A Night of Good Eats
I got some cooking gear for Christmas, and tonight was the night to put it to use. My mother-in-law bought me a set of four 6 oz. ramekins and a new torch head for my blowtorch, and my "baby" sis (love ya, Lulu!) sent me seasons 1 and 2 of Good Eats on DVD. Did I mention that Alton Brown is my hero?
Episode 1 of season 1 is all about steak. I've got a freezer full of various cuts, and thought I'd give his recipe for a pan-seared rib eye a shot--it seemed pretty straightforward, and I had all the tools at my disposal. I followed his recipe to the letter and the T-bone and two filet mignon I experimented on turned out divinely! My 7 year old son, J, asked for thirds!
What would complement a nice juicy steak better than a smooth, creamy dessert? Having just watched the My Pod episode, starring creme brulee, I was eager to try out my new ramekins by filling them with vanilla-ey goodness. I once again followed Alton's recipe (except I used regular cane sugar instead of turbinado) and received two of the biggest compliments known to man:
On tasting his first bite, J exclaimed, "Yum! This is even better than candy!"
And my 5 year old, Spencer, when saying his prayers at bed time tonight thanked God for "cran brulay."
Pan Seared Steak
Prep
I'm hardly an authority on steaks, but I just used what I had. Alton recommends using a boneless ribeye 1 1/2" thick. Whatever you use, bring it to room temperature before starting.
Ingredients
Steak - see prep.
Canola oil - I used spray Pam. Don't use corn or olive oil since they have very low smoke points.
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500F and place therein one 10"-12" cast iron pan. DO NOT use a Teflon pan.
Lightly coat the steak with oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
When the pan has reached temp, turn the stove burners on high and set the pan on the burner. (We're not done with the oven yet, so don't turn it off.) Set the steak in the pan and sear for 30 seconds each side. Do not peek, poke, or flip that sucker for at least 30 seconds!
After both sides are seared, turn again and set the pan (with the steak in it...) back in the hot oven for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 2 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. AB suggested these times for medium rare and I found them to be pretty close.
Remove from the oven and let the steak rest on a plate or cutting board, covered lightly with foil, for at least 2 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
You can turn off the oven now.
Creme Brulee
Prep
You'll need a good torch for this one. I used a torch like this one, ordinarily used for soldering copper plumbing pipes. I can't vouch for those puny kitchen torches, this being my first brulee, but I've heard that they aren't always up for the task. Besides, it's more manly to make any meal with a tool from Lowe's than it is to use a tool from a place that sells throw pillows. This can be made with a broiler, so I hear, but again, you never know when you'll need a blowtorch so why not spring for one now?
Oh, and don't even think about trying this without a fire extinguisher handy. If you don't own one, go out right now and get one, even if you don't try this recipe.
You'll also need a baking pan and a tea towel. Fold up the towel so that it fits inside the pan, lining the bottom.
Final note: This recipe is for six 7-8 oz. ramekins. I had four 6 oz. ramekins, so I halved the recipe with no ill effects.
Really final note: I forgot to get vanilla beans, so I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract after the cream had cooked but before the cool-down time.
Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean, and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use. Meanwhile, set the 2 quarts of water in a pot, saucepan, kettle, etc. to boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan.Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. (I found them to be better after 24 hours of refrigeration than after 2 hours. They were more flavorful and more firm.)
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. My 6 oz ramekins took about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of sugar each. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top.
Hold the ramekin at about a 45 degree angle (relative to the countertop) in the fingertips of your left hand and hold the torch in your right hand. As you turn the ramekin slowly with your left hand, let the tip of the torch flame lick at the top-center of the brulee, gently moving the flame back and forth to avoid scorching. When the sugar is all melted and has achieved a golden brown color, remove the heat and keep turning for a few seconds to help distrubute the sugar.
Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Episode 1 of season 1 is all about steak. I've got a freezer full of various cuts, and thought I'd give his recipe for a pan-seared rib eye a shot--it seemed pretty straightforward, and I had all the tools at my disposal. I followed his recipe to the letter and the T-bone and two filet mignon I experimented on turned out divinely! My 7 year old son, J, asked for thirds!
What would complement a nice juicy steak better than a smooth, creamy dessert? Having just watched the My Pod episode, starring creme brulee, I was eager to try out my new ramekins by filling them with vanilla-ey goodness. I once again followed Alton's recipe (except I used regular cane sugar instead of turbinado) and received two of the biggest compliments known to man:
On tasting his first bite, J exclaimed, "Yum! This is even better than candy!"
And my 5 year old, Spencer, when saying his prayers at bed time tonight thanked God for "cran brulay."
Pan Seared Steak
Prep
I'm hardly an authority on steaks, but I just used what I had. Alton recommends using a boneless ribeye 1 1/2" thick. Whatever you use, bring it to room temperature before starting.
Ingredients
Steak - see prep.
Canola oil - I used spray Pam. Don't use corn or olive oil since they have very low smoke points.
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500F and place therein one 10"-12" cast iron pan. DO NOT use a Teflon pan.
Lightly coat the steak with oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
When the pan has reached temp, turn the stove burners on high and set the pan on the burner. (We're not done with the oven yet, so don't turn it off.) Set the steak in the pan and sear for 30 seconds each side. Do not peek, poke, or flip that sucker for at least 30 seconds!
After both sides are seared, turn again and set the pan (with the steak in it...) back in the hot oven for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 2 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. AB suggested these times for medium rare and I found them to be pretty close.
Remove from the oven and let the steak rest on a plate or cutting board, covered lightly with foil, for at least 2 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
You can turn off the oven now.
Creme Brulee
Prep
You'll need a good torch for this one. I used a torch like this one, ordinarily used for soldering copper plumbing pipes. I can't vouch for those puny kitchen torches, this being my first brulee, but I've heard that they aren't always up for the task. Besides, it's more manly to make any meal with a tool from Lowe's than it is to use a tool from a place that sells throw pillows. This can be made with a broiler, so I hear, but again, you never know when you'll need a blowtorch so why not spring for one now?
Oh, and don't even think about trying this without a fire extinguisher handy. If you don't own one, go out right now and get one, even if you don't try this recipe.
You'll also need a baking pan and a tea towel. Fold up the towel so that it fits inside the pan, lining the bottom.
Final note: This recipe is for six 7-8 oz. ramekins. I had four 6 oz. ramekins, so I halved the recipe with no ill effects.
Really final note: I forgot to get vanilla beans, so I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract after the cream had cooked but before the cool-down time.
Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean, and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use. Meanwhile, set the 2 quarts of water in a pot, saucepan, kettle, etc. to boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan.Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. (I found them to be better after 24 hours of refrigeration than after 2 hours. They were more flavorful and more firm.)
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. My 6 oz ramekins took about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of sugar each. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top.
Hold the ramekin at about a 45 degree angle (relative to the countertop) in the fingertips of your left hand and hold the torch in your right hand. As you turn the ramekin slowly with your left hand, let the tip of the torch flame lick at the top-center of the brulee, gently moving the flame back and forth to avoid scorching. When the sugar is all melted and has achieved a golden brown color, remove the heat and keep turning for a few seconds to help distrubute the sugar.
Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
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