Satisfy your cravings for beef
features@beaufortgazette.com
We live in a seafood town, eating fresh shrimp, catfish, cobia, salmon and all the delicacies out of the sea that we can lay our hands on, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that -- but ...
Every so often, every once in a while, even once in a blue moon, we crave beef. A nice, thick, juicy hunk of meat served brontosaurus style, with the bone for extra flavor, cooked, hopefully, medium rare and absolutely with no need of any kind of steak "sauce" whatsoever. Add some nice caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms for an added bonus.
Mouths watering yet? Of course they are. After a description like that, if your mouths aren't watering, then you're hopelessly addicted to seafood and chicken, or at the very least, a vegetarian (again, nothing wrong with that). Now, for all you steak lovers out there, with your big baked potato, corn on the cob (forget those wimpy green beans or salads) and all the fixins (bacon bits, sour cream, butter and green onions, only the fu-fu people call em chives), let's dig in, shall we, as this one's for you.
Sauces and marinades are good in moderation with steaks, but be careful not to overpower your beef of choice as all of these delicacies have a natural flavor that should not be covered up, but merely accented and accompanied.
Here are a few suggestions for some nice grilled steak marinades, sauces and such. Enjoy the grill, smoker and oven, use them wisely, as any over medium is considered shoe leather and tastes about the same.
Beef Filet w/Tarragon sauce
Serves: 6
3 1/2 pounds beef fillet steak, tied, at room temperature
1 3/4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 3/4 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup shallot, minced
1 2/3 cups white wine
2 2/3 tablespoons tarragon, minced
1 3/4 tablespoons heavy cream
13 each cornichons, julienned
Rub filet with oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and roast at 550 degrees for 25 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove and let stand, topped with foil, 15-20 minutes. Cream the butter ad mustard together. In a saucepan, mix the shallot, wine, and tarragon and saute over medium high heat until reduced to 1 cup.
Add the cream and cornichons, reduce heat to low, and whisk in mustard mixture, a little at a time, with any juices from the meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Slice filet thinly and drizzle with sauce. Serve with broccoli, turnips, and/or french bread, immediately.
Beef Wellington
Serves: 8
3 1/2 pounds beef fillet steak
3/4 pound mushroom, sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound goose livers, at room temperature
1 pound puff pastry
1 each egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup madeira
2 teaspoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons truffles, black, chopped
In a roasting pan, roast beef in preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Skim fat and reserve juices. Cook the mushrooms over low heat in butter, until liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Spread the filet with foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread mushrooms evenly over the foie gras.
On a floured surface, roll 1 pound of the puff pastry into a rectangle large enough to cover beef. Place filet inverted in the middle of the puff pastry and fold up along sides to close, brushing the sides with egg whites to seal. Place filet, seam side down, on a sheet pan and brush dough with egg white. Use remainder of dough to decorate the top of the wellington. Brush with the egg white. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
Bake filet in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. reduce to 350 degrees and bake 5-10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes.
Boil the reserved juices and the madeira wine until reduced by 1/4th. Add the arrowroot, dissolved in water, stock, truffles, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thickened. Do not boil. Transfer the filet to a heated platter. garnish with watercress if desired. Serve in 3/4-inch slices with sauce on the side, immediately.
Korean Sesame Grilled Beef
Serves: 6
2 pounds beef sirloin, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons saki
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 each scallion, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup saki
1/4 cup sugar
1 each asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 each scallion, chopped fine
1/4 each onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 head romaine lettuce, separated
With a tenderizer, pound the meat between sheets of plastic wrap to obtain wide thin strips. Combine the soy sauce, sugar, and sake in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add next 5 ingredients. Add the meat and turn to coat. Marinate 1 hour, turning the meat from time to time. In a medium bowl, mix the soy sauce, sake, and sugar;stir to dissolve sugar. Add the pear, scallions, onion, and sesame seeds. Divide the sauce between 6 bowls.
Light your grill. When preheated, arrange meat and cook 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a platter and arrange lettuce leaves on the side. To serve, wrap the meat around the lettuce and dip in the asian pear sauce.