Steakhouse Steaks

So, it is Saturday evening and you'd love a steakhouse steak.  But - the long wait and expense of your favorite steakhouse keep you away except on special occasions.  What if I told you that you could have your steak at home?  At a fraction of the cost?  Would you make it?

Steakhouse Steaks

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• Four 8-ounce rib eye steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
• Vegetable oil, for brushing

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch, salt and pepper to blend evenly.

Rub a generous 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoning mixture over each side of each steak to coat.

Arrange the steaks on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.


Preheat a cast iron grill pan (preferably ridged... which I don't have) over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the pan with oil.

Cook the steaks until the bottom is crusty, about 5 minutes.

Flip the steaks over and cook again until the bottom is crusty, but the center is still medium-rare, about 4 minutes longer.

Use a thermometer to test for proper doneness.  Medium rare is 120F, but take them off about 105F.  They will continue to cook while they are resting.

Transfer the steaks to a platter or individual plates. Let stand 5 minutes.

Then serve!  Beautiful, crunchy coating with perfectly cooked interior.  Just like you'd get at a steakhouse - without the cost and hassle!

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Tangerine Pomegranate Sorbet

Do you get as excited as I do when grocery stores start carrying those $5 to $6 bags of tangerines or clementines? We seem to go through one bag in less than a week.They're tangy, sweet, loaded with vitamin C, and they're easy to peel, making them the perfect snack for any time of day.

Like satsumas and clementines, tangerines are a type of mandarin. (Unlike tangerines, clementines have little to no seeds and easy-to-peel skin; satsumas hail from Japan.) The name "tangerine" comes from Tangier, Morocco, which was the port from which the first batch of tangerines were shipped.


Sorbet may not be the first thing that comes to your mind in the middle of a cold winter, but this recipe is worth it.  This sorbet is absolutely fabulous!



Tangerine Pomegranate Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups pure pomegranate juice
• 1 cup tangerine or orange juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated tangerine peel or orange peel

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in bowl.

Stir until sugar dissolves.  You can speed up this process by heating the water, but you'll take that time - and likely more - at the end making sure the mixture is cool, so I just keep stirring.

Juice the tangerines.

Whisk the pomegranate juice, tangerine juice and peel into the sugar-water mixture.  Place the bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is very cold.

Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Freeze sorbet in covered container until firm.

Scoop into serving dishes and enjoy!

This light and refreshing dessert is a perfect end to a rich meal.  You'll love this sorbet - it's a perfect recipe for tangerine season!

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Conversation Heart Strawberry Smoothie

Are you looking for something sweet for your sweetie today?  Why not try a delicious and healthy Conversation Heart Strawberry Smoothie?


Here's how to make it:

Take a handful of conversation hearts, put them in a plastic baggie and crush with a wooden rolling pin.

Dip the rims of serving glasses in a shallow bowl of half-and half.

Then roll the rims in the crushed conversation hearts.  Let dry while you make the smoothie.

Put a cup of fresh strawberries into a blender.  Add 1/4 cup sugar (or use Splenda for a lower calorie drink),  1/2 cup of fat-free half and half and 1 cup of milk.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into prepared glasses and enjoy the love!

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Roasted Peppers

I'm planning to make some Roasted Pepper Soup for our Valentine's Day dinner.   (check back Later this week for that recipe!)

To do that, I need some roasted peppers.  You could buy a jar of them, but making them yourself is cheaper and simple.

You'll need some peppers.  I used these mini sweet peppers because they were on sale, but you can use whatever peppers you like. Red, orange and yellow are preferred, and if you want a soup that is very red, be sure to use either all red or mostly red peppers.

Heat your broiler to high, and place the peppers on a baking sheet or a rack.

Roast until dark on one side (5 - 10 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven), then turn over and roast on the other side,  You want these to be blackened as if they were burned.

Using tongs, remove from the oven and put into a bowl,

Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit for 15 minutes.  This lets the charred skin loosen so it is easy to remove.

Remove the skin with your hands - it should slide off fairly easily.  Remove the stem (and seeds if desired).

And here you are - roasted peppers!  See how easy that is?!

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Tuesday's Table - February 12, 2013

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Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  Do you have some wonderful Valentine's Day recipes and ideas to share?  Or perhaps you need to get through Fat Tuesday first - and have a great Mardi Gras recipe?  Bring your favorite ideas to share here!

We've had a lot of fun and creative links shared.  This week I chose Katherine over at Tar Heel Taste Bud's Strawberry Cake Batter Blondies.  These look fabulous.  And easy too!  Just the thing for a Valentine's Day dessert!

Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!

I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
• Sign up for my email reminder here.

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!

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Soft Pretzel Hearts

I've wanted to make soft pretzels for a long time, but have always been a bit intimidated.  They have a particular kind of a texture, and I never really thought I would be able to get that right.

I found a recipe in one of my bread machine cookbooks and it looked pretty simple.  I adapted it a bit and tried it out - here's how I did it:



Soft Pretzel Hearts

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1 package dry active yeast 
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus a pinch or two more 
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and divided 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups very hot water 
• 2 tablespoons baking soda 
• Nonstick spray 
• Coarse sea salt

Directions:

In a large, non-reactive bowl, heat the milk in the microwave until lukewarm, about 110 degrees.

Add the yeast, stir, and let it activate, about 3 minutes.

Next add the confectioners’ sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir to combine.

Sift together the salt, bread flour, and all-purpose flour. Add to the yeast mixture and knead for about 8-10 minutes, using either the hook attachment of a stand mixer or your hands.

Add the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, moist environment until double in size, about 1 hour.

After the dough has risen, divide it into 12 equal portions.  (I use a food scale to make sure my portions are all exactly equal, but that's not necessary.)

Roll each portion out into a long, thin rope.

To form the pretzel, start by making the rope into a V.

Take the other two ends and join them, then twist into a heart shape.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Dissolve the baking soda into the very hot water and lightly oil 2 silpat covered baking sheets.

Take each pretzel and dip it into the baking soda-water bath and then place, seam side down, onto the oiled baking sheets, about 6 to each sheet.

Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt and bake in the oven until golden brown and puffy, about 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking.

While the pretzels are baking ,melt the last 4 tablespoons of butter. Add a pinch or 2 of the confectioners' sugar to the butter and stir. Dip the salted side of each pretzel into the butter when they're done baking and serve.

Delicious.  Soft and salty, and just delightful.  Though there were quite a few steps, they were really easy to make.  And they look fantastic!  Who could ask for a better Valentine's Day treat than these?!

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