Monthly Archives: March 2011

Deer Steaks with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

Mark my words: this sauce would be good on anything.

Does it look like pasta in the picture? Look again–it’s gloriously caramelized onion, swimming in a sauce that gave heaven its name.

I happened to serve it with deer steak, but think regular steaks. Chicken breasts. Pork. Chicken thighs. Probably not fish since fish flesh is so delicate and the sauce is so thick . . . but then again, why not with a hearty piece of salmon? I’ll take any occasion I can get to eat this sauce.

It could even work by itself! (Think: decadent side dish.)

The Pioneer Woman told me to make it shortly after I started reading her blog about a year and a half ago. Thankfully I acted in full obedience, because if I hadn’t, I might not be where I am today.

Which is in front of this plate, eating this glorious sauce.

The original recipe is here, but I’m going to make it for you as well.

Ingredients

2 whole steaks (deer or otherwise)

2 TBS butter

Salt and pepper

4 TBS butter

1 large onion

1 c heavy cream

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Now get ready for a truly incredible experience.

Seriously–are you ready for this?

Okay then.

First, melt some butter in a pan or on a stovetop grill.

Or a real grill, if you’re a real man!

Oh wait, my man was in charge of the steaks on the cast iron stovetop grill . . . so never mind! You’re a man regardless! Unless you’re a woman. Wow this is getting complicated. Forget all of the above and just melt the dang butter.

Grab the steaks:

Instead of 2 large ones, we had a bunch of smaller ones. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and cook/grill until they’re done to your liking.

I choose medium.

Here they are, ready to be eaten by this ravenous carnivore that I sometimes become.

And now for the sauce! So simple–only 4 ingredients. Butter, onions, cream, cheese.

Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then halve each half. Are you confused yet? Here. I’ll show you.

Now slice it into thin quarter-moon shaped strips.

Start melting the 4 TBS butter in a skillet.

Add the onion, and cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, until the onion starts to caramelize.

Add a little salt and pepper along the way. As soon as the onions are a lovely darkish golden brown color, reduce the heat to low and add the cream.

Oooooh. Whooooaaaaa. Mmmmmmm (the onion sauce has this effect–watch out).

Cook for a few minutes until the cream has reduced by about half.

The cream will take on the lovely golden color of the onions, and you will stare at it transfixed, tongue hanging out, eyes glistening in anticipation, hands scrambling for a spoon. I hope no one’s watching you while this happens, because I’ve been told it can be quite frightening for onlookers.

Right at the end, grab the blue cheese and dump it into the sauce:

Are you a blue cheese hater? If so, please think twice about your stance. Pretty please?Especially because this sauce doesn’t scream ‘blue cheese!’ at you when it’s all done. The rich cheese just adds a rich and wonderful creamy richness to it. There–I used ‘rich’ three times, just to make sure we’re all clear here on what the blue cheese does, exactly.

Stir in the blue cheese and let it melt–and we’re done! Now spoon a large quantity of the sauce on a plate:

Top it off with a piece of steak.

For some reason, I chose a steak that has the shape of the continent of Africa.

That’s another sign you need to make this meal asap–it can turn into a family learning experience. Nothing like a little geography at the dinner table.

I think I can see the city of Casablanca–are those little people running around?

Oh, never mind–it was just some black pepper.

I could have sworn it moved, though.

Enough smart talk! Let’s eat.

Please make sure to slather each bite of meat in this sauce.

Or you can do as we did, and serve it over a heaping pile of rice. The rice does a wonderful job of absorbing that sauce and sending you straight into a state of Nirvana.

What a way to celebrate the over-the-halfway hump in the week that is Wednesday.

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Amazing Garlic Bread (with Roasted Garlic!)

This wonderful bread experience involves very simply roasting a couple heads of garlic and then slathering the results on the loaf before baking it. Roasting takes the pungency out of the garlic and makes the flavor mellow and deep.

The original recipe was called “Garlic Bread to Die For,” and though I wouldn’t die for it per se, I might at least faint a couple times for it provided there was a soft couch to fall on. Let’s make it!

Ingredients

2 heads garlic

2 TBS olive oil

2 sprigs rosemary, minced

1/3 c butter, room temperature

Pinch salt

1 baguette

First, preheat the oven to 400 F. Now let’s mince that rosemary.

Cut the tops off the two heads of garlic so that the cloves are exposed.

Create a loose tin foil wrapping for each head of garlic; pour a tablespoon of olive oil over each head, and press some of the minced rosemary on top.

Close up the tin foil packages and roast 40-50 minutes in a 400 F oven, until the garlic is getting soft (not crispy!).

When it’s done roasting, open up the little packages and let the garlic cool. Oh. It’s divine.

Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves into a small bowl.

Make sure no garlic skin sneaks in there!

Mash the pulp with a fork.

Add in the rest of the minced rosemary . . .

. . . as well as the butter, and a pinch of salt.

Continue mashing until it’s all combined.

If your loaf is on the large side, add more butter (up to 1/2 cup total) so that there is a generous amount of spread coating the entire surface.

Split the baguette in half lengthwise and spread the garlic mixture onto both halves.

I wrapped mine in aluminum foil, which keeps the bread soft, but you could probably bake yours unwrapped if you’re looking for a crispier experience. Next time I’ll try for the crispier experience.

Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, remove the bread and inhale deeply. Exert your self control so that at least some of the bread makes it to the table.

The butter has soaked into the bread, and I can’t think of anything else besides taking that first bite.

Cut it into chunks for easier serving.

If you’re into cheesy bread, for the last few minutes of baking time you can sprinkle on some Parmesan and crank up the broiler for a couple minutes.

I, however, was happy with this bread exactly as it was.

Dee-licious!

Click here for printer-friendly version: Amazing Garlic Bread (with Roasted Garlic!)