Tasty Tuesday! : Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon, Sauteed Garlic & Asparagus on top of a Puddle of Maple Butter Cayenne Sweet Potato Puree topped with a Stilton Blue Cheese Cream & Chives

Who doesn't enjoy a succulent piece of Filet Mignon?! Gourmet Food Crack!

It's not everyday that I can eat like this but I wanted to do something nice for my mom and my buddy. I've recently made it a sport to find good deals in the grocery store and this is one of those victories that I am proud of. Obviously the most expensive part of this meal was the filet of beef and the Stilton Blue Cheese. However, between two groceries stores and some determination I found the necessary ingredients for under $20! The filets were 50% off at Kroger and the Stilon was 20% off at Harris Teeter, sweet potatoes are a superfood that are constantly inexpensive and the asparagus was also on sale, victory! This meal is amazingly balanced, between the saltiness of the cheese, bacon and seasonings juxtaposed to the sweetness of the mable butter sweet potatoes and you have that small sublte punch of heat from the cayenne. It is very simple and fast to construct, max time on this was 20 minutes. It hit every surface area of our tastebuds in a fabulous symphony of flavor, you definitely need to try this one out!!!!!

CHEERS!





Ingredients
3 - 6oz. Filet Mignon
3 Thin Slices of Bacon
2 oz. Stilton Blue Cheese
3/4 lb. of Asparagus
3 Cloves of Garlic
4 tbsp. Half & Half
3 Chives
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tbsp. maple sysrup
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 large Sweet Potatoes
5 tsbp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper

Maple Butter Cayenne Sweet Potatoes
1. Peel the sweet potatoes.
2. Cut into 2 inch or smaller cubes.
3. Place in a pot and cover with water.
4. Boil for 15 minutes.
5. Drain the sweet potatoes and place in a blender or food processor with maple syrup, butter, half & half, pinch of kosher salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
6. Process until completely smoothe and forms into a puree.
7. Place back into the hot pot on the stove, burner off, and they will stay warm while everything is cooked.
8. This would be a good time to preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Filet Mignon
1. Wrap each filet with bacon.
2. Pat completely dry to attain a great dark brown sear.
3. Liberally season both sides of the filet with kosher salt and pepper.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high to high temperature.
5. Add 3 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tbsp of butter, once butter is melted place filets in the screaming hot pan.
6. Sear on both sides for 1.5 minutes until dark brown.
7. Roll the bacon sides of the filets in the skillet for a total of a minute just to start the cooking process of the bacon.
8. Place in the 425 degree oven for 5 minutes to achieve a medium rare readiness.

Garlic Sauteed Asparagus
1. Heat a skillet with 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Place the 3 cloves of garlic in the oil to scent the olive oil.
3. Cut the woody ends of the asparagus off and sautee in the scented olive oil for 7 minutes, flipping occassionally.

Stilton Blue Cheese Sauce
1. Crumble the cheese in a small pot over low heat.
2. Add the 2 tbsp. of half & half and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.

Assembly
This is very simple and you could probably guess it by just looking at the picture above. Make a puddle of the sweet potato puree on the plate. Place asparagus in a linear fashion on top of of the puree. Center the filet of beef on top of the bed of asparagus. Dollop the Stilton blue cheese sauce on top of the filet and garnish with chives.

FOOD CRACK & A Beach Trip!

Rockefeller's Oyster Bar in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Today, Mason and I are on our way to my friend Paul's beach house in South Carolina to get away from the normal day to day and relax on some warm sand. Jealous yet? We've only been once before, but we stumbled upon this sea shack shanty of a restaurant called Rockefeller's. The restaurant is comprised of mostly an oblong bar with some tables on the sides.
What is absolutely great about this place is their HAPPY HOUR! And if you know me, I love hitting up a happy hour ;-)

The one thing I love more than a happy hour is OYSTERS! I love them raw, steamed or fried. This place presents oysters in their best form, simple. For .45 cents per oyster you can eat to your heart's content! They don't fancy it up, put a bunch of other ingredients on it, they just serve extremely fresh oysters. I love them so much that I'm blogging about them! Complimenting their oysters is the cheap beer you can order, bottle or tap starting at $2.25, that's right $2.25. My New York City people lift your jaws off of the floor now and get down here!

