but to notice the large Margagogype beans of Nicaragua which are evident within this celebrated blend. As an espresso there are floral undertones and hints of spice. A rich crema and abundant aroma. Prepared for a filter or drip coffee the 1882 blend produces a coffee which is surprisingly smooth and mellow and yet unmasked in its complexity.
The coffee is also not cheap but it lives up to the hype. It's good. really good. It's a good thing that we don't live closer to NYC. I couldn't afford to drink this every day!
But we're gonna love every drop. And methinks we're gonna enjoy that olive oil, too!
Lentil Soup
The snow has finally started to fall. The Blizzard of 2010 has officially begun. We have our fully-charged phones, Kindles, and battery-powered radio. If the power goes out, we're ready.
And we're ready in the kitchen, too. Blizzards mean soup, right?!? And a loaf of homemade bread.
The beauty of having a well-stocked larder is ya don't have to go out pre-blizzard and buy your French Toast fixin's...
Let it snow. We're set for days.
I had a nice, meaty ham bone in the freezer, so that was the "inspiration piece" for the meal. I also had the no-knead bread dough in the 'fridge.
Ready. Set. Go.
Lentil Soup
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 4 quarts water
- 3 cups lentils
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Tabasco
- Salt and pepper
Chop and saute onion in soup pot. When translucent, add water, bay leaves, and ham bone. Bring to boil and then simmer, uncovered, about an hour or so.
Remove bone and let cool. Cut or pull meat from bone and set aside to add to soup.
Add lentils, carrots, and celery. Cook about 20 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Add ham and simmer another 10 minutes, or so.
Add cayenne, Tabasco, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with crusty bread and butter.
It's a really easy and very basic. The cayenne and Tabasco add just the slightest bit of heat. It's not supposed to overpower or be pronounced. Just a bit.
And a loaf of bread always makes the meal complete.
The weather has really started blowing out there. It may be time to make another loaf before the power goes out...
Beef and Mushrooms
Merry Christmas Eve Eve.
It's been a pretty rough past few days. Retail and The Holidays are nothing short of insane. It's good to be home.
I hadn't pulled anything out of the freezer and as I was rummaging, Victor suggested we just head down to the diner. I decided I would rather cook than leave the house and deal with the general public. Gives you an idea of what the week has been like.
Besides... there's stuff that needs using up before we head to North Jersey tomorrow...
So out came a couple of tenderized steaks.
I mixed up a bit of flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper and dredged them and browned them in a bit of butter. I pulled them out of the skillet and added some fresh mushrooms. When they were looking nice, I deglazed the pan with a hefty splash of brandy and then added about a cup of beef broth. I let it simmer a few minutes and added about a quarter-cup of heavy cream. It was the end of the carton...
I thickened it with the seasoned flour, put the steaks back in and let it all simmer while the rice and broccoli cooked.
An easy dinner and I didn't have to deal with any crowds.
THAT is a Merry Christmas in my book!
Cuban-Style Mojo Citrus Marinade & Cooking Sauce
I grocery shop for Victor's mom on Mondays. It's not a big deal - she's easy to shop for - but she does have a few things she wants that can only be gotten at the local Acme.
I am not crazy about Acme. They're a lot more expensive than other stores, for one, and even though they have remodeled, I still can't seem to get past what a dump it was when we first moved here.
But... Last week instead of doing my really quick run-in-and-run-out, I decided I needed to at least walk the store and give them another real chance. It's the holidays, and all. I was feeling slightly magnanimous, or something.
Up-and-down every aisle I went, looking at different products and mentally comparing prices with PathMark and Wegmans. For the most part, they were higher and I really wasn't finding a lot of things to put in that huge shopping cart I was pushing around.
I'm not a huge National Brand shopper and tend to zero in on store brands and regional items. One brand that seemed to be everywhere was "Culinary Circle." A quick look-up on the phone showed that it's the more upscale private label of Acme's parent company, SuperValu.
I noticed some simmer/stirfry-type sauces that looked interesting. One, in particular, was a Cuban-Style Mojo Citrus Marinade & Cooking Sauce. "Fresh citrus complement a blend of chiles and fresh garlic." Works for me!
Packaging is a lot and I liked the packaging. Price was reasonable. And lo and behold! No high-fructose corn syrup or other nasty ingredients! I bought a bottle. I don't buy a lot of bottled sauces because they're easy to make and most of them are loaded with chemicals and other franken-foods. But I do like to have a couple on the shelf for those nights when I'm feeling particularly lazy. Like tonight.
I have to say the sauce did not disappoint. It had a really nice cumin/chile flavor balanced with tangy citrus. I was actually surprised that it had a bit of heat. It's almost automatic that the first thing I need to do with bottled sauces is add something to kick it up a few notches. I didn't have to, tonight. It worked straight out of the bottle.
I stirfried chicken, celery, broccoli, added the sauce and then added some canned pineapple and an orange in segments.
