NY Strip Topped with Creamy Mushrooms

This morning, I sent hubby an email asking him what he would want for supper if he could have anything he wanted. Not surprisingly, his answer was steak. We enjoy steak every so often, but hubby ALWAYS prepares it. I've never really felt comfortable with steak. It's usually expensive and I worry I'll ruin it. I've saved a few sites with recipes and pointers over the past year or so, and it's ridiculously outdated for a woman to feel that she can't prepare a steak.


I decided to base the dish off of two sites: one with a recipe for Gordon Ramsey's (sigh) Beef Fillet with a Gratin of Wild Mushrooms; and another with Alton Brown's technique for Pan Seared Steaks. Now, Ramsey's gratin wouldn't really work with the Alton Brown method, and I had already committed myself mentally to it. So, blasphemous blasphemer that I am, I altered Ramsey's recipe. No, I don't really feel blasphemous; I don't hold any chef in that high of a regard. It does feel slightly audacious though.

NY Strip with Creamy Mushrooms

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 8 oz portobello mushrooms, finely diced
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 6 tbsp (between 1/3 and 1/2 cup) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper

• 2 8-oz NY Strips (1 - 1 1/2 inch thick), fat trimmed off
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Saute the shallot and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil for a minute or two, until they start to become tender. Add 2 more tbsp olive oil and increase heat to high. Add mushrooms and saute approximately 7 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture shouldn't have much moisture in it at all. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the herbs. Stir in the cream and butter. Stir occasionally until butter is melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Here's the tricky bit. While you're preparing the sauce, you'll also be taking care of the steaks. Let the steaks warm to room temperature. Place a large cast iron skillet in the oven and turn on to 500F.

Rub salt, pepper, and olive oil onto each side of the steaks. Once the oven and skillet are heated, remove the skillet and place on a burner on high heat. Place the steaks on it; searing each side for 30 seconds, moving them only at the 30 second mark to turn them.

Return the skillet to the oven and cook for 3 minutes per side for a well done steak. Once the steaks are removed from the oven, allow them to rest for a few minutes before cutting and/or serving.

Serve with mushrooms spooned on top.

Pound Cake Failure

A friend of mine at work requested a pound cake awhile ago. Actually, she requested a "standard" pound cake, a lemon pound cake, and an apple pie. This was while I was still in class, so she knew it would be awhile before she got one. The beginning of this week was absolutely horrible for her, so I decided it was about time I got my butt in the kitchen and made her the first of her 3 treats. I'm not sure if you've ever looked for such a recipe, but there are billions. I thought I'd use an old-school, church ladies' submissions type cookbook my mom always used when I was growing up. (She and my dad found copies for my sister and I one recent Christmas). I flipped to the index to find 10 pages of pound cake recipe. Crap. I chose one titled "Southern Pound Cake" or something of the sort and into the kitchen I went.

I'm disappointed. The texture was ALL wrong. It wasn't moist and dense at all. My friend liked it (or so she says) but I do not. At all. So that's one recipe I'll never use again. It was like eating buttered bread. And very dry.

The weekend is upon us and I WILL get busy in the kitchen. I feel like such a slacker. Sorry.

Spring Shrimp Pasta

It has been a foodless week here in Mama Sarah's Kitchen. Hubby and I experienced greatly reduced appetites all week long. Luckily, we didn't experience any other maladies, but needless to say, I haven't cooked much this week. When we did our weekly grocery shopping, I bought all sorts of fresh veggies and such for the things I planned to cook, and now I'm frantically trying to get them all cooked.

Today, I had to use up my asparagus (sans tips which had gotten very.. soft). Quite awhile ago, I made an Easy Italian Mac and Cheese that I found in a magazine at the laundromat. I used that as a basis for this dish. Peas, asparagus, pasta, and cheese with the additional of shrimp. I realized as I started to prepare this that I only had macaroni noodles; they worked well enough, but I think I'll stick with bowtie next time.


