Roommate Dinner

I live with 2 other girls in an apartment. Since, we all have busy lives, we get together sometimes and have roommate dinner to catch up and just see how everyone is doing. So, as I was looking in the local supermarket papers one week, I saw a sale on bone-in ribeye. I got a great deal on 4 steaks. I decided to use some of the steaks for a roommate dinner.

So, I decided to make my favorite style of steaks. The French style called Steak Au Poivre. I love the use of cracked peppercorns with a nice creamy sauce. Yes, this recipe is suppose to use filet mignons but any good quality meat can be used. I am not a vegetable type of gal so I had my roommate make those. I made mashed potatoes to accompany the steak. When searching for a steak au poivre recipe, I saw so many possibilities, from adding herbs, using cream in the sauce, to using raisins. I remembered a few years ago I got a Wolfgang Puck cookbook and in it had a version of Steak Au Poivre which used raisins and no heavy cream. Since I knew my roommate did not like heavy cream and lactose, I decided to use his recipe. I also did like the non use of heavy cream which can add many more calories to a already heavy dish. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional recipe with the use of heavy cream in the sauce, it makes it richer and a little tastier but it is always nice to try a new spin on an old tradition. That is what cooking is all about.

I started by preparing the ingredients for the steak. I crush the whole peppercorns by placing them in a plastic bag and used a meat mallet to just coarsely crush. I spread kosher salt all on the steak and then push the steak into the crushed peppercorns to get a nice coating (you can put as much as you like of the peppercorns to your taste). Then I let it rest for a few minutes. I heat a saute pan until just near smoking and add olive oil. Lay one steak in pan and do not touch for 4 min. for medium rare, then flip and another 4 minutes. Check steaks before taking out of pan, depending on size of steaks the time may vary.

Steak with the peppercorn and salt seasoning cooking in a sauté pan

Next I make the sauce, do not wipe the pan, this is what gives the sauce its nice flavors and taste. You will be using the sherry to deglaze the pan deposits. Pour dry sherry in the pan and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the little bits that have been left in the pan. Cook this until reduced by half. Then, add raisins and chicken stock. Cook this until reduced by half. Add some butter to get a nice thick glossy sauce.

This is the sauce reducing in pan

Finally, plate the steak and pour a few tablespoons of the sauce you just made on the steak. Add any sides, such as mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Finished plate with the Steak au poivre with sauce and side of mashed potatoes

Recipe I used, Peppered steak with Sherry and Rasins (steak au poivre):

2 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons whole white peppercorns
6 steaks (Use whatever cut of beef you like)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup beef stock or chicken stock or 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup golden or brown raisins
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

1. To crack the peppercorns, put them in a resealable heavy plastic food-storage bag. Place the bag on a flat work surface and, with the bottom of a heavy saucepan or skillet, tap them lightly to crack them into large pieces. Put the cracked peppercorns on a plate. One by one, sprinkle both sides of each filet evenly with salt to taste, and then press each side into the peppercorns to coat it.

2. Over high heat, heat a heavy skillet or sauté pan large enough to hold the steaks comfortably (cook the steaks in batches if your pan is not big enough). Add the oil and as soon as you see the slightest wisps of smoke, carefully add the steaks. Cook the steaks undisturbed for 4 minutes, then carefully turn them over and cook 4 minutes more for medium-rare. For well-done steams, reduce the heat to medium low and cook a few more minutes on both sides. Transfer the steaks to a heated platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you make the sauce.

3. Pour off the excess fat from the skillet and return it to high heat. Add the sherry, stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits, and boil until it reduces to about half its original volume, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock and raisins and continue boiling until the liquid reduces by half again, 4 to 5 minutes more (if using hoisin sauce, simply stir it in). A piece at a time, whisk in the butter to form a thick, glossy sauce. Adjust the seasoning to taste with a little salt.

4. Transfer the steaks to individual serving plates. Stir the juices that have collected on the platter into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over and around the steaks and serve with a side of mashed potatoes or any sides you like.

Wine and Cheese in park

 Caption (left to right, top to bottom): cheese platter of blue cheese, machengo, swiss, smoked cheese, Bourisin cheese spread, duck paté, and water crackers. The whole spread  with appetizers and grapes, appetizer plate of bacon, mushroom, and leek quiches, smoked salmon, and pain au chocolat (puff pastry with chocolate), Pear wine

I had a wine and cheese event in the park. It was a great way to utilize the park and the last days of summer. The weather was just nice, not hot or too cold. I made Mini leek, bacon, and mushroom quiches and homemade pain au chocolat (little puff pastries filled with chocolate). They were very tasty. I also brought smooked salmon and 4 types of cheeses---machengo, blue stilton cheese, a smoked cheese from Poland, and Bourisin cheese spread. I like cheese that smells stinky but taste good but my friends and to avoid people asking what smells I just stuck to the usual blue cheese (one that is less pungent). The Machengo cheese was a nice hard cheese not too strong and not too light on taste. The smoked cheese was great with the smoked salmon.

