Beef Stroganoff*

Serves 4. Published March 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

Steak tips, also known as flap meat, are sold as whole steak, cubes, and strips. To ensure uniform pieces that cook evenly, we prefer to purchase whole steak tips and cut them ourselves. One and a half pounds of blade steak can be substituted for the steak tips; if using, cut each steak in half lengthwise and remove the gristle that runs down the center before cooking. Since blade steak yields smaller strips of meat, reduce the cooking time in step 3 by several minutes. Our preferred brands of beef broth are Redi-Base Beef Base and Pacific. If the mushrooms are larger than 1 inch, cut them into 6 even wedges. Serve the stroganoff over egg noodles.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak tips , trimmed of excess fat and cut lengthwise (with grain) into 4 equal pieces (see note)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce 
• 1 pound white mushrooms , wiped clean and quartered (see note) 
• 2 teaspoons hot water 
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• Ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)  
• Table salt 
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste 
• 4 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white wine or dry vermouth 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth (see note) 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves or dill

Instructions

1. Using fork, poke each piece of steak 10 to 12 times. Place in baking dish; rub both sides evenly with soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. While meat marinates, place mushrooms in medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power until mushrooms have decreased in volume by half, 4 to 5 minutes (there should be as much as ¼ cup liquid in bowl). Drain mushrooms and set aside; discard liquid. Combine water, dry mustard, sugar, and ½ teaspoon pepper in small bowl until smooth paste forms; set aside.
3. Pat steak pieces dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak pieces in skillet and cook until browned on all sides and internal temperature registers 125 to 130 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Transfer meat to large plate and set aside while cooking sauce.
4. Add mushrooms, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables begin to brown and dark bits form on bottom of pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until onions and mushrooms are coated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup wine, beef broth, and mustard paste and bring to simmer, scraping ¬bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has reduced slightly and begun to thicken, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. While sauce is reducing, cut steak pieces across grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Stir meat and any accumulated juices into thickened sauce and cook until beef has warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let any bubbles subside. Stir in sour cream and remaining tablespoon wine; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley or dill and serve.

Speeding Up Mushroom Browning

Our recipe calls for a pound of mushrooms, which can take as long as 20 minutes to cook before all their moisture evaporates and they finally brown. The microwave cut that time down significantly.



Microwaving the mushrooms before putting them in the pan reduce the cooking process to a mere 6 to 8 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Keys to Tender, Juicy Meat



1. CHOOSE BEEFY CUT
Steak tips (we buy whole steak) have far beefier flavor than tenderloin. (And they're cheaper.)



2. POKE HOLES
Poking holes in meat allows marinades to penetrate more deeply and contributes to more tender texture.



3. MARINATE
Marinating meat in soy sauce before searing boosts meaty flavor and enhances juiciness.



4. SEAR BIG PIECES
Searing large pieces allows meat to stay in pan long enough to create flavorful fond for sauce.



5. SLICE COOKED MEAT
Slicing rested cooked meat across grain into 1/4-inch -thick slices before adding it to sauce preserves juiciness.

Class Schedule

So, I had class names but a difficult time explaining to people what I'd be studying. Here's the answer:

FSM 1065, Food Safety and Sanitation Management
Students explore the fundamentals of food safety and environmental sanitation. This course looks at the origins of foodborne illness and the implementation of HACCP. Students must pass a national sanitation exam that is recognized by the Conference for Food Protection to fulfill the graduation requirement.

CUL 1375, Nutrition and Sensory Analysis
Students are introduced to the cooking techniques of steaming and poaching. Lecture, demonstration and production revolve around nutritional analysis of menus and recipes, and the sensory properties of food. The focus is on production of flavorful and nutritionally balanced entrees, vegetables and grains.

CUL 1385, Fundamentals of Food Service Production
Students are introduced to cooking techniques of baking, sauteing and shallow frying. Lecture, demonstration and production focuses on fats, oils, seasonings, flavoring and plate presentation.

CUL 1395, Purchasing & Product Identification
Students engage in identifying and handling various fresh, frozen, canned, dry ingredients and sundry items. Food service purchasing, receiving, handling, storage, issuing and evaluation processes are discussed and demonstrated. Purchasing automation, computerized purchasing and HACCP systems are discussed and demonstrated in this course.

Shrimp and Bacon Chowder

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound raw medium shrimp, shelled
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups potatoes (2 medium), cut into 1/2" cubes
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups corn
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 strips bacon, cooked and cut into 1/2" pieces
salt and fresh ground pepper

Heat olive oil and butter on medium-high heat in large saucepan till butter is melted. Saute onions for a moment or two, adding shrimp and stirring till onions become translucent and shrimp is mostly cooked. Add flour, continuing to stir till shrimp and onions are coated and all flour is moistened.

Add potatoes, corn, bay leaf and thyme. Pour in milk and chicken broth, scraping bottom of pot as you stir. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check tenderness of potatoes, which should be fork tender. Add bacon, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving and top each bowlful with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Serves four. Serving Size 1 3/4 cups. Calories 403, Fat 12.9g, Fiber 4.2g, Protein 30.7g

The chowder can be as rich as you wish, depending on the fat content of the milk used but the nutrition info listed is for fat-free skim. For potatoes, I used partially peeled reds, though this soup is plenty colorful with the pink of the shrimp, the yellow corn and the deep browns of the bacon against the creamy base.

Brandy Caramel Sauce

1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon brandy
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream, brandy and vanilla, and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons. Calories 133, Fat 8g, Fiber 0g, Protein 0g

If you have trouble with your sauce thickening, as in it's not, feel free to whisk in a little cornstarch and continue to let it simmer for another few minutes. I'm interested to try a more old-fashioned salted caramel version.

Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped, about 1 cup
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 potatoes, peeled (or partially), chopped, about 3 cups
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups corn, thawed if frozen
1/2 pound kielbasa (about 12"), halved lengthwise and cut in 1/2 inch slices

Heat olive oil and butter in large saucepan or Dutch oven and saute onions till clear. Stir in flour till it fully coats the onions and starts to brown slightly. Add potatoes, broth, milk, celery leaves, parsley, salt and pepper, stirring. Increase heat and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once. Remove lid, adding corn and kielbasa, simmering another 10 minutes till potatoes are tender to fork. Serves 4.

Accepted!

On this nearly-record cold day, I pushed open the heavy front door to my building and took a deep breath as I pulled the circulars, Christmas cards and one white business-sized envelope from our mailbox. I'd received a confirmation of my application to Johnson & Wales only two days before. And now, another mailing from them. A rejection now that they'd seen my grades from high school? I peeled off layers of wintry clothing and squirmed in the nervous anticipation. And on opening found... an acceptance letter pending another small piece or two of the puzzle. And a list of vaccinations. (Has the list gotten longer for all students or are the ones working with food especially lucky?) Anyway, I rejoice and hope that I can pull it off. I need a new job in the next two months (with a M-F schedule), a heap of money for tuition and energy to go without a real weekend for the next two years. Huzzah!

And here's a snap of my dinner this evening. I will definitely need a new camera before I start school so I can create a portfolio.

National Flags Made Out of Food

"To get people excited about the Sydney International Food Festival and celebrate international food, national flags of participating countries were recreated using popular local foods of each nation." Here.