New Flank Steak - UPDATED

Deirdre writing:

I get updates from GE Appliances based on several purchases during our kitchen remodel. I used to just delete them until I discovered their recipe section. These are SERIOUSLY amazing recipes, so fabulous that I actually sent the people who run the recipes an email of gratitude. To my surprise, I received a response! All recipes are thoroughly tested before publication. Now, that's a job I want!

Here is a new recipe for flank steak. Though we haven't made it yet, I suspect that we will replace the sugar with Splenda.

Marinated Flank Steak Recipe
Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients
1 large flank steak
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-teaspoon salt
Preparation

1. Slightly score a flank steak diagonally on both sides with the tip of a knife.
2. Mix the other 5 ingredients and let flank steak marinate in remaining ingredients in a zippered bag or large casserole dish for several hours.
3. Grill for several minutes on each side, until desired doneness.
4. Slice in thin slices on the diagonal.

COOK'S NOTES - Paul made this Saturday night and I really wondered about cinnamon and beef. Whoa, it was good but it was missing something. Paul used Splenda instead of sugar and the next time we make it, we will swap out Splenda with brown sugar. I can just tell you that it works and works well.

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH BOURBON MARINADE

I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was nothing short of fantastic. We served it with asparagus and a tomato vinaigrette, and washed it down with a bottle of 2005 Lolonis Merlot, conveniently purchased at Art of the Table. This recipe is too good not to share:

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH BOURBON MARINADE

Ingredients:
• 1 cup good bourbon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1 beef tenderloin, about 5 pounds, trimmed

Preparation:
Combine bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, cilantro, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, water, and thyme. Fold the tail end of the beef back underneath itself so that it is an even thickness. Secure with cooking twine and place in a nonreactive dish or pan. Pour marinade over tenderloin, cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 10 hours. Turn meat from time to time to keep it coated with marinade. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the roast into a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and add enough marinade so that there is 1/2-3/4 inches of the marinade in the skillet/pan. Cook the roast, uncovered, basting occasionally. Cook the roast until an internal thermometer reads 127F for medium rare, 133F for medium and 138F for well done. Once the roast reaches desired temperature, remove from the oven and place on a cutting board and reserve the remaining marinade. Loosely cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

While the roast is resting, heat the skillet/pan over medium high heat. Reduce the liquid until it has the consistency of light syrup. After the reduction is done, slice the roast, serve and spoon the reduction over the meat.

Serves 6-8

Cook’s Notes: The original recipe called for 2 cups of water and did not include the reduction. After I cooked the roast, I realized that I should have put more of the marinade into the skillet (I always cook beef tenderloin in a cast iron skillet), and that I had an opportunity to reduce the remaining liquid. The reduction was fantastic, but I barely had enough. The next time I make this recipe, I will ensure that I have at least 3/4" of marinade in the skillet when I place it in the oven.

Shrimp Tacos

I was flying solo Saturday night for dinner. Paul was in GP for a party and I had the night to myself. Given that Paul doesn't eat seafood, I couldn't WAIT to make something good. I found a recipe that was suitable for children (and poor cooks) and I knew that I could handle it. :) From Real Simple Magazine and it is just that.

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons sour cream
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
* 1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
* 8 small flour tortillas, warmed

Directions
* 1 In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeño and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes.
* 2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.
* 3 Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw.

**Cook's notes. I made a couple of minor changes, because well Paul will say that I don't follow directions well. I added two jalapeno peppers instead of one and a 1/2 tablespoon of Splenda to give it a little sweetness. Fantastic!

Holiday Beef Tenderloin

I made this recipe last night and it was delicious. We washed it down with a bottle of 2005 Ross Estate Barossa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum!

Holiday Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (5-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine the spices. Rub tenderloin with oil; coat with spice mixture. Place in a roasting pan; cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake at 500° 15 minutes or until browned. Lower temperature to 375°; bake for 20 more minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes. Slice; serve with horseradish mayonnaise.


Yield: 8 servings
Cook’s Notes: The roast sat in our fridge all day and I removed it about an hour before I placed it in the oven. I cooked the roast at 500F for 10 minutes, and then reduced the oven temperature to 375F. I removed the roast from the oven when the internal temperature of the roast was 127F. The roast rested for 10 minutes, I then sliced it and served.

This was a delicious recipe and it was east to make. I will make this again, but next time I will not add the salt. There was enough salt in the onion and garlic powder to add flavor to the roast.

