The following post was cooked up and written by my husband. So if you are in need of a little humor and a steakhouse meal, man style, please read with delight! I have included my wine notes at the end. Enjoy!
Each summer when it hits 110 plus degrees for days chained together on end, I consider shooting myself. Upon realizing that I don't actually have a gun, I commit to finding some way to survive. Last week was no exception to that rule.
We decided to save money this summer and focus on completing projects around the house, so I've had no escape for a while, and began acting like a caged animal. So I decided to take a drive to clear my head. That drive ended less than a mile away at the grocery store, I'd been struck by inspiration. I needed a steakhouse inspired man-feast. I filled my cart with the fixings for fried food, steak, fresh corn, potatoes, biscuits, cherry cobbler, and beer. I knew my wife had wine that would work, afterall this is her wine and food blog so no need to buy something.
The only impediment was the current clientele my local store caters to. They were not in my way, which is often the case when a grocery store caters to a nearby retirement community. But they eat prepackaged "healthy" food. There was nary a calamari package in the frozen foods section, and obviously none at the butcher counter. Also, where were my precious T-bone steaks that would make Fred Flinstone jealous? I settled on a frozen package of "Glutten Free" fried shrimp and I purchased a Porter house steak for me, and a Flank steak for Renee and James to split. I left the isle feeling slightly compromised, but nonetheless still on a mission.
I still needed a dessert, what is a feast without a sweet ending? Long ago I found my cherry cobbler recipe in Napa Valley at the CIA, no I didn't trade secrets for it, its the other CIA- Culinary Institute of America. I knew the topping needed to be a short bread topping, but I needed a short-cut, especially since I planned on cooking with my five year old son. The answer- canned biscuits. I bought a package of "Immaculate Buttermilk Biscuits". Immaculate seems like a pretty hooty-tooty name for biscuits, but I read the ingredients list and it seemed like a decent product so I tossed them in the cart- $5 ouch. My shopping was done. Time to check out and get this feast cooking.
Afterwards I zipped home and strutted through the door with pride, no longer a caged animal, I assumed the role of man-chef.
The Lowdown & Recipes
I started by commissioning James (my five year old sous chef) to help make the cherry cobbler. Recently, I purchased a grommet punch with the intention of turning it into a cherry-pitter. James and I made quick work of a pint of cherries, my two dollar tool is the best cherry-pitter ever. I removed one biscuit from the can. Sliced it in three pieces horizontally with a super sharp knife (making three thin biscuits out of the one) and dusted them with cinnamon and sugar.
Cobbler Filling ( 3 servings)
1 healthy/overflowing Pint of Cherries
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Corn Starch
Juice 1/2 orange and the zest
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1) Place cherries through orange juice in a sauce pan
2) Simmer for five minutes.
3) Dump cherry mixture in a small glass bowl.
4) Place the small bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice water to cool the cherry mixture.
5) Add Vanilla and Orange zest, and stir.
6) Evenly distribute the cooled mixture between three ramkins, and top with the cinnamon-sugared biscuit slice.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown.
The Shrimp:
I followed package directions for oven baking them. Time the shrimp so that they are ready to be eaten first like a real appetizer. Leave the oven on for the biscuits you'll be cooking later.
Sliced Potatoes
1) Cook 1 1/2 slices of bacon over medium heat ( reserve the bacon grease for cooking your steak later)
2) Cut one large Russet potato in half length wise.
3) Slice almost all the way through each half slicing every 1/4 inch or less
4) Brush the potatoes with melted butter
5) Cook on high in the microwave for six minutes.
6) Top with 1/4 cup of your favorite cheese and bacon.
Cook for a few more minutes in the microwave,
Or like I did- toss the taters in the oven for the last five minutes of bake time for the packaged shrimp, and cut the potatoes into spears and eat them as an appetizer.
I took a break here to eat the appetizers and drink a glass of wine. James loved the shrimp and potatoes!
Canned Biscuits
Your oven should still be hot. Cook the biscuits as per the directions on the package.
Corn
In a large pot, fill with water and sprinkle of salt. Get the water boiling, then add the corn and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the corn is nice and golden colored.
Steak
Cook your meat how you like it. A high heat at first gives a nice sear, then back off and check the temperature as you cook. Remember to leave yourself enough time to let your meat rest for five minutes & time your steak and biscuits to be ready at the same time.
ENJOY!
