Last Night I made the Beef Stroganoff recipe we were given at the cooking class on Monday night. To warn you in advance this recipe is all about taste, not so much on being healthy. It calls for quite a bit of heavy cream and sour cream. This dish is very rich and is perfect for a cold day. I’m a bit short on time so I will update this post and add the recipe next week. I’m away this weekend so there will not be any posts for the next few days.
In week two of the cooking classes we learned how to prepare and cook various forms of meat. The class started with a talk about the various types of each meat, ie the difference between choice and prime cuts of beef. We were then walked through where on the animal various cuts of meat came from. After the short lesson the chef taught us how to prep and French a rack of lamb and prep a pork and veal tenderloin. Then we got into the cooking. I chose to cook a roasted veal tenderloin with a maple bourbon glaze, Ben I’m sorry about the veal. One skill I will take away from this recipe was learning how to properly sear a piece of meat. From properly preheating the pan to the proper time to flip the meat. The chef was very good about answering any questions we had during the class. A few of the other dishes from the class that stood out were the beef stroganoff, the Thai curried pork, and the tri tip that the head chef prepared for us. I look forward to trying out those dishes in the near future.
I went back and updated two of the recipes. I just wanted to improve a few things from the first time I made them. Most of the improvements are small but make a big difference in the finished product. Enjoy!
I saw a recipe very similar to this the other week and wanted to make it. However, it turns out Sichuan peppercorns are quite difficult to find and after visits to many supermarkets I came up with nothing. I wound up getting the peppercorns off of Amazon. They were well worth the purchase. They give of a tingly and numbing spiciness that I had never tasted before. This dish bring a lot of heat, but the sensation of the peppercorns makes the heat from the chilies tolerable. This dish is best served over rice noodles. If you want to try a new Chinese dish and you like spicy food I recommend giving this dish a shot.
A reminder to all the guys out there, tomorrow is Valentines Day. If you haven’t thought of anything to do for your Valentine yet how about cooking them dinner? The following recipes are easy to prepare but look and taste impressive. A few of these recipes I have posted on the blog before while others will get a full post in the future. Enjoy and I hope this helps with your Valentines Day plans.
Penne Pasta in Vodka Cream Sauce
Pan Seared Duck Breast in Honey Balsamic Pan Sauce
Steak Dinner: Show her you are the master of the grill and pick your favorite steak, or her’s. Season it with kosher salt and pepper and grill to your desired finish. Serve it with a baked potato, salad, or other vegetable. You can never go wrong with a well prepared steak dinner.
Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin: I’ll give you the shortcut for this recipe, longer recipe will be a blog post later. Marinate the pork in honey mustard dressing overnight. Cook in oven at 350 degrees F for 20-24 min or until done. While pork is cooking take spinach, garlic, shallot, olive oil, lemon juice, and whole grain mustard put in pan and saute spinach until wilted. Serve pork with spinach and wild rice. This is a very simple recipe with great flavor.
Hope everyone is doing well. I’ve been messing around with this recipe for a while now and have finally found the perfect balance between heat and flavor. While this soup is spicy it is in no way over powering. I have found that rib eye works best in this soup but skirt or flank steak can also be used. The most important part of making this soup is making sure it does not boil once the beef stock is added. If it boils the broth will become cloudy and the beef will be on the tougher side. If you make it I hope you enjoy it! Tomorrow is pancake day in England so stay tuned for an early morning post so you can make them tomorrow evening!
Tonight I decided to experiment with a pan sauce for a steak. I seasoned the steak with kosher salt and crushed black pepper then cooked it in a frying pan in equal parts olive oil and butter. Then the fun started. there was no set recipe so I will just walk you through what I did. I first threw some finely chopped shallots into the pan and cooked them for about a minute until they were soft. I then deglazed the pan with Guinness and let it reduce down to about a spoonful. Next, I added beef stock to the pan and I also started salting to get the seasoning right. I let the Guinness and beef stock mixture reduce down to about 2/3 of a cup. I then added about a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of soy sauce, and some chopped fresh parsley to the sauce. I turned the heat down and let it simmer for about 2 minute. Finally I added a tablespoon of unsalted butter and about half a teaspoon of truffle butter. Once the butter melted i stirred the sauce and salted one last time. The sauce was very rich and flavorful and complemented the steak quite well. I’m becoming more and more a fan of making pan sauces because it lets you get creative with building flavors to compliment a main dish.
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