Spring Shrimp Pasta
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked pasta
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (yes, garlic is supposed to be listed twice)
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper (white if available)

In a medium skillet, melt butter, then add 1 clove of minced garlic. Saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Lay the shrimp in the skillet in a single layer; you may need to cook in batches. Sprinkle with salt. Once the shrimp begin to pink and curl, flip them (1-2 minutes). Cook until the shrimp are opaque and firm. Remove to a plate or bowl.

Drizzle olive oil across the bottom of a large skillet. Add garlic (2 cloves) and saute for a minute or two over medium-low heat. Add asparagus and onions and saute until tender, but crisp (5-10 minutes). Add peas and cook a few minutes longer, until the peas are thoroughly heated and soft.

Reduce heat to low and stir in ricotta, mozzarella, and cream. Stir constantly while cheeses melt, making sure to combine all of the elements. Salt and pepper to taste. It will take quite a bit of each to get it well seasoned. I added salt at just about every stage and still needed to add a good bit at the end.

Stir in shrimp. Let everything incorporate and settle, then serve.

I added a bit of parsley also.

Hubby and I both enjoyed it. He was quite disappointed when he walked into the kitchen for thirds (!!!!) only to find I had already put everything away. It's a difficult life he leads here in Mama Sarah's kitchen. Difficult indeed.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Well, I am just on a roll today, aren't I? First, the puffed pancake, then the NoLa shrimp, now this cake. Man, it was a good day! I just felt the need to end it with something sweet, and of course homemade. And it's Sunday, so I've got to have something for my coworkers (some of whom have been completely whiney about the lack of baked goods, others of whom were completely understanding). Now, I have a slight problem. My company is doing a fitness challenge, and my shift as grouped together and decided to lose weight. (I'm not participating because I'll only be around for half of the competition). They've said they'll eat baked goods if they're "healthy", to which I scoff. I told hubby I'd use double butter and extra heavy cream for everything. Evil? ME?? MUAHAHAHAHAHA. Um..... ..... But I actually found a recipe I marked as "to try" eons ago that is relatively healthy. SO there we go. I'll lure them into a false sense of security before dosing them with butter and cream. MUAHAHAHAHA

...



Hot Milk Sponge Cake
(from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 181)

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter

Let eggs sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan (I used 8x8 which increased my baking time). Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 4 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for another 4 minutes or until light and fluffy (mine never got light and fluffy; it was creamy).

Add flour to egg mixture and beat just until combined.

In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating and stirring until the butter melts. Add to the batter and beat until coombined.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Mine took closer to 30 minutes.)

Cool in pan on a cooling rack.

Serve dusted with powdered sugar or with fruit. It's sweet on its own, so tart raspberries complement the cake quite well. I'd also consider using this for some strawberry shortcake. Mmmm. It's tasty. I might have to whip up some cream... But I guess that would make it not so low fat, eh?

New Orleans Shrimp

Oh my. OH. MY. I do believe I need a moment to collect myself after this delicious dish.. .. .. okay. I think I'm ready.

A few days before my Daddy Dearest drove up for my graduation, he asked if hubby and I wanted any foodstuffs. I didn't intend to ask for anything, but then he mentioned shrimp. If there is one thing that breaks my heart about living in the midwest, it's the lack of delicious, fresh Gulf shrimp. So the mere mention of shrimp sent my little heart a pitter-pattering. When I mentioned Daddy Dearest's offer to hubby, his face lit up. Ours is a shared love of shrimp. Dad was more than willing to oblige.

Now, I always grew up with my dad saying such things as "it's better to have too much than too little." He is the king of preparing at least twice as much food as is needed (granted, I think it's mostly because he LOVES leftovers). So, I wasn't all the surprised when he showed up with a full sized cooler. It contained: 3 lbs of boudin, stuffed mushrooms and jalepenos, my absolute favorite sausage, and AT LEAST 5 (FIVE!!) pounds of shrimp! It's heavenly having this food filling my fridge.

