Dry-Aged Filet Mignon with Hawaiian Red Sea Salt, Cracked Tellicherry Peppercorns;
Pan-seared Asian Oyster Mushrooms and Chinese Red Shallots and White Truffle oil,
on wilted Thai Hot Basil and Skillet-Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes; with two sauces:
A Balsamic Shallot Cream Reduction and a Sweet Thai Chili Tomato Glace.




Hawaiian Watercress, Orange, Avocado, Red Onion with Choysum Blossom Salad with a Ginger Lime Dressing.



Macadamia Nut Brownie with three chocolates, with Nutella 72% Cacao Ganache, Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, and Fresh Raspberries.

It's been a while, here on CHOW, I know.

Over the past four months, I've prepared and shot about two dozen dishes; some posted onto Arenadi, but many that remain in the queue for CHOW.  I apologize for not keeping up with CHOW over the past four months.  I literally haven't even logged in here since then, so I have a lot of catching up to do.  Initially I intended to just take a short break from CHOW -- maybe a few weeks, or a month.  But that kept stretching out longer and longer until I find myself here today four months behind.

I've been working on Arenadi, since I felt the need to have a personal blog again; and I found myself neglecting CHOW.  Now, I'm going to keep my two Xangas active side-by-side like in the old days.  CHOW will return to being a dedicated cooking blog; and Arenadi will change in scope to yield its purely cooking-based posts over to CHOW.  Arenadi was always meant to be a "back room" to CHOW, and so I will use it as such -- with posts that have to do with food and cooking, but not direct recipes. 

If you are a reader of one, I recommend you subscribe to both, as both will have different content, with some content inter-related.

For example, for this Birthday Dinner post, there will be two halves:  The first half will be here on CHOW (this entry), detailing the preparation of the dishes in usual CHOW style, with full photo instructions.  The second half will be on Arenadi, where I will talk about how to take tips and strategies from a Restaurant Kitchen and adapt them for home use:  how to prepare multiple-course dinners in a timely manner for your guests; as well as talk a bit about the night personally.

Thank you for having me back. 

This one is going to be a long one, with three courses.  The main course, some of you may recognize as being the last entry I did here on CHOW several months ago, but never re-made it with procedure photos.  I figured that if anything, coming back here with that same dish would be a good way to return.  I've tweaked it just a little bit, but it's pretty much the same dish.  I made this three-course dinner for my friend Kellie's Birthday this last Friday at her place, and shot it for CHOW. 

Let's get started.

* * * * *

Main Course: 
Dry-Aged Filet Mignon with Hawaiian Red Sea Salt, Cracked Tellicherry Peppercorns;
Pan-seared Asian Oyster Mushrooms and Chinese Red Shallots and White Truffle oil,
on wilted Thai Hot Basil and Skillet-Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes; with two sauces:
A Balsamic Shallot Cream Reduction and a Sweet Thai Chili Tomato Glace.

When I originally designed the menu for Kellie's Birthday Dinner, I designed it with this dish as the center course.  This was the last dish I posted on CHOW, and so I wanted to return to it so I could finally post it.  This is also a very good "special occasion dinner" steak; and as Kellie is a real steak lover, this immediately came to mind anyway.  I wanted to make her a steak dish that would both blow her mind; and introduce her to my personal Hawaiian Regional style, based on the bringing together of Western and Asian ingredients and techniques in harmony.

The result is an explosion in your mouth of contrasting and complimenting flavors, textures, temperatures -- all centered on and harmonizing with the Dry-Aged Filet Mignon.


I N G R E D I E N T S:

Service for Two:

2 Filets Mignon, Dry-Aged, about 12-14oz.
Hawaiian Red Sea Salt
Black Tellicherry Peppercorns, cracked

4-5 Yukon Gold Potatoes, medium, cubed into 1/2 cube
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Oil or Butter to coat

1 Bunch Thai Hot Basil
1/2 lb Oyster Mushrooms or other wild mushrooms (Chanterille, etc.)
3 Chinese Red Shallots, sliced
Splash of White Truffle Oil

1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1/4 cup Cream
3 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar to taste
1 Chinese Red Shallot, minced

Cooking Oil

P R O C E D U R E:

We start with our Potatoes.  You don't have to use Yukon Gold.  You can use any potato you want.  Cube them into about 1/2" cube.  Dress them with some vegetable oil, and salt and pepper them.  I follow up with a liberal sprinkling of Cayenne pepper.

Heat your oven to 425F, place the potatoes in a Cast-Iron skillet, and bake about 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp.




Tie your Filets Mignon with butcher's twine to keep them in-shape; liberally sprinkle Hawaiian Sea Salt and Cracked Peppercorns on the top and bottom surfaces.  It is important to let the Steak sit for at least 15 minutes with the Salt on them; so the salt can melt into the meat.

