A chronicle of my life in recipes. I love to cook, but more importantly I love to eat. The food you cook and eat tells a story of where you were raised and the path you have traveled. This is my story . . .

Friday, January 1, 2010

WOW Wine of the week


I know it has been a while. . . hopefully worth the wait. I have compiled a new list of wines consumed over the holiday season and plan to post with more consistency.
This wine is one that I have mentioned in recipes on this blog, but neglected to honor as a WOW.
As with most of mine wine selections, this one found it's way into the Schuh household via Beep. It is a terrific every day red table wine and I have especially found it wonderful to use as a cooking wine.
I prepared short ribs over the holiday break and used it again in that recipe and it performed superbly. It performs in price point as well, $14.99 at Central Market, I found it listed at the Gauge Wines site at $13.99, here is the link . . . http://www.gaugewines.com/gauge/index.jsp
12 Gauge Cab is a must have staple!
More things to love about this wine . . . #1 - the screw top makes it easy to pour a glass and even easier when adding to your favorite recipe. #2 - the attitude of the company . . . "Wine for the not-so-delicate palate" the red is described as Perfect, paired with anything retired by a shotgun or rifle, and the white, Perfect for anything hauled in by a hook.

BEST way to cook a whole Filet Mignon


The Filet is such a wonderful cut of beef. If cut into a single portion steak, I prefer to have it grilled, but this recipe from Ina Garten is by far the best way to prepare a whole filet. I do have a wonderful seared, oven prepared version for pork or beef loins served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, that I learned in a class hosted by Chef Jean Pierre, but I will post that at a later date.
A whole tenderloin is an entirely different story and following is the EASIEST way I have found to prepare one. Years ago I was watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa and Ina Garten gave a simple and delicious method for cooking a whole filet of beef.
Ina's Tenderloin
4-5 pound whole tenderloin
2 T butter room temperature
1 T salt
1 T fresh cracked black pepper
I also use equal amounts garlic powder and steak seasoning from Morton's Steak House. (Mix all your seasonings together in a small bowl to season evenly.)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees, line a half sheet pan with foil. Allow meat to come to room temperature, remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to preparation. Tie meat to even thickness, to ensure even cooking. I just tuck under the "tail" if it is much smaller than the rest of the loin. If you have someone who likes their meat well done(a sin against nature for this piece of meat), leave it untied or unfolded to suit their taste.
Pat loin dry with a piece of paper towel, rub with softened butter and coat with seasonings. Place loin on foil lined baking sheet and roast in the oven 22 minutes (for rare), 25 minutes(medium rare). Remove from oven, transfer to a warm platter and cover tightly with foil for 20 minutes.
I have successfully roasted smaller and bigger tenderloins and simply adjusted the cooking time accordingly. Slice and enjoy! You won't even need a steak knife . . . the meat is that tender.