So now I've got enough shrimp for 5 (well 4 now) delicious meals. Nom nom nom. This brings us to today's New Orleans Shrimp*. It's slap-yo-mama** good. This is exactly something you ccould order at any Creole restaurant. If you want to know what New Orleans tastes like, eat this. If you enjoy shrimp, eat this. Know that this is going into my arsenal of foods to impress people, especially since it is as easy as it is delicious.


New Orleans Shrimp:
1 lbs raw shrimp, deveined and peeled with or without tails (we removed them)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp paprika (I didn't have any, so I obviously didn't use any)
1/16 cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp parlsey, finely chopped
salt and pepper

If you haven't already, rinse your shrimp.

Lightly drizzle olive oil in a medium sized skillet and heat over medium high heat. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the shrimp begin to turn pink, flip them over. Once they are opaque, remove them from the pan. Shrimp only need a few minutes to cook; it doesn't take long at all. If need be, you can cook them in batches. I did.

Once your shrimp is cooked and removed from the pan, add a small amount of olive oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Stir moderately frequently so your garlic doesn't brown too much, but a bit of browning is perfectly all right.

Add the wine; cook until reduced by half. Stir in butter, paprika, cayenne, worcestershire, and parsley. (You can just sprinkle the parsley on the finished dish, but I added it at this point.)

Once the butter has melted, return shrimp to the pan and stir to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.

In true Southern Louisiana fashion, I served this over plain white rice. The original recipe advises eating the shrimp on a crusty bread. I say do BOTH! Have it on a rice with a piece of crusty garlic bread. You won't regret it, I promise.

Hubby and I both LOVED this dish. The sauce has a buttery, tangy, spiceness that perfectly complements the shrimp and rice. Hubby would have liked a bit more cayenne (of course) but I'm not sure I'd want to tweak this at all. It's that wonderful. Please, try this if you can.

* The original recipe calls this New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, but where's the BBQ, I ask. So, I removed it from the title.

** Slap yo mama is a common saying in South Louisiana (as well as a brand of seasonings) which implies that the food is SO good it'll make you want to slap your mother for not preparing such delicious treats for you. Now, I agree it's a silly saying and I definitely did not come up with it, but it's fun to use. Of course, I don't really condone slapping your mom... unless she really deserves it.. or you eat this shrimp.

Puff Pancake

Well, it's been a week exactly since I obtained a BA from my tiny liberal arts college. Sorry I haven't posted this past week, but I've spent a great deal of time soul-searching, trying to figure out what college taught me about myself and my path in life ... No, really I was playing the Wii my mom got me. It's an addicting little device! But, with college behind me and loads of free time now, Mama Sarah is back! No more, "I hope I can bake at least once a week" and hubby cooking dinner all the time. That's right, I've already completely overloaded myself with a list of things to try.

So this morning, hubby and I had a bit of a disagreement over what to have for breakfast. We were both quite hungry; I wanted some spiced pancakes and he wanted an egg casserole. Well, both would take way too much time so I decided to try a puff pancake. I saw it years ago.. ok more like a year okay when I first started cataloging recipes and such. Sadly, it sat in my Recipes tab for months and months.. until today. I used that first recipe I discovered, though I've seen many since then.


Puff Pancake

• 3 tbsp butter
  
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• scant pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• juice from 1/2 a lemon (topping)
  
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar (topping)

Preheat oven to 425F. Melt butter in your skillet. Now, size IS important here. Your pan needs to be 11 or 12 inches in diameter on the BOTTOM, not from rim to rim. It needs to be oven proof. For other pan variations, check out the original recipe here.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. Whisk in milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the batter into your buttery skillet and immediately place in the oven.

Bake 18-20 minutes, until quite puffy and golden, with darker brown areas. See the picture below? \/


Now, squeeze the lemon juice over the pancakes, then sprinkle the powdered sugar over it. Cut into quarters. Add some berries if you'd like.


Hubby passed on the raspberries and had maple syrup with his. I added LOTS of berries and drizzled mine with honey. We both agree that this is quite tasty; hubby says it reminds him of funnel cake. You would definitely want to serve this with something else; it is quite airy and thus not so filling.

I'm glad to be back; look forward to many posts in the future.