Place your skillet on High heat, add your oil, and wait for the oil to shimmer.  When the oil shimmers, this means the pan is hot enough to sear the steak.  Using Tongs, place the Filets Mignon onto the hot pan.  Make sure there is adequate space between the Filets Mignon; if they are too close together, they will not cook properly.

Cook them for 5 minutes on each side, flipping them onto a new part of the pan when you do.  Remove the Filets Mignon from the skillet and transfer them to a Pie Pan or any other Oven-suitable dish.  Place the pan into the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until your meat thermometer reaches your desired internal temperature:  140F for Medium-Rare, 155F for Medium.  I like mine Blue, so I pull mine at 125F.




Using the same skillet you used for the Filets Mignon, add your Oyster Mushrooms into the pan, making sure they are spaced out nicely.  This is VERY important.  If you do not have enough room between the mushrooms, they will not brown, and will just turn to soggy mush.  After a few minutes, turn one of the mushrooms to check it's browning progress.  If it's nicely browned, flip the rest of the mushrooms and add the shallots.  Cook until shallots are softened and both sides of the mushrooms are caramelized.




When the Potatoes are done, they should look like this.




The first sauce is a Balsamic Shallot Cream Reduction.  Use the smallest saucepan you have.  I use 1-quart.  Take your shallots and add them to the cream, and bring them to a simmer together.  Add the Balsamic Vinegar and whisk.  Let the volume reduce by half, but do not let it boil over.  When reduced, strain the sauce, and reserve on the side.

NOTE:  The ingredient volume measurements I give are very rough.  The best thing to do is add a little of each until you find the right balance for yourself by TASTING IT as you go.




The second sauce is very simple.  Combine your Thai Sweet Chili sauce and your Tomato Paste.  Add a little bit of water to desired consistency, simmer and reserve.




Lay down the Thai Hot Basil first.  Thai Hot Basil is NOT the sweet basil we are familiar with.  It has a very distinct difference in flavor, texture and appearance.  If you cannot find Thai Hot Basil, use another spicy green.  Lay down the hot potatoes out of the skillet on top of the leaves.  This will wilt them.




Place the Filet Mignon on top of the Potatoes, and place the mushrooms and shallots on top of the Filet Mignon.  Dress with a splash of White Truffle Oil.  Make sure your sauces are still hot (if they are cold, they will not sauce properly), and use a spoon to sauce the edges of the plate.

Nom Nom Nom.




* * * * *




Salad Course:
Hawaiian Watercress, Orange, Avocado, Red Onion with
Choy Sum Blossom Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing

Kellie has a thing for salads.  One of the things that often surprises people is that she eats so much salad; while at the same time being a person who loves meat very much.  In this way, we are similar.  I eat a salad every day.  I eat a lot of raw food.  But I have no qualms about having a 48oz bone-in Porterhouse steak on my plate either.  Being someone who loves salad, and not having a wide exposure to what salad CAN be, beyond what our conventional notion of salad is, I wanted to show her what happens when you think out of the box a little bit.

Choysum is a vegetable common to Asian cuisine.  Usually though, we never see it after it's blossomed.  Because Chinese people don't like uncooked vegetables in general, they don't realize that an entire world of raw food exists within their realm of produce.  I try everything raw.  One day I realized that Choysum, when "overgrown" to the point where it blossoms (treat it like flowers, in a vase), produces an edible blossom that has a very pleasant, delicate bitter-sweet flavor; that goes especially well with raw Hawaiian Watercress, Oranges, Ginger and Lime.  Balancing it out with smooth, buttery Avocado completes the flavor-texture composition.


I N G R E D I E N T S:

Service for 2-3:

1 1/2 cups Orange pieces from 3 medium Oranges
1 tsp Ginger, grated (fresh)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Lime Juice (fresh)
1 Pinch Cayenne
1 Tbsp Mint Leaves, chopped finely
3 Tbsp Vegetable or Olive Oil
1/4 small Red Onion, sliced very thin
1 medium Avocado, firm but ripe
1 medium bunch Watercress, stemmed and cut into 2" pieces; about 3 cups
1 cup Choysum Blossoms (from flowering Choysum)

P R O C E D U R E:

Start with your Orange.  Cut the top and bottom off of the orange first, so they have flat surfaces to stand on.  Then, working from top to bottom, use your knife to cut away the skin and pith until all you have is a ball of orange flesh.  Cut the ball in half, and each half into thirds lengthwise, so you have wedges.  Cut those wedges horizontally to form little cubes.




