Porterhouse steak with béarnaise sauce and roasted parsnips with carrots

We sous vide this 1.25 lb porterhouse steak for 3 hours at 131 degrees. Then we seared it in a cast iron and served it with a béarnaise sauce. We followed a combination of Julia Childs' and YouTube recipes. A basic one copied below. Finally I roasted some parsnip and carrots with fresh parsley and olive oil. Such a great to enjoy this meal together before we both head back to work to start the new year.

Bearnaise Sauce

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YIELD 1 to 1/2 cups

LEVEL INTERMEDIATE

SAVED RECIPESAVE RECIPE

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted in saucepan
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
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Directions

In a small saucepan combine vinegar, wine, shallots, and dried tarragon and simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons of liquid. Cool and strain through a fine sieve.

In the top of double boiler or a heat-proof bowl whisk the egg yolks until they become thick and sticky. Whisk in the reduced vinegar mixture and pepper. Place the pan or bowl over a saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water. Whisk until mixture is warm, about 2 minutes. (If mixture appears to become lumpy, dip pan immediately in a bowl of ice water to cool, whisk until smooth and then continue recipe.) The yolk mixture has thickened enough when you can see the bottom of the pan between strokes and mixture forms a light cream on the wires of the whip.

While whisking the yolk mixture gradually pour in the melted butter, a tablespoon or so at a time whisking thoroughly to incorporate before adding more butter. As the mixture begins to thicken and become creamy, the butter can be added more rapidly. Do not add the milk solids at the bottom of the melted butter.

Season the sauce, to taste, with chopped tarragon, salt and pepper. To keep the sauce warm, set the pan or bowl in lukewarm water or in a thermos.

And for the roasted vegetables I followed a recipe from Ina Garten:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds parsnips, peeled
• 1 pound carrots, unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley
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Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

If the parsnips and carrots are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each diagonally in 1-inch-thick slices. The vegetables will shrink while cooking, so don't make the pieces too small. Place the cut vegetables on a sheet pan. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Roast for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until the parsnips and carrots are just tender. Sprinkle with dill and serve hot.

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Pissaladière Provençal Pizza

An evening New Years snack that we really enjoyed! The onions are yummy and the anchovies the right amount of salty. The dough is flexible enough to serve as the base for any tasty focaccia. I'd try pesto, red onion and maybe some feta or pine nuts next.

I would note that the pizza is definitely more of a focaccia bread - the dough is delicious but not the stretchy glutinous thin crusts Pedro and I had been working on over the summer for the pizza oven. Totally worth effort though, and as I said, a very good base.

Ina garten never disappoints! From her book "Barefoot in Paris."

Pissaladière

Provençal Pizza

From the book Barefoot Contessa in Paris by Ina Garten

Serves	8 to 10
Yield	2 pizzas

Introduction

Many dishes from Provence take their inspiration from Italy, which is right next door. Pissladière is usually made in a large rectangle like a tart. It’s great with a salad and a glass of wine for a light summer lunch.

Ingredients

Topping

	½	cup good olive oil, plus extra for brushing
	4	lb. yellow onions, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick
	2	Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
	3	tsp. kosher salt
	1	tsp. freshly ground black pepper
	4	garlic cloves

Dough

	1¼	cups warm (100 to 110 degrees) water
	2	packages (about 4½ tsp.) active dry yeast
	1	Tbsp. honey
	3	Tbsp. good olive oil
	4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
	2	tsp. kosher salt
	~	Cornmeal, for baking

Garnishes

	2 to 3	doz. anchovy fillets
	2 to 3	doz. French black olives, preferably oil-cured, pitted

Steps

1. Make the topping: Heat the olive oil in a very large sauté pan (or two) and cook the onions, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic over low heat for 45 minutes, until the onions are sweet and cooked but not browned. Toss the onions from time to time. After 30 minutes, take out the garlic, chop it roughly, and add it back to the onions.
2. Make the dough: Meanwhile, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil for the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water, so it’s at least 100 degrees when you add the yeast.) Add 3 cups of the flour, then the salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Mix the dough on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, until smooth, sprinkling it with flour to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, rolling each one into a smooth ball. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough lightly with a rolling pin, then stretch it into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle and place it on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
4. Assemble and bake the pizzas: Spoon the onion topping onto the dough, leaving a ¾-inch border all around. Artfully arrange the anchovies and olives on top, brush the edge of the dough with olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp. Serve hot on a cutting board.

Notes

To make ahead, prepare the dough and the onion topping separately, then assemble and bake the pissaladière just before serving.

Culinate editor’s note: The dough recipe here is the same as in White Pizzas with Arugula, and each recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas. So if you like, enjoy the flavors of both pizzas by making one full batch of dough but two half-recipes for the toppings.