If you love seafood and in particular oysters, check this place out! FOOD CRACK! CHEERS!

http://www.rockefellersrawbar.com/

Recipe Alert! : White Truffled Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

Extreme Decadence in a small package!

This Mac & Cheese makes me quiver! It is an extremely decadent and costly dish to make, but it will impress your guests.
The cheese alone is an investment you must be willing to splurge on because you need the best cheeses you can find in order to keep the caliber of this recipe at it's highest level. I'm not going to lie to you, it costs roughly $300 to make this Mac & Cheese, however it does make 60 cupcakes so you're talking about $5 per cupcake. I know that sounds INSANE!!!!, but, it will be one of the best things you've ever tasted, EVER! The best way to purchase these cheeses are in blocks, so you should have a lot of cheese left after this recipe is complete, just wrap it tight in plastic and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Let's not forget the White Truffle Oil and White Truffles. If you've never had this, please at the very least, purchase the white truffle oil. Whole white truffles are extremely rare and hard to find and if you do add these to the recipe you're talking about doubling the cost of this dish, but wow do they taste amazing.

I made these for the 4th Annue Holiday Dinner Party hosted by my buddy James in New York City. He and I have made these before, but this time we elevated it to a new degree of tastiness. If you're like me, you love love love love cheese!
There are 4 cheeses in this recipe: Cave Aged Gruyere, Fotina, White Cheddar and of course Parmigiano Reggiano. Some may be hard to find so feel free to substitute. My favorite cheese by far is Cave Aged Gruyere from Switzerland. It is often used as the staple cheese in Fondue, but it works amazingly well in this dish. It is nutty, salty and has this quality of flavor that sets your tastebuds on a roller coaster ride, it is absolutely incredible. Several people ate more than 1, 2 or even 3! This is a great way to show people how special they are to you and you may be introducing them to something new.

White Truffle Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

Ingredients
2lb. of shell pasta
8 tbsp unsalted better
8 tbsp all purpose flour
6 c whole milk
2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated Gruyere cheese
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated fontina cheese
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated White cheddar cheese
1 c. + 2 tbsp grated parm cheese
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 c. white truffle oil & 2 tbsp for drizzling
salt
1 tbsp Fleur de Sel (French Sea Salt)

Pasta
Boil the pasta in very salty water, the water should taste like the ocean. Cook 2 minutes shy of the package directions to keep them shy of al dente because they will cook more in the oven. Drain when done and drizzle with white truffle oil to keep from sticking.

Cheese Sauce
1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot.
2. Add flour and cook until you get rid of that raw flour taste.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Slowly pour the whole milk in, whisking the entire time you are pouring to avoid lumps. The milk should be sitting by warming on the stove top as well to ensure the best incorporation of all of the ingredients.
5. When the bechamel sauce sticks to a wooden spoon it's time to add the cheese!
6. Add all the cheese to the sauce, minus the tablespoons of each that are set aside for the topping.
7. Once these have melted completely add the 1/4 cup of white truffle oil.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.

Topping
1. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a skillet.
2. Once melted, add panko break crumbs.
3. Once toasted, add garlic, cheese and season with salt & pepper, 1 tablespoon of white truffle oil and 1 tablespoon of parsley.
4. Set aside!

Assemble the Cupcakes
1. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix well.
2. Get some nifty cup cake tins, if you can, and portion out enough for you and your guests. You can put the rest in a baking dish for later or use it all and make a ton of cupcakes!
3. Add equal amount of the topping to each cupcake and place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until the already toasted mixture becomes darker, without burning please!