Grate your Ginger.  I like using Young Ginger for this, but I couldn't find any that day so I used regular Ginger.  Don't use Ginger that's too old though.  This also works with Galangal, if you can get it.  To grate it, peel the skin with your knife, and use a microplane grater as pictured above.  You don't want large chunks of ginger; just a finely infused ginger pulp.




Slice your Red Onions paper thin with either a knife or a mandoline.  Mince your Mint. 




Combine your Mustard, Cayenne, and Lime Juice first.  Then slowly pour the Olive Oil in, whisking as you go.  This will create the emulsification that your dressing is based on, and keep it together.  Add your Mint and Red Onions now, and stir to incorporate.




Cut your Avocado in half lengthwise.  Remove the pit by chopping into it lightly with the heel of your blade.  Dispose of the pit by holding the handle of your knife and banging it against the edge of the sink so the pit falls out.  My Avocado was a little too ripe, so it was difficult to handle.  You want to use an avocado that is firm.  Cut the half again lengthwise, until you have quarters.  Cut the flesh of the quarters lengthwise without cutting through the skin; then scoop out the whole sliced quarter with a spoon.

I used a bowl for this Salad, which made laying down the Avocado in a fan shape difficult.  If you use a plate, it will look nicer; and just fan the Avocado out.




Cut or tear the Watercress to remove the stems.  When done, add the Oranges, Watercress, and Choysum Blossom to the dressing and toss to incorporate.

Plate and Serve.




* * * * *



Dessert Course:
Macadamia Nut Brownie with three chocolates, with Nutella 72% Cacao Ganache,
Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, and Fresh Raspberries.

I purposely didn't want to get fancy with this one.  I wanted to do a simple, homey, comfortable dessert.  When people ask me what my favorite dessert is, they are often surprised that it's not something even remotely fancy.  It's literally, a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream on it.  That's it.

When I asked Kellie what her favorite dessert was, she told me initially that if it had Chocolate and Raspberries, she'd love it.  So I initially thought of doing a Molten Dark Chocolate Cake with a Raspberry Coulis and Mint.  But during a random conversation, she said that she really liked Brownie and Ice Cream together -- it was the only way she could eat Ice Cream because of her sensitive teeth, and the heat from the Brownie counteracted the cold Ice Cream.  During another conversation, she said she liked Macadamia Nuts; and in another, Nutella.

So I decided to combine all of these elements into one single preparation of a classic Comfort Dessert (with Kellie being far from home on her Birthday).  For the sake of this recipe, don't bother making a brownie from scratch, and don't bother making your own ice cream.  If you want to, go ahead; but this is fine with a Ghirardelli brownie mix and some good Haagen Daas vanilla ice cream.  The only thing you really have to make is the Nutella Ganache, and that's simple.  It's the same one from the Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookie recipe from Battle Coffee last year on CHOW, but I'll cover it again briefly here.


I N G R E D I E N T S:

Ganache:

1 Cup 72% Ghirardelli Baking Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Cream
2 Tbsp Nutella

Brownie
Raspberries
Vanilla Ice Cream
Macadamia Nuts, chopped

P R O C E D U R E:

Take your chocolate chips and put them in a bowl.  I like the Ghirardelli baking chips because of their melting characteristic.  Heat your cream, and pour over the chips.  Stir to incorporate.




When incorporated, it will look smooth.  Add the Nutella now, and continue to stir to incorporate.  Place the Brownie down first, spoon your Nutella Ganache over it.  Scoop your ice cream on top, sprinkle Macadamia Nut shavings, and garnish with Fresh Raspberries.

Thank you for having me back (again).

I have a lot to catch up on, I know.  I haven't been on CHOW for four months now.  I have a lot of messages to reply to; including a surprise one from an old online friend I lost touch with around ten years ago who somehow found me again. 

I apologize in advance; but I'm going to timestamp this entry a few (and only a few) times over the course of the next week so that people can see that I'm back and writing here again.

Also, if you are not subscribed to my personal blog at Arenadi already, I encourage you to do so.  Even if you're only here for the food, I write about food there as well -- except instead of recipes (although there are some simple ones there), I write about food in general and give tips on things like how to select, transport and store ice cream properly.  Or about food culture.  It's also where I write about my non-food related personal life.

Click on over, at least for today, so you can catch the second half of this entry.

My Love and Aloha, I hope you enjoy this :)

MC

I'll say it right from the beginning:  These are likely to be the un-healthiest potatoes you will ever eat.

Thanksgiving is upon us again this year.  Most of us will not be responsible for the Turkey; but instead if we are responsible for anything culinarily related for Thanksgiving dinner, it's often a side-dish.

