(Reprinted from March 6, 2014 issue)
I love my children so much that I decided to call a snow day on our youngest daughter’s 13th birthday. Not only was it a great snow day, but it was in March. I’ll do what I can to make my kids happy. I’m sure I’ll have to pay the big guy back some day for the snowstorm, but by any means possible…
Unfortunately, her birthday also coincided with our annual ‘tax day’, the day on which we knock out a good amount of the dreaded deed of paying the Tax Man. This year, extenuating circumstances forced us to work things out on Gabbie’s birthday, but it was still a day off and that’s pretty amazing, I’d say.
The next day, however, it was time to get back to business and end the day with what we believe could have very well been the first meal of 2014 at our own dining room table. It is hard to believe that we are in March already, and shame on us for stepping away from our evening ritual of meeting, eating, sharing, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
There is little else that can bring the joy of the family table and for that I am eternally grateful. While we don’t have the brood that sat around the table of my childhood, it is still a handful. In keeping with tradition, steak and crab legs were on the menu; one of my daughter’s favorite birthday meals.
Combing the stores for tenderloin (filet mignon) I was shocked to find that the stores that had any only had that of questionable integrity so I opted for a steak that I had never worked with before; the sirloin filet. I have cooked the chuck tender with great aplomb and have thrown out other cuts that the beef board has tried to pass off as tender and delicious. If you’re going to try something new, you might as well do it on an incredibly important day, right?
Coming in at a mere third of the price of beef tenderloin, they had all of the flavor of the sirloin cut with just a touch extra bite as compared to a tenderloin; I can give that up in return for the added taste. I love that butchers are working on new cuts; or maybe I have just never seen this before and I am happy about learning something new. Who knows? Either way, it’s a great, value-added piece of meat.
Once the flames were doused, the dust settled and the smoke rendered its way out of the house, we sat back with bellies full and heads bursting with new memories as we welcomed our youngest daughter into her teen years; and may God have mercy on our souls.
We usher in a new era in 2014 in which we sit together to eat; and not in a minivan or in front of a television. Now that we have had enough snow, I have decided that it is now time for spring to commence. There will be no more snow this season.
Steak and Stuff
serves 4
4 to 5 ounce sirloin filets
Blackening seasoning, as needed
Clarified butter, as needed
2 lb. snow crab legs, steamed
Roasted red potatoes (recipe follows)
8 ounce each asparagus and broccoli, blanched
2 cups blender hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)
sautéed mushrooms
• Heat a grill or in my case a heavy duty grill-pan until smoking hot
• Season steaks and coat with some clarified butter
• Grill on both sides until done to the temperature of your liking and keep warm until service
• Steaming snow crab legs is as easy as it sounds. Just steam them until they are thawed unless the store was kind enough to thaw them for you
• Serve everything with a side of drawn butter and some Hollandaise Sauce to top it off
Roasted Red Potatoes
1 lb. red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cups olive oil
salt and pepper as needed
2 garlic cloves, minced
drizzle of butter
• Blanch the potatoes in salted water until they are tender
• Strain and dry for a few minutes by allowing the steam to dissipate
• Toss in the salt, pepper and garlic and roast until golden
• Drizzle with butter and keep warm until service
Blender Hollandaise
makes about 2 cups
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. white wine
1/2 tsp. chicken base
1 cup clarified butter
• The safest way to pasteurize eggs is to buy pasteurized eggs. However, if you want to try it at home, you can greatly reduce the amount of potential pathogens by performing the following steps
• Place the eggs in cold water and heat to 142F. Once it hits this temperature, let it go for three minutes and then cool the eggs. This is about as close to pasteurized as you’re going to get without professional equipment, but if you eat raw oysters and sushi, you’re probably in good enough shape to eat these eggs. If you’re still afraid, just buy Egg Beaters!
