Monday, August 30, 2010

Recipe#10 - Flat Iron Steak






The is the best, easy, fast and walk away meal...

This cut of meat is very tasty and easy to work with...

If you got a crock pot it will make this cut of steak extremely tender, and will melt in your mouth..





I have 2 great recipes:

Recipe # 1

- Honey and Barbecue sauce with chopped raw garlic.

- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a crock pot or (oven safe casserole dish place in the oven on 250 - 300)- Crock Pot: on the lowest heat setting

- Take your steak with a fork and tenderize the steak by repeatably poking holes on both sides.

- Then place in the crock pot for 2 - 2.5 hours and serve..

- Remember when taking the steak out of the pot - Let the steak sit for 10 to 15 minutes this will allow all the juices to remain in the meat before serving.


Recipe #2

Ingredients
Sea salt to taste
1 tsp, cracked grd. black pepper
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup red wine
(or your favorite marinade or rub)

Directions
1. Combine ingredients in a 1 gallon zipper bag.
2. Place steak in the marinade and let stand refrigerated for at least 3 hours.

Note: Grilling is good with this type of marinade as well..

- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a crock pot or (oven safe casserole dish place in the oven on 250 - 300)- Crock Pot: on the lowest heat setting

- Take your steak with a fork and tenderize the steak by repeatably poking holes on both sides.

- Then place in the crock pot for 2 - 2.5 hours and serve..

- Remember when taking the steak out of the pot - Let the steak sit for 10 to 15 minutes this will allow all the juices to remain in the meat before serving.

Happy eating =)

Recipe#9 - Julia Child's famous "Boeuf Bourguignon"

This recipe is the creme de la creme of all recipes.

















Julia Child's famous "Boeuf Bourguignon". It is an amazing melt in your mouth stew that just gets better and better as it sits in the frig.

It is important to use the best ingredients when it comes to this recipe - It will make all the difference in the world.

In Addition to the recipe:

Salad: I will be serving it with a Strawberry-Goat Cheese Salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Side Dish: Fresh Asparagus not from a can.

Wine: Beaujolais Nouveau, Cabernet Sauvignon or your favorite Red wine...

Dessert: Fresh fruit with heavy whipped creme (home-made) or Ice cream with MINT!!!


IMPORTANT NOTES: Make sure you dry the meat or it wont brown properly - you will sear the beef to lock in flavor but dont over it cook it -- due to it will cook while in the oven..

Also don't wash mushrooms or at least lightly wash because the mushrooms will soak anything up and you don't want them to absorb water and not the wine - and when cooking the mushrooms don't crowd them or they wont brown as well..



Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:

Kitchen Supplies:

* 9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
* Slotted spoon

Boeuf Bourguignon:

* 6 ounces bacon
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
* 3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
* 1 sliced carrot
* 1 sliced onion
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 2 Tbsp. flour
* 3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
* 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
* 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
* 2 cloves mashed garlic
* 1/2 tsp. thyme
* Crumbled bay leaf
* Blanched bacon rind
* 18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
* 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
* Parsley sprigs

Directions:

Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers
very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.


When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Recipe#8 - Clint's Famous French Toast




French Toast as simple as it is and the key word is keep it simple - Is that is it actually an art form.

The Recipe I will entail is one I came up with over the years because of my love of "French Toast".

Below is the my secrets and then ingredients:

SECRET TO GOOD MOIST FRENCH TOAST:

To me I love buttery MOIST French Toast - The are 3 key steps that must never be missed.

1) Batter - When you mix your eggs and sour cream it needs to take on the look of watery cake batter. You need to whip and do it hard and fast to incorporate as much air as you can into the egg dip. This will make the F.Toast fluffy.

2) Dipping - The number of times of dipping or as I do FLIPPING. Flipping one side to the next counting to 8 (MIN) to 10 depending if the bread feels like its just about to fall apart. BREAD - WHITE or Texas Toast - with texas toast 10 (MIN).

3) Cooking - Cook it slowly dont turn up the stove and make the pan too hot.
IMPORTANT: If your butter is sizzling rapidly in the pan you have it way to hot. I cook it low to medium - the butter sizzles for just a sec and stops - the perfect temperature. Cooking it slow keeps it from drying out and keeps it moist.

RECIPE:

Serving Size: 4 Pieces of French Toast - Increase amount of batter accordingly.

3 Eggs - (Brown Eggs Preferred)
1 Large Tablespoon of Sour Cream
1 Teaspoon of Sugar (optional)

Garnishes:: Strawberry, Blue Berries, Kiwi

Prepare your batter while heating you skillet on low heat. After whipping your batter to the point that hardly no lumps are left in the batter and it has taken on a watery cake batter consistence - Then start buttering your skillet extremely generously - when butter is slightly sizzling and/ or bubbling a bit - ADD your correctly numbered dipped F.Toast to your skillet.

After few minutes till you learn how long it takes - Check to see if it has taken on a semi Brown / Yellow appearance.. Don't over cook it or it wont come out moist.. When you have reach the point of flipping - Flip then butter the F.Toast. Cook the other side the same way and when ready to remove then butter the other side.

Add Garnishes and Happy Eating =)