Everyone's Thanksgiving Dinner is going to have Mashed Potatoes.  This goes well with the Turkey, and generally everything else on a Thanksgiving menu; and I love Mashed Potatoes... but why not break out a Potato dish that will have people saying "damn, nevermind the Mashed Potatoes -- give me some of THAT."

That brings us to our first side dish:  A Smacked Up & Loaded Potatoes in a Cast-Iron Pan, tossed in rendered Bacon Fat; then roasted in the oven, covered in Cheddar Cheese and crispy Bacon, baked again, and then topped with Sour Cream and Chives.  "Loaded", I think you understand.  But why "Smacked"?  Because we literally smack the Potatoes with the uncool business end of a Meat Tenderizer.

Why smack the Potatoes with the spiky end of a Meat Tenderizer?

Other than venting frustration at general holiday stress, pounding on potatoes with a big spiky metal hammer crushes and breaks up the surface of the potatoes, creating more surface area exposed to the air.  Why does this matter?  Because a Maillard Reaction (browning) isn't going to occur until moisture is gone; and the more surface area exposed, the quicker the evaporation of moisture; and thus the better and quicker the surface browning and cooking of the Potato.

NOTE:  If you want to prepare this for more people, simply increase the ingredients used proportionally.


I N G R E D I E N T S:

5-6 Medium Russet Potatoes, quartered into 1" cube.
5 Slices of Thick-cut Bacon, cut into 1/2" strips
1 1/2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Grated

Sour Cream
Chives
Salt & Pepper

P R O C E D U R E:

Preheat your oven to 450°F.  We want it HOT.



Quarter your Potatoes into 1" cube, skin and all.  The idea is for each one to be the right size to fit into your mouth when you stab it with a fork.  If people in your family have large mouths, feel free to cut larger cubes. 




Cut your Bacon into roughly 1/2" strips; and cook them in your Cast Iron Pan.  If you don't have one, just cook them in a skillet.  When cooked/ crisped, remove them from the pan, and reserve the rendered Bacon Fat.




Take your cubed Potatoes, microwave them for 5 minutes, and then toss them in the rendered Bacon Fat to coat.  This will be directly in the Cast Iron Pan if using one; or in your roasting pan if you do not have a Cast Iron Pan.




Get out your large spiky metal hammer (aka Meat Tenderizer, War Mace, Mjöllnir, Sulfuras Hand of Ragnaros, whatever), and Smack the Potatoes around to create ridges and indentations in the surface.  Obviously if you're using a glass roasting dish, you want to do this outside of the dish.  Otherwise, have fun.  The amount of smashy-smashy is up to you.  I like mine fairly intact so I can fork it.  Don't get me wrong, I love spooning, but in this case, I'd rather just fork.

Ahem.  Salt and Pepper, please.




Lay the Potatoes out in a single layer, and roast at 450°F for about 20-25 minutes or until the Potatoes are nicely browned and cooked through (will pierce easily with anything).  Toss them around a bit.




Drizzle your grated Cheddar Cheese on top, followed by your Bacon.  Put back into the oven and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or so until your Cheese is melted and browned to your satisfaction.

You can serve directly in the Cast-Iron Pan if you like.  If you do, drop your Sour Cream and Chives directly onto the potatoes prior to bringing to serve.  Otherwise, let people serve themselves, with Sour Cream and Chives on the side.

Pan-fried with Eggs Over-Easy on sliced Pugilese Bread, Tomatoes for Breakfast.

* * * * *

One of the nice things about this dish is that it can be made ahead of time, brought to the house where the Thanksgiving dinner is being held, and quickly reheated.

Especially if you have a Cast-Iron Pan, you can just bring the whole thing and throw it into the oven at the end of the cooking cycle of the Turkey.  It doesn't matter where you put it in the oven.  Heck, you could even put it in the grill outside.  As long as the pan can get nice and hot again, and the Potatoes and Cheese can get crispy and melty again, you're good to go -- just like fresh.  Top with Sour Cream and Chives, and you're good to go.  And if you like Hot Sauce, go wild.

Also, don't think of this just as a Thanksgiving-only dish.  You could make this easily, anytime, for any event.  This tends to go well at Sports-related parties as well.  I think I've put this inside of a Burger once or twice even.  Use it as a side dish for Steak.  And given the 1% probability that you will have leftovers, you can also fill an Omelette with this the next morning.  Or break an Egg over it Over-Easy style and eat it on a slice of Toast (pictured above)

If you want to do a classier version, use Butter instead of the Bacon Fat, and try melted Fontina Cheese served with a cold fresh Tomato slice and some fresh Thyme.  Or Ham, with Gruyere or Swiss Cheese with Caramelized Onions.  Or use the Roasted Potato base with some Arugula sprinkled on top, shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and Proscuitto di Parma.

Love and Aloha, 

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Side-Dish?