Tag spring recipe testing

Say Hello to Your New Favorite Spring Recipe: Seared Flank Steak

Are you ready for the juiciest flank steak you’ve ever had? I know those are big words, but I firmly believe you’ll love this recipe as much as we did. Created by Chef David Herman (catch him at your next hands-on cooking party, if you’re lucky!), this recipe made it’s first appearance at our Spring Recipe Testing. It was gone far too soon and left our team craving more. If you’re having doubts about the validity of these statements, take a look at this beauty:
Seared Flank Steak

You can’t tell me the tender slices of meat, the rich red wine jus, and tangy giardiniera don’t have your mouth watering. Fine. Try it for yourself, and be grateful that we’re sharing. I’m sure after the first bite you won’t be so willing.

The Aftermath

Seared Flank Steak with Red Wine Jus and Spring Vegetable Giardiniera
Similar recipes can be found in our Main Dish Library!

Ingredients
Giardiniera (makes about 2 1/2 cups):
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh oregano sprigs
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 cup fresh cauliflower florets, coarsely chopped
3 asparagus, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1/2 Lemon (for juicing)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Steak:
4 pounds flank steak (You can substitute eggplant steaks for vegetarians)
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano (crushed in your palm)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Red Wine Jus:
1 cup red wine (preferably Italian)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup demi-glace (You can sub a vegetable stock for a vegetarian sauce)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (You can leave this out for a vegetarian sauce)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Methods/Steps
Prepare Pickling Liquid: In a sauce pan, mix together the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic, oregano sprigs, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Prepare Vegetables: Chop the peppers, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower and asparagus. Place the vegetables into a bowl and cover with the hot pickling liquid. Stir and set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Strain Vegetables: When ready to serve, strain the vegetables from the pickling liquid, remove oregano sprigs and return to the bowl. Season giardiniera with lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Trim Steak: Trim the silver skin and excess fat from the flank steak. Do not discard any of the trimmings. It will be used to create the jus.

Prepare Dry Rub: Combine all spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over trimmed steaks.

Sear Steak: Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the canola oil and sear the steak on both sides until golden brown in color. Transfer the browned steaks to a parchment lined sheet pan. (For rare meat, cook steak to 125ºF, for medium- rare to 135-140ºF.) Save the sauté pan and all of the juices (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan to create jus.

Prepare Jus: In the same sauté pan used to sear steak, on medium heat, add the steak trimmings and sear until browned but not burned (for a vegetarian version, use a new pan, skip the beef trimming and start with reducing the wine). Deglaze the pan with red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan well. Add thyme sprigs and reduce liquid by half. Add the demi-glace and Worcestershire sauce, cook for 4-5 minutes, remove the thyme sprigs and with a slotted spoon remove any remaining beef trimmings. Reduce heat to low and add the butter, salt and pepper. Taste and re- season with more salt and pepper as needed.

Plate: Slice the flank steak into thin strips against the grain. Divide the steak among the plates. Drizzle the jus onto the steak and top the giardiniera.

Serves/Makes
Serves 10

Recipe created by Parties That Cook’s Chef David Herman

New Recipes for Spring

The stormy weather may not indicate it, but Spring officially arrives this weekend. Spring is an exciting time of year for us at Parties That Cook, when we get to invent new menus that incorporate freshly available Spring ingredients.

Chef Tanya

Yesterday, we took the day off for a Spring recipe testing session in the kitchen. Executive Chef Bibby Gignilliat formulates the recipes on paper beforehand, then gathers up the chefs to test them out live.

Taste is of the utmost importance, but our recipes also need to have clear directions and innovative culinary learning points for our guests.

Among the Spring recipes tested:

  • Mini Chalupas filled with Chorizo and Avocado
  • Scallop and Shrimp Ceviche Cups with Roasted Bell Pepper and Lime
  • Bacon-Wrapped Dried Plums with Melted Blue Cheese
  • Butter Lettuce with Cherries, Lardons and Tarragon Crème Fraîche Dressing
  • Rosemary and Pepper Dusted Filet Mignon with Shallot-Port Marmalade
  • Gruyere Cheese Soufflé
  • Sautéed Sesame-Garlic Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas
  • Skirt Steaks with Ricotta Salata Salsa Verde

Our favorite recipe of the day was a delicate Miso-Mirin Glazed Black Cod, which we’ll be serving alongside the Sautéed Sesame-Garlic Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas for an Asian-themed Chef’s Table menu.

Miso cod

Miso-Mirin Glazed Black Cod Recipe

Serves 8

1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1/2 cup sake
2/3 cup white miso paste (fermented soybean paste)
1/4 cup sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Eight 6- ounce skinless black cod fillets, about 1 inch thick, pin bones removed
Canola oil

Miso-Mirin Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and salt and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. Add the fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Alternatively, marinate in an instant marinator.

Sear-Roast:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a sauté pan and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish and reserve marinade. Pat fish dry with a paper towel. Sear the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed sheet pan with browned side face up and roast for 8-10 minutes, until flaky. Cover sheet pan with foil to keep fish warm while making sauce.

Sauce:  Reduce reserved marinade for 2 minutes. Do not over reduce or it will get thin and grainy. Serve fish with a small spoonful of sauce.

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® www.PartiesThatCook.com.

-> Stay tuned for the release of all of Parties That Cook’s Spring menus in mid-March 2009.