Over rice.
I have a Mayan Fajita Marinade & Cooking Sauce in the cabinet. I think next week we may have to head to Central America!
Gianduja
I think this may be the surprise dish of the holiday season. It's mid-December but the February issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine is already here. And I am very glad it is! A past issue had a recipe for Nutella Cookie Sandwiches that seemed perfect as one of our Christmas cookies this year. But since Nutella is not on my regular shopping list, I just keep forgetting to pick it up. Had I not come across this recipe, the cookies would have probably fallen into the ever-growing "I thought about making" category.
And to make good things even better, I just found out that this recipe and the cookie recipe both come from Pastry Chef Karen DeMasco. I've been checking her out online and really like her style. I see more of her ideas coming to town!
Gianduja is a sweet chocolate and hazelnut invented in Turin 1852 by Caffarel Chocolate Company. The better-known to us Nutella came into being in the 1940's in Italy. Nutella is good. This is nothing short of totally amazing. And it literally took minutes to prepare.
I bought hazelnuts already hulled from Oh! Nuts in Brooklyn. They are cheap at $8.99/lb! Plus they arrived in just a couple of days! The Demerara sugar came from Atlantic Spice. I bought it a while back with no particular plan or recipe. I just figured I'd use it, eventually... Around here, nothing ever goes to waste.
One note... since I bought hulled hazelnuts I didn't have to go through the toasting-and-rubbing, but I did put the nuts in the oven for a few minutes to warm them before making the spread.
Gianduja
Chocolate Hazelnut SpreadDemerara sugar gives DeMasco's Gianduja its signature "bit of crunch." Though loose when first made, the spread can be enjoyed immediately as a dip or drizzle. Once thickened (after 2 to 3 days at room temperature or a few hours chilled), it makes a fantastic cookie filling. Scoop chilled spread into balls and roll in cocoa powder or dip in melted chocolate to make decadent truffles.
- 5 ounces hazelnuts (1 cup)
- 8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate
- 1/4 cup Demerara sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Heat oven to 350°.
Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and rub to remove loose skins (don't worry about skins that won't come off).
While nuts are warm, combine with chocolate, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth, adding oil in a slow steady stream.
Transfer to an airtight container. Let stand at room temperature until thickened, about 2 days. Spread keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month or refrigerated for up to 3 months. To loosen chilled spread, heat in microwave for about 5 seconds.
And now that the gianduja is done those cookies are going to be made in the next few days.
Pot Roast
The blizzard of the century has hit. And gone. It was a quick storm. It left almost a dusting of snow. Almost.
But the hype.....
PennDot is salting roads. The official snow-fall accumulation in Bryn Mawr - just a couple of miles from us - was 1/10th of one inch. That's right - a tenth of an inch. How do you even measure a tenth of an inch of snow?!? It boggles the mind.
TV news folks live for disasters. In the freezing nether-regions, they're the ones who harp on the totally meaningless "wind-chill factors" to make the weather sound worse than it actually is. Out west, it's the TV crew at the 7-11 trying to find the one knocked-over bottle of ketchup after a 2.3 earthquake.
But snow or no, it has been cold the last few fays and a pot roast seemed to fit the bill for warming us up.
I had the other part of that top round I used for pot pie the other night so we had our start.
Pot roast - like soups and stews and the like - really don't have recipes. They come together based on what's in the house.
Tonight, I started by browning the beef in a bit of bacon fat. I cut a small onion in 8ths and browned it a bit.
I then added a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and cooked that up for a few minutes and then stirred in about a half-cup of red wine. I cooked that for a minute and then added about 2 1/2 cups of beef broth and a pinch of salt and pepper.
I covered it, owed the heat, and let it all simmer for about an hour.
I then added one potato cut in 8ths, 2 carrots and 3 stalks of celery. (I virtually never peel vegetables going into soups and stews.) I cooked that for about 45 minutes, removed the meat, and then thickened the broth with a bit of cornstarch. I usually use flour, but the cornstarch was handier tonight.
Served with a couple of thick slabs of the homemade bread from a few days ago. (If there's any left in a day or two, it will make for a great bread pudding!)
Victor just lit a fire in the fireplace so it may be time to grab the Kindle and curl up with something fun to read.
The maniacs from the township just salted our street. Looks like I won't be able to call in to work tomorrow "snowed in."
Chicken Florentine with Boursin Sauce
I really like Boursin cheese. Not necessarily as a stand-alone cheese, but for all the things it can be used for.
My two favorite ways to use Boursin is in mashed potatoes (outrageously good) and as a sauce. A bit of Boursin melted with a bit of heavy cream or milk makes the perfect sauce for vegetables, beef, chicken... Outrageoulsly good.
For tonight's dinner I started by sauteing a small chopped onion with some finely chopped mushrooms. When the onions were properly wilted, I added a bag of frozen chopped spinach, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
While that was heating, I took one whole boneless chicken breast (both halves) and pounded it to a uniform thickness.
