The ingredient chosen for this week was garlic, and this was not done by accident. The three of us LOVE garlic. Love it so much, that the age-old "myth" that garlic is a deterrent for vampires (or kisses) doesn't apply to us. So we confidently moved forward with the key ingredient.
Chopped garlic for the asparagus, mashed potatoes and steak rub
Garlic cooking down with butter, for the asparagus
The garlic shucks (we used all of the cloves from two garlic heads, or knobs)
The asparagus was trimmed and placed in the garlic infused butter sauce, to cook for 15 minutes
Potatoes were brought to a boil and cooked until very "mushy" when poked
Cream was boiled, and then simmered, containing several garlic cloves (this mixture was then added to the potatoes and smashed until creamy)
The beautiful fillets
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to rub on the steaks (after a garlic clove was rubbed over them)
"J" rubbing the mixture on the fillet
Fillet one rub, done
Fillets cooking in a pre-heated cast-iron skillet (the skillet was pre-heated in the oven)
"K" timing the fillets (each side got 2 minutes)
Fillets on their second 2-minute mark. They were also cooked, for 2-minutes, on their sides containing the bacon. Yeah, they were bacon-wrapped fillets. Do you "do" a fillet any other way?
While "J" was cooking, "A" went all out as well. This is her ironing the linen to adorn this week's table-scape. Yeah, she ironed it. Nothing but the best for JAK.
And what a table-scape it was! The evening was beautiful, so we enjoyed dinner out on the back-porch. I told you cupid wasn't scared away by our garlic!
The table up close
The final meal plated. Looks like something right out of some expensive steakhouse. Even down to the fresh parsley atop the fillet and potatoes. It's hard to describe how amazing this meal was. The fillets were cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of seasoning. I think sometimes people tend to think a rub or seasoning (or even using a marinade) has to be complicated. If you have a nice cut of meat, all you need is simple (garlic clove rubbed on the meat and then sea salt and cracked black pepper rubbed on that). The asparagus was excellent as well. The garlic cooked with butter, which infused the butter with flavor. The asparagus was then added to the butter, and cooked (on a low temp) for 15 minutes. They came out with a great flavor, and still had a crunch to them (as they should). The potatoes certainly didn't take third. The cream was brought to a boil with garlic cloves, then simmered until the cream mixture had a strong garlic flavor. Once the potatoes were soft, the cream was added and they were mashed to a silky texture. Although lumps are great in certain mashed potatoes, this recipe calls for a creamy, creamy, creamy mash consistency. You can't forget to add the Parmesan cheese as well. Talk about creamy!
It makes all the difference.
It didn't take long to finish. The potatoes were everyone's favorite. They were so rich with flavor, we had to share the recipe. You can find it below, along with another "tip" from JAK for this week.
We couldn't go without dessert though, and just couldn't find it in us to do a dessert with garlic. So, "J" made a traditional chocolate cake, with a twist. He put coffee in the batter and icing.
Below marks the process.
The cream added is shaken in a mixer to get it nice and cold, and frothy!
Coco added to the cream
(side-ways picture, but....) Coffee being added to the batter
Completed homemade batter
Being poured in one of two cake rounds
Coming out of the oven
Ready to be iced
The homemade coffee icing
Layer two
More icing
Completed cake with fresh mint
After dinner we came inside and started watching the Grammy's. We waited as long as our full belly's could before cutting the cake. The beautiful slice accompanied with fresh raspberry sorbet and mint. The cake was so rich, and the icing (with the coffee) was a beautiful touch.
Our tip for this week is "what a difference fresh herbs make". AND, you can get them at your local greenhouse for WAY cheaper than anywhere else! See the one's JAK purchased. Not only gives us fresh herbs, but adds such a nice addition to the window seal (above the kitchen sink).
As promised, below is the recipe for the garlic mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Until next time.....A la Cuisine!
Ingredients
· 3 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold
· 2 tablespoons kosher salt (for boiling water)
· 2 Cups - half-and-half
· 6 cloves garlic, crushed
· 6 ounces grated parmesan
Dice potatoes with the skins on, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Be careful not to scald the milk. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture. Add the Parmesan and stir with a spatula until incorporated. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
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