birthday dinner: steak with tarragon shallot sauce, home made fries(!!), hk's oyster mushrooms, and roasted asparagus!
it was a certain some one special's birthday recently right after he had returned from a big journey, so we decided to have a nice meal at home-the birthday boy chose the menu: organic grass fed new york steaks (he claimed we hadn't had any steak recently-which was technically true) served with a heavenly (and rather rich) tarragon sauce (le relais de l'entrecote secret sauce wannabe), hand cut home made french fries which tasted much better than they looked, quickly stir fried oyster mushrooms with dijon mustard (his recipe from the bachelor days), and finally- roasted asparagus. we ate well that night. happy-happy!
ingredients for the (entrecote wannabe) sauce:
extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch tarragon
1 shallot
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon
sea salt, cracked pepper
2 tbs creme fraiche or sour cream * see creme fraiche recipe below*
1-2 tsp butter
1 tbsp dijon mustard
a splash of good wine (optional)
pulse together-tarragon leaves (no stems), 1 small shallot (or 1/2 large), garlic, a touch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
melt 1-2 tsp butter in a sauce pan and add the herb mixture to the pot on med/high heat, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes reduce the heat and add either a nice squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of wine (not too much), 1 tbs good french dijon mustard, mix well, then and 2 tbs creme fraiche (or sour cream), stirring for a minute or two on med/low heat before removing from from the stove. add the juices from your steak (or deglaze the pan with a splash of wine) to the warm sauce and mix well prior to serving. i marinate my steaks (grass fed) in a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and some rosemary or thyme-sea salt is added once the steak is in the frying pan or lately always on the grill.
*creme fraiche*: in case you ever need some and can't find it at the store (it happens), you can make creme fraiche at home- combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a container (glass). cover and let it stand at room temperature for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24, or until the mixture is very thick. stir well, cover, and refrigerate.
for the oyster mushrooms a l'hk:oyster mushrooms (a good amount-keeping in mind they shrink drastically)
1 heaping tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, cracked pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
a small bunch flat leaf parsley or fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
add the olive oil to a frying pan on high heat, then add the mushrooms to the pan as soon as the oil is just hot, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste, and stir fry until just tender-combine the mustard and lemon juice, mix well, then add to the hot pan of stir fried mushrooms, stirring well, stir fry for just another minute or two until the liquid is absorbed.
for the grilled asparagus: remove the hard stems of the asparagus, lay them on a sheet pan, add a touch of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper, make sure they are all coated well, then bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. done.for the fries...they didn't look so good, so i'm not sure i should be sharing my fabulous technique (haha), but they were delicious:
about 10 medium organic yellow potatoes (you can peel them if you prefer)
safflower oil & extra virgin olive oil (i used half of each)-enough to fill up to half of your pot.
sea salt to taste
cut the potatoes into evenly thin slices and soak them in cold water for about 20-30 minutes, then remove and pat them dry (completely).
heat the oil to about 325 degrees, then carefully add the potatoes, and fry them until golden brown. remove carefully with a slotted spatula and place on a few paper towels to drain the extra oil. sprinkle with sea salt and serve right away. obviously i could use some tips on making better looking fries, so any comments/recommendations would be greatly appreciated (although i don't foresee making fries again any time soon)!