I spread about a third of a cup of ricotta cheese on top and then about a cup or so of the spinach mixture.
I rolled it up, put it in a greased pan and into a 350° for about 40 minutes.
To serve, I placed more of the spinach filling on the plate, put slices of the chicken on top and then added the Boursin sauce. Whole-grain rice finished the plate.
And I bought dessert tonight because for the remainder of the evening I am going to be playing with my brand-new Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection. 15+ programs I will never fully know how to use. But I'm gonna have fun with it no matter how much I don't know!
Be afraid. Be very afraid!
Beef Pot Pie
Ya know how sometimes you can just surprise yourself at how good something turns out?
That is exactly how I felt tonight with the Beef Pot Pie! It came out G-O-O-D!
Surprisingly good. And made all the better because it wasn't what I had originally planned for dinner! Well... mostly. I had planned the pot pie, but I was going to go easy on myself and use frozen puff pastry for the crust. Except... when I got home and looked in the freezer, there wasn't any puff pastry in there. Oh well.
My first thought was to make a half-batch of pie dough and just do a top crust. But I immediately threw out that idea in favor of a two-crust pot pie. Two crusts really is the way Mother Nature intended a pot pie to be, after all.
I used a braising pan just slightly larger than the casserole I was filling because I wanted to try and contain myself. Soups and stews and the like tend to grow under my tutelage. They easily swell to the size of the vessel they inhabit - and can often require larger quarters.
Tonight, I just wanted to make enough for the pot pie. And I almost succeeded.
I cubed about 3/4 pound of beef from a top round and dredged it in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I then browned it all very well in about a tablespoon of bacon fat. Yes, bacon fat. Remember those BLT's yesterday? I save my bacon fat as did my mother before me and her mother before her. I never throw it away.
But I digress...
After the meat was browned I deglazed the pan with a cup of coffee. As I scraped up the bits of fond in the pan, I knew I was on to something, It smelled great. Into the pan went a quart of beef broth and I brought it all to a boil and then let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
Next into the pan went about a cup of chopped celery and 6 red-skinned potatoes that I quartered. mIt simmered for about another 15 minutes and then I added about a half-bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Frozen mixed vegetables are the perfect soup, stew, and pot pie ingredient. I always have a bag or two in the freezer.
When the potatoes were just about done, I made a paste of the leftover dredging flour and a bit of water and thickened the filling a bit. No exact measurement, here. I probably had a third of a cup of seasoned flour before adding the water and possibly used half of it to thicken. It's a judgment thing. Don't add it all at once.
I spooned it into the crust-lined dish, added the top crust, brushed it with egg, cut steam slits, and put it into a 425° oven for 45 minutes.
I used my favorite pie crust recipe but I didn't add the sugar and used all all-purpose flour. It was light, buttery, flaky, and just the perfect crust. (Why I bought that frozen crust the other day.....)
The perfect dinner and Victor is now in the kitchen making macadamia nut-orange biscotti...
Life is good.
Italian Sausage Polenta Pie
Our Monday La Cucina Pasta went on hiatus this week. Neither of us felt like actually cooking. I thought it would be nice to do something vaguely Italian and originally was thinking a baked pasta dish of sorts.
I needed a bit of inspiration and came across a fun recipe in my Mom's Cook Book - Italian-Sausage Polenta Pie. It fit the criterion for dinner tonight. Italian and baked in the oven. Plus I had all the ingredients.
That cook book is a lot of fun. It really is a snapshot into what cooking was like 45 years ago. Balsamic vinegar is unheard of. A convenience product is Bisquick. Someone really would make "Meat Loaf en Croute" using pie crust mix - and serve it or a special occasion.
Cooking - and eating - was a lot more fun and adventurous.
So on that fun and adventurous note, I followed the basic concept but added a few twists and turns. I had some homemade sauce in the freezer, so I didn't need to make the sauce from the recipe. I also added some mushrooms with the sausage and added a layer of cooked arugula in the middle.
And Mozzarella cheese.
It was perfectly ooey-gooey. And I only dirtied something like 4 pots to make a one-pot meal.
Mom would have been proud.
A Basic BLT
Tomatoes, bacon, and iceberg lettuce. On toast with mayonnaise.
It doesn't get much better - except the bread was the homemade bread I made on Saturday. It is definitely one of the better homemade sandwich breads I've had.
An Ruffles potato chips.
That was an impulse-buy at the grocery store this morning. I really don't remember the last time I had a bag of Ruffles. I usually opt for kettle chips or tortilla chips on those rare occasions I actually break down and buy them.
I have nothing against potato chips. I just don't need the calories. But every now and again they're fun.
And I have nothing against iceberg lettuce, either. I like the crunch and you can't get that with other lettuces. And for those of you who wouldn't dream of buying iceberg but buy those packages of romaine hearts by the truckload?!? Guess what?!? Nutritional value of the two is the same.