Steak With Balsamic Glaze

I don’t know any guy who doesn’t like steak made this way.  My son Kevin really likes this dish.

Serves 2-4

2 T-bone steaks (or whatever steaks you prefer)

2 tablespoons butter

2 shallots

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Always take your meat out of refrigerator approx. 30 minutes before cooking.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of your steaks.

Slice shallots.

Heat butter into a frying pan.

Add shallots and cook 1 minute.

Add steaks to the pan and depending on thickness of meat cook approximately 2 minutes and turn over.  Cook another 2 minutes and again turn over.  Cook a final 2 minutes and check to see if it is to your liking.

Add balsamic vinegar cook another 1-2 minutes more turning steaks over to coat.

Roast Tenderloin of Beef

Remember to buy your meat at your local butcher shop if possible.  It is important to support them!

I have such fond memories of my father taking me to the butcher shop.  Our butcher was Mr. Quintano and he would always give me a piece of turkey thinly sliced while we waited. 

Serves 8

1 tenderloin of beef (roast ready) 3 lbs.

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Always take your meat out of refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over your roast.

Preheat oven 450 degrees.

Bake approx. 30-45 minutes until internal temperature reaches:

            120 for rare, 130 for medium, and 160 for well done

Let stand for 15 minutes before carving - could cover loosely with tin foil.

We as a family love serving this with horseradish sauce.

Some people spread a little apricot jam over roast for just the last 5 minutes for color.

This is a great item to serve for a crowd warm or even room temp for a buffet.

French Dinner/Simple Vinaigrette

This is a simple vinaigrette that everyone should know.

VINAIGRETTE

Makes ¾ cup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons vinegar – red wine or sherry

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
Kosher Salt to taste

Whisk mustard with vinegar until creamy.

Slowly whisk in oils.  Keep whisking until mixture becomes thick.

Add dried herbs.

Taste for seasoning. 

Place in airtight container and refrigerate.  It keeps for 1 week.

I always add some kosher salt to my lettuce when tossing.

French Dinner/Coq au Vin

I had a beautiful dinner party after a trip to France and I wanted to share some of the dishes I made.  The Grilled Salmon with Ginger Sauce is in the March entry under Blog Archive.  Here is the Coq au Vin recipe that I learned in cooking classes in Paris.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

L’entrée

Grilled Salmon with

 Ginger Sauce

Domaine Leflaive

Puligny Montrachet Pucelles

Le plat principal

Coq au Vin

Domaine de la Romanee Conti

Echezeaux

Salade Verte

Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Meursault les Perrieres

Le fromage

Chateau Beaucastel

Chateauneuf du Pape

Le dessert

Grand Marnier Chocolate Tart

Wine

COQ AU VIN

Serves 4-6 people

5 tablespoons butter or half butter and half olive oil

One 5 pound whole chicken cut up

½ cup or more all purpose flour

salt and pepper

1 bottle red Burgundy or other dry red wine

2 large onion, sliced thinly

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tablespoon dried

5 bay leaves

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (optional)

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 ½ cup small pearl onions (optional)

Chopped parsley for garnish

Wash chicken and pat dry using paper towels.

Coat pieces of chicken in flour.  (I use a plastic bag to shake).

Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. 

Brown chicken pieces in batches and make sure to brown well on all sides. 

Take out of pot after browning and sprinkle with salt, pepper and remaining flour. 

Return chicken pieces to pot add wine, onions, carrots, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns. 

Bring to a boil, cover pot and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about one hour.

Remove bay leaves and peppercorns.

In a separate pan heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter or oil and sauté mushrooms and pearl onions (if you are using them.  Saute for about 20 minutes until browned.

Add to chicken  when the chicken is done and cook for 10 more minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

Serve warm with either rice or noodles.

This dish can and should be prepared 1 to 2 days in advance.  Keep refrigerated.  Take out to bring to room temp then bring to simmer.

D'Italini and Peas

With the kids back to school, try making this simple pasta dish for a quick dinner and have a salad or crudite on the side for them to nibble on.  My father made this dish for me when I was a little girl and I made this dish for my boys when they were little.  As you can see it’s so easy to make.  I hope some day when my boys have children they’ll make it for their kids!

1 box D’Italini pasta

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, sliced very thin

1 can peas, strained

Pinch of red crushed pepper

Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Bring water to a boil - add some salt to the water.

Add your d’italini and cook al dente - approx. 10 minutes.

Meanwhile gently heat your olive oil in a sauté pan

Add your onions and sauté - approx. 3 minutes.

Add your strained peas and cook another 3 minutes.

Add red crushed pepper to taste.

Add Parmesan cheese to taste- I use maybe 1 teaspoon.

Add a little salt to taste.

When d’italini are cooked, strain saving some of the water.

Add d’italini to pea mixture and toss well.

If it seems dry add some of the water from the d’italini or more olive oil.

Chicken Parmesan

It's BC parents weekend and I had the gang over for an Italian feast:  Chicken Parm, Chicken Marsala, Salad, and thanks to the Mom's:  Forcaccia and Desserts!  Chicken Parm is always a request from boys...

Serves 4

4 boneless chicken cutlets, ask butcher to pound them thin

1 Tablespoon flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I like Progresso brand)

½ cup olive oil, more if necessary

½ cup canola oil, more if necessary

1 quart tomato gravy – see Fuggedaboutit-Tomato Gravy

2 balls fresh mozzarella

Small bunch fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Rinse chicken cutlets.

Place each piece in flour - cover both sides.

Then place in beaten egg - cover both sides.

Then place in breadcrumbs - cover both sides.

Shaking off excess at each step.

If you have the time it’s nice to put in refrigerator for up to 1 hour as this sets the breadcrumbs nicely.

Fry cutlets in 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 canola oil - adding more to pan if it dries up.

Fry for approximately 2 minutes on each side - we are going to bake them so don’t overcook them.

Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Note:  Remember to always clean off your surfaces that had any raw chicken - clean hands thoroughly as well. 

You could do healthy version instead – see below.

Place chicken cutlets on a cookie sheet or a lasagna pan.

Spoon tomato gravy over each piece.

Place sliced mozzarella on top of each.

You could sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over each cutlet and some fresh ground pepper.

Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

__________________________________________________

Healthy version            -make bread crumb mixture - 1 cup breadcrumbs/1 Tblsp. flour

                                                (enough for 4 cutlets)

                                    -Spread olive oil on cookie sheet

                                    -Coat each cutlet with olive oil

                                    -Press cutlets into bread crumb mixture covering both sides

                                    -Place cutlets on cookie sheet

                                    -Bake on 350 degrees 15 minutes - 

turn over.

                                    -Sprinkle a little olive oil on each cutlet and bake another 15 min.