Saturday, February 16, 2008

Ribeye Dinner that no one got to eat...

Blackened Ahi-Tuna Steaks over Parsnip puree served with Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce



This was fantastic. And fairly easy. The hardest part is the hollandaise sauce, but once you've done it once you get a real knack for making it again. I think I have a perfect recipe for it. But I'll let you be the judge.

Tuna:
1/2 pound tuna (in two small steaks)
2 teas freshly ground Ancho chili powder
handful of flat leaf parsley
1 teas chili powder
1/2 teas garlic powder
zest of one lime, chopped fine
juice of one lime
salt/pepper

Rub the tuna with the spices and s/p & put in a dish. Add the lime juice, zest, and parsley. Let that rest while you prep everything else. When everything else is prepped, add 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp EVOO to a hot pan (high heat). Now add the tuna, and sear for 3-4 min on each side. Watch carefully for burning butter. Turn the heat lower if the butter starts to burn.

Parsnips:
2 Parsnips
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ancho
s/p

Parsnips are my new favorite root veggie. Sort of like a carrot if it were white, mixed with a potato. It's easier to blend than a potato (which is tempermental because of how much starch there is), because it has less starch. Meaning you can even add it to a food processor without it turning into paste (like a potato). Peel the parsnips, and cut them up in chunks and add them to a pot with 2 cups of water. Boil for 10 min. Strain and add them to the FP. Now add 1/2 cup cream, 1 tbsp butter, 1 teas ancho chili powder, 1 teas thyme, and s/p. And now that's ready to go.

Asparagus:
Half bushel of asparagus
1 tbsp butter
1 teas thyme
s/p

Bring water to a boil in a pan. Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottom inch or so and discard. Blanch them in boiling water for ten minutes and no longer. This will have them keep their crunchiness and nice green color. Add to a sauce pan with butter, thyme, and s/p on high heat. Stir around for a couple of minutes and these are done.

Hollandaise Sauce Recipe...it's killer

Plating:
I added the aspargus first starting at the same point and fan them out. Then scooped on the parsnip puree. Put the tuna on top and press it down a little bit. Then pour on the hollandaise sauce. The end. Good food.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Sweet Pepper Rice with Spiced Chicken




Sauces: Corn Sauce, Sweet Chipotle Sauce
Chicken: New Mexican Spice Variation
Rice: Basmati, sweet pepper, onions, crimini mushrooms, water, chipotle paste, s/p, cilantro...I'll type it all out sometime. But it's from the same series.

Sweet Pepper Cilantro Sauce on Spiced Chicken and Garlic Mashed Potatoes



Sauces: Sweet Pepper Cilantro, Chile Negro and Mango
Chicken: New Mexican Spice Variation Rubbed
Potatoes: Small red potatoes mashed with butter, milk, cilantro, roasted garlic, s/p

Enjoy.

Chipotle Tri-tip on Sweet Potatoes and Creamy Spinach



Sauces: Corn Sauce, Pasilla Mango Sauce, Sweet Chipotle Sauce

Steak: Rub: with 1 teas New Mexican Spice Rub, 2 teas ancho chile powder, 1/2 teas garlic powder, s/p., 1 teas thyme. Rub on the meat. Sear on high with EVOO on one side until a dark brown sear is visible, flip to the other side and sear for another few minutes. Take out the meat. Add a half cup of water, chipotle paste, 2 teas balsamic vinegar. Add the meat back. Make sure the top sear of the meat is not touched by the water solution. Cook down on medium until there is virtually no more liquid. And remove from the heat.

Sweet Potatoes - cut and boil two large sweet potatoes. Task out and use a mill to rice the potatoes. Now add 1 tbsp butter, 2 teas brown sugar, 2 tbsp milk, 1 teas thyme, salt, pepper, one pinch of cloves, and a grind of nutmeg.

Spinach - 1 pound of fresh spinach (rinsed). Add 1/2 cup milk and spinach to a pot on high heat. Add1 tbsp honey, 1 teas chipotle paste, 1 tbsp butter, salt, and grind some nutmeg on top. Cook until milk is thick and cooked down low.

Add the spinach, then the sweet potatoes, and steak. Puch the steak down into the potatoes. Add corn sauce around all of it. Smother the steak in the sweet chipotle sauce,and use artistic flare to add pasilla sauce.