Meat...it's whats for dinner.

When I first started cooking I was the most intimidated by meats.  I was so nervous that I was going to burn the meat. I soon came to learn that actually burning a piece of meat is pretty hard to do.  And over practice I've come up with a fool proof way to cook meats - any meat, in 5 easy steps.

1. Take the chill off the meat.  Take your meat out of the fridge 10-20 minutes before you're going to put it in the pan. If you take that meat from super cold to super hot, the meat is going to tense up on you and the texture will end up rubbery.

2. Season! Season the meat before you cook it. That will lock in the flavors.

3. Sear, Sear, Sear! This is my favorite part and the most important part in my mind. You want to get a nice sear on the meat to create a yummy brown crust and to seal in the juices while it continues to cook.

4. Switch to your oven.  Once the crust has developed on the meat, throw it into the oven, pan and all! This will make sure your meat is cooked to perfection. Of course temperature and time in the oven will vary based on the meat and the amount of doneness you're looking for.

5. Let it rest.  You're heard this before. You have to let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes after you take it out of the oven so the meat juices have a chance to redistribute and don't run out all over your plate.

And there you have it..the perfect piece of meat.

Pavlova vs Meringue

 

We've all heard of meringues, but I bet only a few of us have heard of pavlovas before. 

I get so much of my cooking inspiration from TV. Seeing my favorite chefs on TV cooking and creating these wonderful meals immediately makes me what to jump into the kitchen and try it for myself. This week, Giada brought me my blog inspiration - Pavlovas vs Meringues.

They look exactly the same and the ingrediant list is almost identical, but there are a a few main differences...cream of tartar, texture and berries. A must needed addition of the cream of tartar keeps the texture inside the pavlova more of a marshmellow texture instead of the drier, light as air inside of a meringue.  And unlike it's meringue relative, pavlovas are not eaten as a cookie, but instead served on a plate covered in juicy, mascerated fresh berries. Bt the best way to really compare the two...a recipe showdown...try it for yourself!

Lemon Pavlovas (courtesy of Giada and the Food Network)

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup superfine baker's sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)

Meringues

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Puree...hooray!

I'm sorry for the cheesy title - I just couldn't help it!  I thought for my first post maybe I should start off slow, start with an easy tip but after some thought I decided against that.  I'm just going to jump right in!

Sunday is my day to experiment with new techniques and new recipes.  Sometimes during the week I am just too tired to at the end of the day to really put my heart and soul into a 2 hour preparation of dinner.  But Sunday's are perfect, I look forward to spending time in the kitchen.

Yesterday I chose to try the top recipe from this past weeks episode of Top Chef.  The recipe was an applewood smoked salmon with forbidden rice, a fennel and pear salad and most importantly an english pea puree.  The judges went crazy for the puree, so I knew I had to try it! Plus, this is something new for me - I've never made a pea puree.

Here is my tip for a great puree (whether it be english pea or not):  Give the heavy cream time to reduce down. That will really concentrate that delicious, creamy, buttery flavor.  You have to make the best of every ingrediant you have, give the cream the love it deserves!

The puree turned out beautifully, the bright green color was unbeatable! It added so much color to the plate, it completely made the meal.  Now I know why the judges loved it so much. 

Give this meal a try! http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/top-recipe