December 14 Meal: "Surf and Turf"

Coriander-Crusted Steak with Miso Butter Sauce

This is a great steak recipe!  The steak is crusted with pepper and coriander before grilling.  The sauce is a delicious combination of cilantro, butter, green onions, rice vinegar, red miso, fresh ginger, soy sauce, sake, and Asian sesame oil.  The steak was super juicy on its own, but the sauce added a great boost to the flavor.

Yuminess: 10 out of 10



Spicy Squid Salad

It was fun to learn how to make calamari.  It's also really cheap to buy from Whole Foods, so now I know how much money restaurants are making off my calamari appetizers.  The squid are coated with Wondra flour (which is cake flour) and the excess is shaken off.  Don't take too much off, though, because I learned that it makes for very little fried crust.  Fry in peanut oil if you are following the recipe, or vegetable oil if you are me.  The salad is made from arugula, charred bell peppers, frisee, fuji apples, and shallots. The dressing is mayo, saffron, lime juice, paprika, garlic, and cayenne.  The apples really add a nice little pop of sweet.

Yuminess: 10 out of 10

Crudites with Green Goddess Dressing
At work we were going to celebrate my officemate's coming baby with a baby shower, so I prepared a couple appetizers.  This green goddess dip was a tasty alternative to your average Ranch dressing.  This dip has mayo, fresh chives, tarragon, basil, white wine vinegar, garlic, anchovy, and avocado.  The one problem I had was that I accidentally used sardines instead of anchovy, so it was a bit fishy.  I served it with fresh veggies.

Yuminess: 8 out of 10

Gorgonzola-Parmesan Twists
These are fancy-looking but really easy to make, so they are a great side for guests.  Use puff pastry and top with prosciutto, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, and thyme.  Roll out and slice into thin strips.  Coat with egg and bake. 

Yuminess: 9 out of 10