This content is from the book Barefoot Contessa in Paris by Ina Garten.

Happy New Year 2016!

Pedro and I enjoyed a very quiet New Years to ring in 2016. Pedro was very sweet to buy the ingredients to recreate one of my favorite meals from 2015, which was a sous vide pork from Skip and Ruthann's wine tasting birthday dinner over the summer. 

We sous vide a single pork tenderloin at 136 degrees for 4 hours. Then we seared it with butter in a cast iron and coated it with a layer of ground chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper. On the side, I prepared a carrot and squash noodle salad with a Dijon vinaigrette thanks to the spiralizer my sister gave us for Christmas. It was a delicious way to ring in the new year!

Maiz brothers' seafood feast

The Maiz brothers prepared a delicious Christmas Eve dinner with nearly seven fishes in Minneapolis this year. The full meal included a delicious aguachile (http://maizwaller.blogspot.com/2015/12/feliz-navidad-from-minneapolis-2015.html?m=1) grilled octopus that Pedro made and was to die for (baby octopus from Spain - $29 for two babies!), whole grilled Bronzino, mussels in a garlic and butter broth and roasted pork belly with onion and fennel. So, so yummy. I'm thankful for these brothers who get along so well in the kitchen!

The next day I did some jumbo sea scallops feared in butter and olive oil with a spritz of lime, served on top of a fresh guacamole with reduced balsamic.

Forget the gravy; give me chimichurri!

Pedro's brother Sebastian is preparing prime rib for Christmas dinner and instead of gravy he's making a red and green chimichurri sauce (I believe at my suggestion after seeing it on a PBS program this morning in Minneapolis. I love that the Maiz brothers are up for any challenge - though the green chimichurri captured below is one that Sebastian regularly makes :)

Let's start with the red version. Simmer finely diced onion (maybe shallots next time) with olive oil and saffron. Let it cool. Add half cup of chopped parsley, 1 garlic clove, one tbsp of paprika, 3 tbsp of sherry, pinch of cayenne, and salt to taste to a mortar and pestle. Add this paste as the base to a bowl and slowly mix in about a half cup of olive oil along with the simmered onions. Smokey and delicious!

Now for the green sauce (get it? They're Christmas colors!) Add to a mortar and pestle salt to taste, one 1 clove of garlic, chile flakes, 1 part parsley, half a part cilantro, a quarter part fresh oregano, couple tbsp of finely chopped shallot and sherry vinegar to taste. Add fresh lemon to the paste in the mortar and pestle, and then transfer it to a bowl and slowly incorporate olive oil. So much better than gravy!

Feliz Navidad from Minneapolis 2015 - Aguachile!

Pedro and I are enjoying our first married Christmas together with his brother and sister-in-law in Minneapolis. Jaime is due to give birth to their first son in a few weeks and the weekend has lots of treats in store. This first, pictured below, is a delicious Aguachile made with chiles from a chile piquin tree in their sunroom. Simply ground 3 chiles with salt and lemon using a mortar and pestle. And then pour the lime sauce over raw shrimp (or cooked like we did tonight) and enjoy. Be warned - this dish is totally addictive.

Thai Curried Beef Stew

A taste of Thailand! A very yummy curried stew for a chilly fall day. I used a food processor to make the curry and found all of the ingredients I needed from the Lotus store in the Strip. Pedro and I made a special trip down this morning in the rain. I served the stew over rice noodles for a filling one-pot meal. Definitely not a quick meal - the curry paste alone took over an hour... But very, very worth it.

Thanks for another great recipe Bon Appetit! http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curried-beef-stew

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4

Curry Paste

• 6 dried puya or 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 4' only, tough outer layer removed, cut into 1' pieces
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh galangal 
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh turmeric 
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup halved garlic cloves 
• 1 tablespoon Thai shrimp paste

Stew

• 2 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2'–2' cubes 
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably Thai thin soy sauce (such as Healthy Boy)
• 2 tablespoons ground dried Thai chiles
• 9 cups beef broth, preferably low-salt
• 1 cup halved shallots
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4'-thick half-moons (about 1 cup)
• 6 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves
• Chopped fresh cilantro 
• Thinly sliced Thai basil

Preparation

Curry Paste 

• In a mortar, pound chiles and salt with a pestle until pulverized, about 5 minutes. Add ingredients one by one in order listed, fully pulverizing each before adding the next, about 15 minutes total. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead; cover and chill.

Stew

• Combine curry paste, beef, soy sauce, and ground dried chiles in a pot; stir to evenly coat beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender but not falling apart, 2–2 1/2 hours
• Stir in shallots, carrots, and lime leaves. Simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. If broth is too salty, add water a few tablespoonfuls at a time. 
• Garnish with cilantro and basil.