Like many of you, I have my own goals for the upcoming year. I love the energy of the new year with everyone hopeful for making positive changes in their life. Here are my goals for 2011 which I will blog about occasionally during the year:
I like it that my goals support other goals. When I move forward on one, I am progressing on another.
This past New Year’s Eve dinner was no exception to years past. The weather placed a bit of a damper on things. Another weekend, another winter weather advisory. Instead of our usual seafood buffet, it was steak on the menu.
I like the classic recipes, so the natural choice was Steak au Poivre. It was one of the first fancy dinner. I began with a recipe from and an ingredient from . I wanted to highlight the peppery taste with . These peppercorns have a stronger, richer flavor, perfect for this recipe.
I used whole peppercorns which I coarsely crushed. This is a key step toward bringing out the intense flavor. I also used . I wanted to match the texture of the peppercorns to make the flavors really pop. For the butter, I used . Sure, it’s more. Yes, it has more butter fat. In a recipe like this, you go for taste and frankly, it just tastes better. We have cut down dramatically on butter, so this indulgence works. It’s important to use unsalted butter for this and all of your cooking. As the chef, you want to be in control and that includes the salt content of your meals.
I used the demi-glace from More Than a Gourmet. First, I wanted to try it on its own. I have used it as an addition to sauces which has proven fantastic. I dissolved two good tablespoons in 1/2 cup of warm water, stirring to dissolve before using it in the recipe. If you like a beautiful, velvety sauce, it really can’t be beat. It was truly sublime. With the addition of the cream, it reduced nicely to a thicker consistency. The color was appealing.
Accompanying the steak, I made . Again, I was going for texture and mouth feel: the peppercorns, the sea salt, the crunchiness of the latkes. It turned out to be a wonderful dinner. The sauce was the star attraction. The demi-glace was delicious and saved a lot of time. Next time, I’ll try this recipe with a reduced stock to compare the results.
Here’s hoping that your New Year is safe, happy, and healthy!
Have to indulge in a bit of back slapping. I think that I’ve done a good job at skirting the holiday pitfalls this year. When I’m able, I’ve made good choices. I’ve opted for veggies versus a mushroom-swiss burger, one of my downfalls by the way. When cooking, I’ve used half-n-half instead of cream. I’ve been conscious of other substitutions.
Having said all that, I am going to indulge on New Years Eve. There will be seafood and the obligatory butter sauces. Yum! How else, do I ask you, can you serve lobster or crab? After that, I’m on the road to my new list of goals, not resolutions, for 2008.
For the new year, I want to run at least two 5k races. I want to be consistent with my strength training. For those of you that haven’t found this site, is a great tool and motivator for getting healthy and losing weight. I have a goal to exercise 15,000 minutes next year. I have ever confidence I will succeed.
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