• Place the eggs, wine, lemon juice and chicken base in a blender
• Turn on and slowly drizzle the butter until the vortex in the middle stops spinning. That’s your sign that it’s done
• Season and serve
I love my children so much that I decided to call a snow day on our youngest daughter’s 13th birthday. Not only was it a great snow day, but it was in March. I’ll do what I can to make my kids happy. I’m sure I’ll have to pay the big guy back some day for the snowstorm, but by any means possible…
Unfortunately, her birthday also coincided with our annual ‘tax day’, the day on which we knock out a good amount of the dreaded deed of paying the Tax Man. This year, extenuating circumstances forced us to work things out on Gabbie’s birthday, but it was still a day off and that’s pretty amazing, I’d say.
The next day, however, it was time to get back to business and end the day with what we believe could have very well been the first meal of 2014 at our own dining room table. It is hard to believe that we are in March already, and shame on us for stepping away from our evening ritual of meeting, eating, sharing, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
There is little else that can bring the joy of the family table and for that I am eternally grateful. While we don’t have the brood that sat around the table of my childhood, it is still a handful. In keeping with tradition, steak and crab legs were on the menu; one of my daughter’s favorite birthday meals.
Combing the stores for tenderloin (filet mignon) I was shocked to find that the stores that had any only had that of questionable integrity so I opted for a steak that I had never worked with before; the sirloin filet. I have cooked the chuck tender with great aplomb and have thrown out other cuts that the beef board has tried to pass off as tender and delicious. If you’re going to try something new, you might as well do it on an incredibly important day, right?
Coming in at a mere third of the price of beef tenderloin, they had all of the flavor of the sirloin cut with just a touch extra bite as compared to a tenderloin; I can give that up in return for the added taste. I love that butchers are working on new cuts; or maybe I have just never seen this before and I am happy about learning something new. Who knows? Either way, it’s a great, value-added piece of meat.
Once the flames were doused, the dust settled and the smoke rendered its way out of the house, we sat back with bellies full and heads bursting with new memories as we welcomed our youngest daughter into her teen years; and may God have mercy on our souls.
We usher in a new era in 2014 in which we sit together to eat; and not in a minivan or in front of a television. Now that we have had enough snow, I have decided that it is now time for spring to commence. There will be no more snow this season.
Steak and Stuff
serves 4
4 to 5 ounce sirloin filets
Blackening seasoning, as needed
Clarified butter, as needed
2 lb. snow crab legs, steamed
Roasted red potatoes (recipe follows)
8 ounce each asparagus and broccoli, blanched
2 cups blender hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)
sautéed mushrooms
• Heat a grill or in my case a heavy duty grill-pan until smoking hot
• Season steaks and coat with some clarified butter
• Grill on both sides until done to the temperature of your liking and keep warm until service
• Steaming snow crab legs is as easy as it sounds. Just steam them until they are thawed unless the store was kind enough to thaw them for you
• Serve everything with a side of drawn butter and some Hollandaise Sauce to top it off
Roasted Red Potatoes
1 lb. red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cups olive oil
salt and pepper as needed
2 garlic cloves, minced
drizzle of butter
• Blanch the potatoes in salted water until they are tender
• Strain and dry for a few minutes by allowing the steam to dissipate
• Toss in the salt, pepper and garlic and roast until golden
• Drizzle with butter and keep warm until service
Blender Hollandaise
makes about 2 cups
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. white wine
1/2 tsp. chicken base
1 cup clarified butter
• The safest way to pasteurize eggs is to buy pasteurized eggs. However, if you want to try it at home, you can greatly reduce the amount of potential pathogens by performing the following steps
• Place the eggs in cold water and heat to 142F. Once it hits this temperature, let it go for three minutes and then cool the eggs. This is about as close to pasteurized as you’re going to get without professional equipment, but if you eat raw oysters and sushi, you’re probably in good enough shape to eat these eggs. If you’re still afraid, just buy Egg Beaters!
• Place the eggs, wine, lemon juice and chicken base in a blender
• Turn on and slowly drizzle the butter until the vortex in the middle stops spinning. That’s your sign that it’s done
• Season and serve