Filet Mignon w/ Red Wine Sauce with Truffle Butter. Roasted Butternut Squash with Couscous

For the Filet Mignon

Marinade :

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

cracked black pepper

French Grey Sea Salt (yes, this makes a difference)

Chill for about 1-2 hours.

Truffle Butter

1/4 cup butter, soft

1 black truffle (Italian), fine chopped

Mix together. Place on plastic wrap, roll up and form into a tube. Twist ends. Chill until firm.

Red Wine Sauce :

2 cups veal or beef stock - I used beef this time. (salt free)

1 cup red wine - I used Pinot Noir - because I was drinking it :)

Pinch of Thyme, crush in palm

4 TB Butter

In a pan, add the beef stock. Add thyme. Cook and reduce liquid by half , or less. Add I cup red wine, let reduce again by half... or less. It will be slightly syrupy. Add the butter.. smooths it out.

Butternut Squash & Israeli Couscous

8oz Butternut squash

1 cup, Israeli couscous, cooked (1/2 dry)

1 tsp of Sage- I used dry sage powder.

cracked pepper

kosher salt

4 TB melted butter

Over 375

Cut Butternut squash into 1/2 inch cubes. Coat in melted butter, add sage, salt and Pepper.

Roast in oven for aboput 15 minutes.

When the squash is somewhat tender, add the cooked couscous to the squash pan.. put back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes.

Plating :

Drizzle plate with red wine sauce. Place Filet on sauce, pour little more on filet. Place a slice patty of truffle butter. Arrange other sides on plate as you like.

Enjoy every bite.. I did !

Mushroom, Leek & Gruyère Cheese Quiche

OK... I don't do pastry dough ! I am hopeless and it's more simple to buy the pastry crust already prepared. Someday I will learn to make pastry dough.. .it's on my cooking wish list. This is a very delicious tasting quiche.. great for a nice light lunch.

Ingredients :

1 prepared pie crust

6 eggs

3 Tb butter

1 package Baby Portabella Mushrooms, sliced

1 leek, white part, cut in half and sliced, soak in water to remove any soil

2 green onion/scallions, sliced

1 cup Gruyere Cheese, plus 1/2 cup of cubed, 1/2 inch

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp minced garlic

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

How To :

Preheat over 350. Cook empty pie crust for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven.

In a pan, on high heat, add butter to pan, melt. Add sliced mushrooms, saute on high until mushrooms become golden.

In same pan, add sliced leeks, saute about 5-7 minutes. Add more butter if needed.

Add garlic to leeks and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper.

In a bowl, crack open six eggs, slightly mix. Add cream, 3/4 of the shredded cheese. Add scallions.

Add the mushroom and leeks to egg mixture.

Pour egg mixture into the cooked pie crust. Place the cubes of cheese evenly around the pie. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on oven. Usually done when golden and center rises slightly.

Serve with a mixed green salad.

Enjoy every Bite !

Camarones Chile Rellenos (Shrimp stuffed Chile Pepper)

I love Mexican Food ! This is one of my favorite things to make at home.. you need nothing to go with this dish, it stands on it's own. This may seem like a lot of work but it's not.. just a lot of steps - but simple.

Prepare pepper sauces first. Roast two red bell peppers and two yellow bell peppers in over, cut in half and take out seeds. Oven 400, about 15 minutes. Let sit, remove skin.

Ancho Red Pepper Sauce :

2 roasted red bell peppers

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - you need only "one" chipotle pepper or 1 TB of the sauce in the can this stuff is hot.

3-4 Tb crema (Mexican cream) or use sour cream

1/2 tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp regular chile powder

1 tsp garlic, minced

In a blender add all the above ingredients and blend until smooth.

Yellow Pepper Sauce :

Two roasted yellow peppers

1 TB dijon mustard

1 TB Garlic, minced

1 TB Honey

pinch of salt.

In a blender, add all ingredients , blend until smooth.

Pour pepper sauces into squeeze bottles. You don't have to, you can just pour little with spoon over when serving.

Ingredients :

Four Poblano/Pasilla peppers - (these are slightly hot and hotter if you leave seeds and vein in)

1 1/2 lb small "fresh" shrimp, shelled and cleaned

2 Tb Butter

1 Tb Mince Garlic

1 Tb Ancho Chile powder

2 green onions, sliced

2 cups Montery cheese

1/2 Queso Fresco ( Mexican cheese, if you don't have, don't worry, leave out)

The Poblano pepper : make a slit on one side of peppers. Put in a pot of boiling water, boil on medium heat for about 20 minutes to soften peppers. You can also roast them. Remove seeds and veins... unless you love heat !

In a pan, add butter, garlic. Add Shrimp - cook about 3-4 minutes. They cook quick.

Remove from pan , put in bowl and add the remaining ingredients - cheese, ancho chile powder and green onions.

Stuff each Poblano pepper with the shrimp and cheese mixture.

Bake in 375 oven for about 20 minutes.

PLATING :

Place Shrimp stuffed pepper on plate, drizzle with the two pepper sauces.

Serve and Enjoy Every Bite !

Tropical Crab Salad w/ Citrus Vinaigrette

This is a nice light salad. No heavy salad dressing and very refreshing on the palate. One of my favorite salads to make.

Citurs Vinaigrette :
1/2 cup Chardonnay Vinegar
1/4 cup honey ( I used clover honey)
juice of half orange
zest of half an orange
pinch of salt
Whisk ingredients.
Cilantro Sauce (the drizzle on plate)(also good with the salad)
One large punch of cilantro
2 TB of the citrus vinaigrette you just made
1 TB of honey
Put in blender and puree.
Put in squeeze bottle to make drizzling easier.
The Salad Ingredients :
1-2 cups crab, pieces
1 avocado, cut in half, sliced thin
1 cup mango diced small
1 cup papaya diced small
bunch spicy sprouts (Alfalfa or other)
-Mix the mango and papaya with about 2 TB of the vinaigrette, you can made this ahead and chill it.
- Drizzle Cilantro dressing on plate.


-I use a tin can to mold this salad. Put can on flat surface, first layer crab, 1" thickness, press down slightly. Then layer slices of the avacado, the add 3-4 Tb of the mango/papaya. Press slighly down woth spoon. Slide flat spatula under the can with the mixture. ( you don't need a spatula if you've done it many times before) Transfer over to the plate with the cilantro - quickly slide spatula away and lift can.
Top salad with sprouts.


Enjoy Every Bite.