Hit and Miss

It's no secret that 'we' love to cook. "We" love that Paul loves to cook and frankly, I love to watch. Oh and do the dishes. But another part of our life is exploring Grand Rapids and making sure that we invest in small, local community shops, bakeries and restaurants. Wednesdays are our out-and-about evenings. We try and eat out at one local place on Wednesdays, and if not Wednesdays well, one night a week.

Homerun
A huge hit with us has been the Winchester. They have amazing beers on tap, cool tables, stools and seating and fab food. In fact, the fish tacos are SO GOOD that I haven't been able to order anything else. It's the one thing I really miss about SoCal. Good fish tacos. And I am so thrilled to have found them here!

The big miss
On the recommendation of friends, we headed to the Electric Cheetah. The restaurant was half full on a Saturday at lunch, yet our drinks were never refreshed and our food, a salad for Paul and a half sandwich and soup took almost 25 minutes. I seldom do this but I sent the food back. The sandwich, a chicken salad sandwich had about three pieces of chicken and soup, which was supposed to be a carrot ginger, tasted like water. Literally. Paul's salad was pedestrian at best. Our waitress offered me other food and she brought out a half bowl (pretty skimpy) of tomato saffron soup. Another broth-based soup that was very watered down. We cook with saffron and I couldn't taste any. I ended up at Subway. So after much anticipation, that place is crossed off our list.

We have lots of other places to explore in this wonderful town! So stay tuned for updates. Happy eating.

Deb's Birthday Dinner: Chicken Curry

Our good friend Deb celebrated her "39th" birthday with us last night. We had Deb over for dinner a few weeks ago and I asked her what she wanted me to make her for her birthday. I suggested that to her that I make Chicken Curry with Apple Curried Cous Cous. Much to my surprise, I had never made this dish for her. Here is the recipe for Chicken Curry:


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Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 2 pounds chicken breast filets, cut into strips

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- ½ teaspoon dried coriander

- ½ teaspoon dried ginger

- Red pepper flakes to taste

- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- ½ cup chicken stock (or broth)

- 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat to medium-low, simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream and simmer (do not let the mixture come to a boil) for 3-4 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken and the sauce to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes: Be careful not to let the sauce boil after you add the heavy cream. If you are looking for the “Curry Powder,” it is the mix of cumin, coriander and ginger. Finally, the more red pepper flakes you add, the spicier you meal will be. Enjoy this meal with rice or cous cous.

And now for the cous cous:

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Curried Apple Cous Cous

Ingredients:

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 2 medium apples, cored and chopped

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- ½ teaspoon dried coriander

- ½ teaspoon dried ginger

- 3 green onions, washed and chopped

- 1 box Near East Cous Cous

- 2 cups water

- ½ cup pine nuts

- small handful of mint

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the butter, cumin, coriander and ginger and cook for a few minutes until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for 3-4 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up and absorb some of the spices. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions and cook them until they are soft. Add the water and bring to a boil, then stir in the cous cous. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then use a fork to fluff up the cous cous. Stir in the apples, pine nuts and chopped mint.

Serves 6

The meal was an unqualified success. Adult beverages were enjoyed prior to, during and after the meal. and for dessert we each enjoyed a slice of watermelon.

Life is good here at the Cafe.

Filet Mignons With Balsamic Pan Sauce and Truffle Oil Recipe

I made this dish in the Cafe a few days ago and it was yummy!

Filet Mignons With Balsamic Pan Sauce and Truffle Oil Recipe

• filet mignon steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick (one per person)
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• truffle oil, for drizzling

1. Sprinkle steaks generously with salt and pepper.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 275F. Take the filet/steak out of its
wrapper, and pat dry with a paper towel and then liberally apply salt
and pepper to the meat. Place the meat onto a roasting pan, and put
the pan into the oven. Cook the meat for 20-25 minutes, or until the
internal temperature of the meat is 90-95F.
3. Once the meat is between 90-95F, remove the pan from the
oven. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy frying pan with olive oil
and heat over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook to the
desired doneness (130F for medium rare), 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer to a platter and let rest, tented loosely with
aluminum foil, while you make the sauce.
5. In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the vinegar
and deglaze by scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook
until slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter to form a smooth
sauce.
7. To serve, transfer the steaks to individual plates, top
with the sauce, and drizzle with a small amount of truffle oil.