Beef and Gorganzola Toasts with Herb Garlic Cream

Sorry I have not been making updates to my blog lately. I've been too busy cooking! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Last weekend the house was filled with food, fun, and friends. Jamie and his son, Henry, were here, as well as my son, Brett. We cooked everything from gingersnap French toast for breakfast to pizzas for dinner. I've been wanting to make a beef tenderloin ever since I saw my latest Cuisine at Home magazine. When I mentioned it to the boys, it reminded Henry of something he ate this summer at his uncle's house. It was a beef tenderloin appetizer served with an herb-garlic spread, spinach, and gorganzola cheese. At first, I was skeptical. Who wants to eat beef on toast?  I eventually gave in and decided to give it a chance. We went to the store, bought our "fresh ingredients", and proceeded to the kitchen. Henry was in charge of picking the herbs from my front yard "garden", and Brett was in charge of making the spread. With Slap Chop in hand, the boys make quick work of the chopping duties. By the time the filets had rested and the bread was toasted, we were ready for our assembly line. After eating my first one, I had to eat my words as well. It was delicious. As usual, I've made some adjustments to the recipe, which you'll see below. This is a great appetizer that can be made ahead.  Instead of a whole tenderloin, we used filets. To mix it up, we made half with spinach and half with arugula.

Adopted from Cooking Light

1 beef tenderloin, 1 1/4 lbs (we used two huge filets)
Cooking spray
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
30 French bread toasts, 1/4 inches thick (we used Cuban bread)
30 baby spinach leaves (we made half with arugula)
5 Tbsp gorganzola cheese

Herb Garlic Cream - Mix all together
2/3 cup fat free sour cream
2 Tbsp low fat mayonaise
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove minced garlic

Preheat oven to 475. Spray cooking sheet with cooking spray. Salt and pepper tenderloin. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 425. Continue cooking until meat thermometer reads 145 for medium rare, approximately 20 minutes. (If using filets, time will be shorter). Remove from oven, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut very thin slices across the grain.

To assemble: Toast, herb-garlic cream, spinach or arugula leaf, beef, gorganzola cheese

Arugula with roasted beets, walnuts and goat cheese

My favorite green to use in salads is arugula. I know it has a strong taste for some people, but I love it. I can't get enough of it's peppery flavor. I also have discovered the unique taste of roasted fresh beets. There is no comparison to the canned version. The true flavor of this root vegetable really comes out when you eat it fresh.  The only thing fresh beets have in common with the canned version is they both will stain your fingers! Today I decided to make a salad with both these ingredients. I made a simple balsamic vinaigrette to dress the salad and added dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. If using 100% arugula scares you, you can substitute spinach, baby mixed greens, or a combination of whatever you like.  If you don't like cranberries, substitute blueberries or cherries. That's the beauty of a salad; take out what you don't like and add what you like to make it your own creation.

4 fresh beets
olive oil
salt and pepper

1 bag arugula (or any combination of your favorite salad green)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roast beets:
Preheat oven to 450. Clean beets with brush, cut tops and bottoms off beets, then cut in half.
Place beets on sheet of foil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap beets up in foil to form a pouch, and place on cookie sheet. Roast in oven for 35 - 45 minutes, until beets are soft when pierced with a fork. Open foil pouch and let beets cool. Peel off skin, then slice beets. Can make a day ahead or let cool completely.

Dressing:
Thinly slice shallots. Add vinegar, honey and mix in bowl. Slowly add oil while whisking. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Salad:
Whisk vinaigrette, then pour over greens and toss. Divide greens onto 4 plates. Garnish with cooled roasted beets, cooled toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese.

Chilean Sea Bass

I love a controversy. My friend, Bonnie, said Chilean Sea Bass is really some cheap, ugly fish that was given a fancy name just so it could be sold for a higher price. Well, it turns out, she's right. Chilean sea bass is really called the Patagonian toothfish, and it really is ugly. The Chileans were the first to market the toothfish commercially in the United States, earning it the name Chilean sea bass, although it is really not a bass and it is not always caught in Chilean waters. I don't care what they call it. I call it dinner. It's delicious. It's a white, buttery fish that reminds me of the taste, but not the texture, of lobster. About a year ago, my boyfriend, Jamie, and I made it for my friends, the Bryants. They said it was better than any dinner they were ever served in a restaurant. Well, fast forward to 2010. The Bryants called and said they'd like to have some sea bass again. Jamie and I never follow a recipe, and I didn't bother to write down what we did, but I can't disappoint the Bryants. So I decided to do a test run and use Brett as my testor. He said, "This is good, really good." Good enough for me. Now I have the famous recipe written down for all time. I have no clue if it's anything like what Jamie made the first time, but I know this version is still delicious. The wine I chose to serve with the fish was a Leidersburg 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie Vintner's Reserve, from South Africa,. I used it to deglaze the pan before it went in the oven, and there was still some left for a glass, or two, for me.

1 lb Chilean sea bass, seasoned with salt and pepper
olive oil1 shallot, sliced thin
1 fennel bulb, shaved thin, reserve fennel fronds
Salt, pepper to taste
1 lemon, juice and zest, plus one extra lemon cut into chunks
1/4 cup dry white wine
fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and minced, reserve some whole sprigs
flat leaf parsley, chopped

Heat oil in skillet (cast iron, or something that can go into the oven)
Add sliced shallots and saute until soft.
Add shaved fennel, salt and pepper to taste.
When fennel becomes soft, add sea bass to pan, adding oil if needed and cook on medium heat about 5 minutes. Fish should have a nice, brown sear on it before flipping. Cook other side about 5 minutes, until nice, brown color is achieved.
Deglaze pan with wine, and add zest and juice of one lemon, plus chopped herbs. Add whole thyme sprigs, fennel fronds, and whole lemon, cut into chunks. Increase heat to med-high and cook until starting to boil.

If you want to make this with an Italian flair, add rosemary, oregano, 2 chopped plum tomatoes and serve with roasted potatoes.
If you want to make this with an Asian flair, add Thai basil, ginger and cilantro and serve with Jasmine rice.

Transfer pan to 350 degree oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Fish should flake easily when done.
Remove fennel fronds before serving with either the roasted potatoes or Jasmine rice.