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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 2 Issue 107 - May 28, 2002 Automatic system commands and instructions: End of Message Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Good Morning Recipe Club, Sometimes a long weekend can be tiring! We had four BBQ's, a house full of family and friends and we managed to get the garden half planted. I'm looking forward to getting back to work! My sister and brother-in-law showed up in their camper on Sunday for a weeks stay, we were expecting them on Thursday of this week! So after some frantic house cleaning we decided to have some friends over for BBQ. I smoked 3 chickens, 2 racks of ribs, a dozen Brats and a pineapple. We made beans, potato salad, grilled asparagus and peppers and did we have leftovers? NO! Gone in twenty minutes! This week we'll talk about grilling foods. I use a Weber gas grill. It's a pretty nice one, cost me about $500, but I use it almost every night when the weather allows me to. I also have an electric smoker, which I love. The meat coming off of it is fantastic. Today we'll talk a little about steaks and veggies. -------------------------------------------------- How to pick your steak. Leaner cuts (less marbling) have more flavor but tend to be a bit tougher if cooked past medium. The Sirloin, New York, Round and Flank fall into this category. The most marbled cut is the Rib Eye. Often called a Cowboy Steak. It is cut from the same piece of meat as the Prime Rib. It has flavor and tenderness but has more fat in it. It remains a good steak even cooked well done. The most tender but not necessarily the most flavorful steak is the Tenderloin. It is a muscle that is hardly used by the animal, so it eats very soft. It has little marbling but remains tender because of the fine muscle texture. A prized piece of meat and the most expensive cut of beef. Best if ordered up to medium but remains tender, although slightly dry if ordered well done. Most Flavor: Sirloin and New York Most Tender: Rib Eye and Tenderloin -------------------------------------------------- Checking for doneness using the touch method. I've worked in Steak houses as a chef more many years. When you have a five by three foot grill loaded with steaks, fish, veggies and ribs, you have to be able to tell if your meat is cooked properly by touching it. Here is the story I use to train a broiler cook. It seems to be pretty fool-proof, depending on the fool. For Rare, let your left hand hang loose in front of you. Poke your right index finger into the fleshy part of your left hand between your index finger and thumb. It will offer very little resistance and is soft and pliable. This is how a steak cooked rare will feel to the touch. For Medium Rare, extend the same left hand but this time spread out your fingers and poke the same spot with your right index finger. You'll see that it is firmer and a little springy to the touch. This is how a steak cooked medium rare will feel. For Medium, Make a fist with your left hand and poke again. It should feel firm and only give a little. This is how the medium steak will feel. For those how like their meat well done, guess how that feels. Very firm! Personally I can't eat meat cooked well done on a grill, but that's just me. -------------------------------------------------- Here is a recipe for a compound butter. Compound butters can be made from any of your favorite ingredients, stored in your refrigerator or freezer, they are ready whenever you need them. This one is call Guacamole Butter. You'll see this in another recipe later in the week as an ingredient. It's wonderful on grilled steaks and fish. Once you make it and chill it, you can just slice off little "Coins" and place them on the hot food just as it come off the grill. MMM! Grill a rib eye steak and top with this butter. Great served with Spanish Rice on the side Guacamole Butter Serves 10 Preparation Total 1:15 1/4 pound butter, softened 1 tablespoon red onions, diced 1/2 tablespoon green pepper, diced 1/2 ripe avocado 2 tablespoons salsa 1/4 lime, juiced with pulp Combine above ingredients in a bowl and mix with a handheld potato masher or your hand until well blended. Do not over blend, as the pieces of vegetable and avocado will look nice in the butter once chilled and sliced. Once blended, place the butter onto a piece of wax paper and roll it up into a 1 1/2 inch diameter tube. Place in the refrigerator to set up for about an hour. Once the butter is firm, you can slice it into 1/2 inch slices and top off your favorite steak or grilled fish. It's also great on fresh steamed asparagus or beets. -------------------------------------------------- CLUB MEMBERS, WIN FREE HOT STUFF! Our newest sponsor is FireBreath.com Register to win this gift crate of hot and spicy goodies by clicking the link below. Offer ends at the end of the month. You need to keep open flames away from this crate. Comes with Galena Blasting Powder BBQ Rub, Spontaneous Combustion Peanuts, Hot Sauce Harry's Dynamite Hot Sauce, and Galena Basting Sauce. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=93 -------------------------------------------------- Here is an awesome summer salad dish. It's easy, filling and healthy. What more could you ask for. Grilled Vegetable And Chicken Salad With Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Serves 4 Preparation Total 2:24 Your friends will look at their salads a little differently after trying this unique and colorful blend of flavors, textures and temperatures. 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Bibb lettuce, 1 large or two small heads 1/2 large red bell pepper 1/2 large yellow bell pepper 2 red onions, sliced thick 1 zucchini, sliced in half lenghtwise 12 cherry tomatoes 1 avocado, pit removed and sliced 1/3" thick 2 limes, quartered 1 1/2 cups Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (Recipe Below) Marinate the chicken breasts in the marinade below for 1-2 hours. About 20 minutes before salad time, grill the chicken and vegetables until the chicken is firm and golden brown (about 7 to 9 minutes) and the vegetables( with the exception of the avocado ) are soft and look well grilled. Allow them to rest for 10-15 minutes before assembling so they are still warm but definitely not hot. Once cooled down, cut the vegetables (except tomatoes) into small bite-sized pieces. To assemble the salad, make four small beds of Bibb lettuce on as many chilled plates and top with the chopped grilled vegetables. Now carefully slice each chicken breast into 6 thin strips trying to maintain the shape of the breast, and place it on top of one of the salads. Garnish with avocado slices. Repeat the procedure with the remaining salads. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette. Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Serves 8 Preparation Total: 10 An excellent marinade as well as a dressing for your salad. 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup peanut oil 1 lime, juiced with pulp 1/4 cup lime juice 1 1/4 teaspoons green peppercorns, crushed 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Allow to warm to room temperature before using as a marinade. -------------------------------------------------- Kentucky Virtual Handcrafted gifts, gift baskets, & delicious gourmet foods like Derby Pie, chocolates, cream candy, ham, preserves, flavored honey & more! Hand woven placemats, napkins & rugs! Books, Pottery, Home Accents, too. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=83 -------------------------------------------------- Your "Own" Steak Sauce 1/4 pound of butter 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced 1/2 cup white wine, dry 2 Tbsp. A-1 sauce 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce Melt your butter is a saucepan and add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms are done. Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes, then add the two sauces and heat on low for 12 minutes. Use to baste your steaks or serve on the side. -------------------------------------------------- CLUB MEMBERS! GET 4 COOKBOOKS FOR $1 EACH! Turn any meal into a magnificent feast with the help of world famous chefs like Julia Child and Emeril Lagasse. Learn how to make tempting treats, dazzling dinners and decadent deserts--fantastic foods that will make dining a delight! Discover a great selection of quick and easy recipes, techniques, and tips for both beginners and experts alike. Start now with 4 cookbooks for $1 each from The Good Cook. Click for details. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=86 -------------------------------------------------- Shopping Lists: 1/4 pound butter, softened 1 tablespoon red onions, diced 1/2 tablespoon green pepper, diced 1/2 ripe avocado 2 tablespoons salsa 1/4 lime, juiced with pulp 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Bibb lettuce, 1 large or two small heads 1/2 large red bell pepper 1/2 large yellow bell pepper 2 red onions, sliced thick 1 zucchini, sliced in half lenghtwise 12 cherry tomatoes 1 avocado, pit removed and sliced 1/3" thick 2 limes, quartered 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup peanut oil 1 lime, juiced with pulp 1/4 cup lime juice 1 1/4 teaspoons green peppercorns, crushed 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped 1/4 pound of butter 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced 1/2 cup white wine, dry 2 Tbsp. A-1 sauce 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE or Unsubscribe Requests: http://chef2chef.net/forms/form-entry.htm or reply to this E-Mail by typing into the SUBJECT line: remove club or subscribe club -------------------------------------------------- ARCHIVE: All Club e-mails are archived each Friday at: http://chef2chef.net/news/club/ -------------------------------------------------- LIST PURGE: We attempt to send email for 24 hours. If not successful, your address is removed. Re-subscribe if in doubt. -------------------------------------------------- |