The wine
Powder Keg Petite Sirah 2007 from Lodi California
This wine was amazing with the whole meal from the appetizer to the steak. I adore a good Petite Sirah, but often do not think to drink one, because they are very manly and often too heavy just to sit and sip. But, when your husband cooks up a man feast, well the Petite perfectly fits the bill. I have no idea how much I paid for this wine, as it has been in my collection for years, but even if it were over my normal below $20 budget, this wine is worth it. So lush, big, and strong, this bad boy loved the steak and I loved it. Not a sipping wine for sure, because after about four or five sips your palate would be in overload, this guy needs food to cut the boldness. But surprisingly I saved a few tastes for the cobbler, and it also paired nicely. Since the wine did have a backbone of dark cherries and chocolate, I believe that is why it married so nicely with the cobbler. This wine is a winner on all accounts and so worth the hunt to find it. Cheers!
We decided to save money this summer and focus on completing projects around the house, so I've had no escape for a while, and began acting like a caged animal. So I decided to take a drive to clear my head. That drive ended less than a mile away at the grocery store, I'd been struck by inspiration. I needed a steakhouse inspired man-feast. I filled my cart with the fixings for fried food, steak, fresh corn, potatoes, biscuits, cherry cobbler, and beer. I knew my wife had wine that would work, afterall this is her wine and food blog so no need to buy something.
The only impediment was the current clientele my local store caters to. They were not in my way, which is often the case when a grocery store caters to a nearby retirement community. But they eat prepackaged "healthy" food. There was nary a calamari package in the frozen foods section, and obviously none at the butcher counter. Also, where were my precious T-bone steaks that would make Fred Flinstone jealous? I settled on a frozen package of "Glutten Free" fried shrimp and I purchased a Porter house steak for me, and a Flank steak for Renee and James to split. I left the isle feeling slightly compromised, but nonetheless still on a mission.
Afterwards I zipped home and strutted through the door with pride, no longer a caged animal, I assumed the role of man-chef.
The Lowdown & Recipes
I started by commissioning James (my five year old sous chef) to help make the cherry cobbler. Recently, I purchased a grommet punch with the intention of turning it into a cherry-pitter. James and I made quick work of a pint of cherries, my two dollar tool is the best cherry-pitter ever. I removed one biscuit from the can. Sliced it in three pieces horizontally with a super sharp knife (making three thin biscuits out of the one) and dusted them with cinnamon and sugar.
1 healthy/overflowing Pint of Cherries
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Corn Starch
Juice 1/2 orange and the zest
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1) Place cherries through orange juice in a sauce pan
2) Simmer for five minutes.
3) Dump cherry mixture in a small glass bowl.
4) Place the small bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice water to cool the cherry mixture.
5) Add Vanilla and Orange zest, and stir.
6) Evenly distribute the cooled mixture between three ramkins, and top with the cinnamon-sugared biscuit slice.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown.
The Shrimp:
I followed package directions for oven baking them. Time the shrimp so that they are ready to be eaten first like a real appetizer. Leave the oven on for the biscuits you'll be cooking later.
Sliced Potatoes
1) Cook 1 1/2 slices of bacon over medium heat ( reserve the bacon grease for cooking your steak later)
2) Cut one large Russet potato in half length wise.
3) Slice almost all the way through each half slicing every 1/4 inch or less
4) Brush the potatoes with melted butter
5) Cook on high in the microwave for six minutes.
6) Top with 1/4 cup of your favorite cheese and bacon.
Cook for a few more minutes in the microwave,
Or like I did- toss the taters in the oven for the last five minutes of bake time for the packaged shrimp, and cut the potatoes into spears and eat them as an appetizer.
Canned Biscuits
Your oven should still be hot. Cook the biscuits as per the directions on the package.
Corn
In a large pot, fill with water and sprinkle of salt. Get the water boiling, then add the corn and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the corn is nice and golden colored.
Steak
Cook your meat how you like it. A high heat at first gives a nice sear, then back off and check the temperature as you cook. Remember to leave yourself enough time to let your meat rest for five minutes & time your steak and biscuits to be ready at the same time.
ENJOY!
The wine
This wine was amazing with the whole meal from the appetizer to the steak. I adore a good Petite Sirah, but often do not think to drink one, because they are very manly and often too heavy just to sit and sip. But, when your husband cooks up a man feast, well the Petite perfectly fits the bill. I have no idea how much I paid for this wine, as it has been in my collection for years, but even if it were over my normal below $20 budget, this wine is worth it. So lush, big, and strong, this bad boy loved the steak and I loved it. Not a sipping wine for sure, because after about four or five sips your palate would be in overload, this guy needs food to cut the boldness. But surprisingly I saved a few tastes for the cobbler, and it also paired nicely. Since the wine did have a backbone of dark cherries and chocolate, I believe that is why it married so nicely with the cobbler. This wine is a winner on all accounts and so worth the hunt to find it. Cheers!
The Powder Keg sounds wonderful! We had steak last night with a big Cab to celebrate the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I'm sure my Hubby won't object to having steak more than once this month so that's definitely on our list!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and for subscribing to my blog! Cheers! And let me know if you enjoy the Petite.
ReplyDelete