My friends brought olives, salami, wines, and some crackers. We had a pear wine, strawberry riesling (my Favorite), and a rosé wine. 

Such a great way to spend a saturday afternoon with friends, talking, eating, drinking, playing games, and enjoying the huge park NYC has to offer. I will plan many more events like these. 

If you would like for me to plan an event like this you can comment or contact me at fancindy888@yahoo.com. I would be more than happy to accomidate your needs no matter how small or big.

French Macaroons

Have you walked to bakeries and seen the little round pastries that are usually stacked as a tower in many different pastel colors (green, pink, yellow) in the windows? Those are French Macaroons. The crispy outer cookie with a chewy center, that can be filled with almost any type of filling (my favorite is lemon curd). I fell in love with them. Just getting one to eat is a treat since they cost about $2.75 each at my favorite bakery. I always wanted to find out how to cook these little treats and was so happy when my local cooking school had a class on it. The instructor said this is like one of the hardest cookies to make cause it al depends on the humidity of the weather outside (if you get a puffy cookie with the characteristic "feet" or flat cookies). First batch was okay. But then BAM....the second batch that came out the teacher was impressed because they came out with the natural "feet" characteristic they are associated with.

So after learning them in class, I decided to try making these in my apartment. This is not as hard as it seems. The trick I learned is to beat the merigues a bit stiffer than the recipe asks for since when you start piping the humidity will start to make the batter get a bit flat. I just made traditional french macaroons with food coloring. I made lemon curd fillings. Another thing is that when in oven, the cookies gave the nice "Feet" like quality and puffed up very nicely but then after cooling the puffiness started to deflate. I will have to try to figure out how to be able to keep them puffy, maybe oven temp. or the amount of mixing the batter.(any suggestions are welcomed).

I brought them to my annual BBQ as a surprise dessert and all my friends were impressed. They were saying that I should sell these. I still want to experiment with getting them puffier, different flavors and fillings (chocolate, pistachio, Raspberry, maybe vanilla or strawberry).

Here are a few pictures for my first attempt. The recipe i used is below.

Finished version of my Macaroons, I put green food coloring in the batter

wine and cheese events

Last year I planned a wine and cheese party in the park during the summer with some friends. It was a success with people enjoying the park, the summer weather, and eating and drinking. I am trying to plan another wine and cheese party. This is very nice to make use of the huge central park in New York. I get friends to bring wine or food and I bring an array of cheese and snacks. This year I found a Russian supermarket near my apartment that has wonderful caviar, smoked salmon, paté, and other various wine and cheese food. I will explore many new options such as caviar, duck paté, smoked hams and fishes, and cheeses I did not know about. I also found a recipe to make salmon mousse so I will try that. My friends are better at choosing the wine so I will let them do all of that. 

This is a great way to have a party with friends, coworkers, clients, and just about anyone for something a little fancy and upscale without breaking the bank. You can also make it a potluck style by asking people to bring wine or some cheese. I did an event for a friend that was a wine party where people brought wine and I catered the party with the food menu. A few appetizer selections, cheeses, and dessert. This was a successful party. People all loved the food.

If you would like to have a party but no time to plan just contact me and I can create an event that will be appetizing while saving you time and money.

Summer BBQ Party

A friend and I do an annual summer BBQ at her place. These BBQ's are not your ordinary BBQ with hamburgers and hot dogs. This is a kicked up gourmet BBQ that you will be blogging about for a week. I make everything I can homemade, from the BBQ rib sauce to the blue cheese dipping sauce to homemade parisian macaroons. This summer we decided to make the following:

Appetizers:

pesto shrimp skewers

tofu skewers with peanut or sweet chili dipping sauce

antipasto skewers

grilled romaine salad with various toppings and homemade balsamic vinegrette

Ham, roasted red peppers and cheese crostinis

Entreé:

Ribs with homemade pineapple BBQ sauce

teriyaki and spicy chicken wings

skirt steak with chimichurri sauce

Dessert:

pomegranate granita

champange granita

parisian macaroons

Drinks:

Ginger peach iced tea

cucumber and lemon water

orange pineapple mimosas

Everyone loved the food. Especially the skirt steak and parisian macaroons. I will keep those recipes in my recipe book to use again. Pictures to come.

If you like for me to cater a BBQ party or any party just let me know and I will be in contact with you.