Daily Loaf

When I began eating red meat again after a 10-year hiatus, the satisfaction was immediate. I ordered a dry-aged, grilled filet topped with seared foie gras and a cabernet-truffle sauce at Harris’ Steakhouse in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights. All I remember from that epic first bite is taking in the rush of rich flavor, leaning my head back with closed eyes, and falling deeply in love.

Since then I’ve only been brave enough to buy and prepare filet mignon at home on one occasion. I’m afraid that the bar is just too high, and so I leave it to the experts and opt instead for a selection that is more home-cook friendly.

Also known as bavette to the French, flank steak Read the rest of this entry »

Cookout season is upon us, and what’s one of the first things that pops into my head when I think about cookouts? Burgers! It’s one of the best forms of finger food and a staple of summer cookout foods.

Contrary to what many people may think, burgers don’t always have to include just beef, or any meat at all, for that matter. Start thinking outside the burger box and get creative with: from ground lamb or chicken to portobello mushrooms or seafood. Then find some fun condiment combinations to top them with to enhance their flavor. Why not make your own condiment for your burgers to elevate their gourmet factor?

I experimented with shrimp as the protein for my latest burger concoction and made them into sliders (which also work as fun little appetizers). To bind the chopped shrimp I had to use some cracker crumbs, mayo and an egg, to end up with a crab cake-like patty. Just be sure, if you make a burger with shrimp, crab or fish, to not use too much breadcrumb filling in your mixture because you don’t want to end up with a dense product. Think: more meat to filler in your burger mix ratio.

These shrimp sliders can be baked, grilled, or pan-fried. If you’re going to grill them, just be sure to thoroughly spray your grill down with non-stick grill spray before placing the patties down (see below for further cooking instructions). Read the rest of this entry »

Most of my last weekend was spent in a medical conference. 15 hours in a hotel conference room listening to pharmacy laws, regulations, zzzzzzz. You get the drift. Cuisine was not a focus; I mustered up the enregy to try the turkey sandwich offered at lunch and the stale bread left me with a jaw that felt like it had been hit by a gorilla. Not surprisingly, I forgot lunch on Sunday and walked away with a hell of an appetite. I craved some something on my grill, but what? Red meat seemed heavy and chicken had worn out its welcome, but lamb, however, was just right.

I always get my lamb at our neighborhood Whole Foods and my favorite cut for grilling are shoulder chops, however they were fresh out (2nd time in a  row, whats up with that!) so I settled for 2 racks. I also picked up an apricot brandy grill sauce made by Napa Valley BBQ Co. Don’t ask me why I got this; most of my friends know I always make up my menus and marinades last minute or on the fly. I was hungry, it seemed interesting, and it was coming home with the lamb. Necessity would force me to come up with a good rub for this lamb. Read the rest of this entry »

I was in another Latin mood last week when I decided to make this recipe. I had a taste in my mouth for that combination of vinegar, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs that chimichurri possesses and was simply looking for an excuse to make it, and a vehicle on which to consume it. Chimichurri is a traditional, uncooked condiment from Argentina that is used on grilled meats and fish. I could eat it on almost anything.

My inspiration for this came from a dish I’d eaten recently, grilled flank steak with chimichurri, at Cafe Dufrain in Harbour Island. Flank steak can be tough and needs to be marinated for a long time and I wanted a tender, thick and juicy hunk of meat, so I opted for a New York strip instead (my cut of choice). This cut of meat really doesn’t need to be marinated because it’s tender enough already, but I wanted to infuse a bit more flavor before throwing it on the grill. You can use any beer you’d like for the marinade (I used Dos Equis Amber) but I’d suggest a somewhat dark beer, like a Mexican amber beer or a medium ale, nothing too light or fruity. Read the rest of this entry »

So you’ve seen my article on bacon brittle and want to make the recipe, but for some reason (stove broke, power outage, stuck at work) all you have is a gas grill (with a burner). No problem, that’s all we have here at CL HQ, and I managed to make a double batch for the grateful — if skeptical — staff this morning. How? Just watch: