Steak au poivre over mixed mashed potatoes and beets with caramelized onions and feta

Steak au poivre. Lovely tender hunks of beef liberally coated with cracked peppercorns and bathed in a buttery cognac pan sauce, as made by a Frenchie.

 

This is the second recipe I've made from Anthony Bourdain's excellent cookbook of dishes from his New York City bistro, Les Halles. The first was a wonderful rich and creamy cassoulet, although I did sort of merge that recipe with a couple of other recipes (but I'm sure it would have been great on its own, too). I think I'll try his roast chicken next.

This side is an absolute favorite in my house: earthy slow-roasted beets paired with sweet caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, and creamy feta in a Dijon vinaigrette. I never imagined something as banal as the common beet could be this completely delicious (my fellow epicurious.com users obviously agree, as it has a perfect rating of four forks and 99% of the reviewers would make it again. Quite impressive, little beet.) If you're not a habitual beet-eater (shame on you), do note that this will turn your... stuff... very dark red. So before you assume you're bleeding internally after your coffee the following morning and rush to the emergency room, try to keep that in mind.

Beef broccoli over jasmine rice

This may be surprising, but I don't often attempt to cook Asian cuisine. [Correction - I don't often attempt to cook Asian recipes that are *supposed* to taste a distinctive way. I do actually cook with Asian flavors all the time. Resume post!] I just feel like it's always missing something, I can never get it quite right - kind of like how I'll ask my mom for the recipe to make a Trini dish, and she'll describe it and I'll write it down explicitly, but mine never turns out as good as hers. Then one day I'll watch her make it she'll add in all kinds of other stuff and say, "Oh, didn't I mention that? Yes, you must add some of that. Well, I don't always add that, but today, I am."  And it always turns out better than mine. Job security, Mom.

Anyway, I've got Thai green curry and a simple little shrimp and cashew stir fry down pat, so it's time to branch out. Beef broccoli, y'all. The American Chinese-take-out staple. And really, it was quite easy and turned out pretty good. A little ginger-heavy, even for ginger people like us, so be careful - the ginger and garlic cook only very briefly so retain most of their pungency. Use a light hand.