Serving
It's easy to serve these. Just on a small plate will do, put some extra parsley on top and drizzle a small amount of white truffle oil. Serve hot and watch peoples eyes light up!

Optional
WHOLE WHITE TRUFFLES. If you can get your hands on these bad boys, shave one or two slivers on top of the completed dish with a mandolin.

Again, I know this sounds a little insane and it is, but it is well worth it and it's easy to do!
Cheers!

FOOD CRACK: Five Star's Crispy Sesame Beef

So as part of this blog, I'm going to call my restaurant reviews and reviews of dishes as "FOOD CRACK."

5 Star is a restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina that serves asian cuisine of many varieties. The facade of the restaurant is built out of an old warehouse building in the appropriately named Warehouse District. Outside appearances do not give the space justice at all! When you walk through the large wood door with an equally massive door handle you enter a large 20 foot tall space with a balcony, DJ area, tables of course, couches and a large bar. The space turns into somewhat of night club atmosphere later in the evenings and weekends.

I went to 5 Star with my buddy Mason one afternoon because I wanted him to try this one dish, the Crispy Sesame Beef. Most often times I like to sit at the bar and enjoy food in a relaxed and in no non-sense way while enjoying a cocktail..At first glance, the $12.95 price tag may turn some off, but when the dish comes out and it certainly enough for 2 people. This stuff is total FOOD CRACK! It's crispy, savory, the perfect amount of chewy, sweet and spicy! If you live in the Raleigh area, I would suggest going to 5 Star, if only for the Crispy Sesame Beef.

www.heatseekershrimp.com

The Debut Post: Why not an amuse bouche?!

I thought it aprapos to start my blog with an amuse bouche, the first taste into my mind as a serious foodie!


An amuse bouche is a great way to entice people into the journey they are about to undertake at a restaurant or in your own home. I started getting into amuse bouches in 2006 when I was working for a restaurteur in New York City named Sarma Melgailis. I was lucky to have experienced some amazing cuisine at her restaurant Pure Food & Wine, to which amuse bouches were a common place pre-course to many evenings. I owe my love of the amuse bouche to her, an innovative woman, making food sexy, healthy and adventurous.

An amuse bouche is a single bite of food to set off a meal. It is a french term that translates to "mouth amuser," and that it can be. It can also be a palate cleanser to prepare those taste buds for what you are about to experience. The visual impact of an amuse bouche is also an eye pleaser, often served on a single spoon, skewer or shot glass it entices your eyes as well as your taste.


My friend James and I started a holiday dinner party for our misfit friends in Raleigh, North Carolina about 4 years ago which then traveled to New York City, the birth of my foodie life. James moved to NYC last year and wanted to continue our tradition of the holiday dinner party so he flew me up last minute and we created a 7 course dinner for 18 of our friends. The first course, you guessed it, an amuse bouche is what I'm sharing with you today.

Cucumber and Caviar Amuse Bouche with Creme Fraiche and Chive

Simple and very delicious, this amuse bouche introduced some people to the wonderful world of caviar and there was no cooking involved!

Ingredients
1 English Cucumber
1 oz. Caviar
Chives
Creme Fraiche
Kosher Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

1. Select a way to serve your amuse bouche. We decide on Miso Soup Spoons, each to each and looks simple and clean.
2. Purchase your caviar. This may sound financially daunting, but you substitute salmon roe.
3. Shave lines into your cucumber to make is especially attractive.
4. Slice this rounds and cut in half to fit into the spoon.
5. Salt the cucumber to draw out excess moisture and place in a strainer until you're ready to assemble.
6. Once the cucumbers have released a lot of their water, place two pieces into one of the Miso Soup Spoons, add a dollop of creme fraiche, top the creme fraiche with a small amount of the caviar and add a chive spear on top.
7. Finish it off with cracked black pepper.

Many people also serve wine or a cocktail with every course, including the amuse bouche, I would suggest a nice chilled glass of Prosecco.