Celebrating Life during A Night Of Bling Cuisine!

Beef / January 31, 2023

I really love to cook. I love the sultry atmosphere of a hot kitchen. The familiar height of the countertop against my waist as I wield a knife across whatever is currently being prepped on my cutting board. I geek out over the little dishes that I arrange in straight rows holding the ingredients I will systematically add to a simmering crock of possibility. And I love it when my guests begin to arrive and remark how good everything smells as I offer them a taste and straighten my apron.

But make no mistake. Cooking is work. It requires discipline, skill, patience, and a familiarity with techniques and flavors. It requires the biggest commitment of all: time.

What else is like this? Well, life, really. Your career. Raising children. Vacuuming stairs. Following a passion. Fishing out snack remnants from behind the third seat. Maybe even buttoning your lip around family during the holidays. And each of these actions offers an outcome that feels satisfying. But why has cooking become the villain when the result can be something that gives you strength, fortifies your health, brings people together in conversation and peace, and helps nourish someone who needs a little love-on-a-plate?

These are all the thoughts that go through my head when I’m planning one of my Night of Bling Cuisine Indulgent Dining Experiences. It’s how I form the narrative I will share with them upon introducing my style of approaching food. During the heat of the moment, I feel alive. I feel gratitude for how our bodies work and think. I am awed by the ease with which we summon our fingers to deftly slice a pear into perfect halves; to knead dough and know it’s ready because of a sensory cue in our minds that can’t possibly be written into a recipe. I am HOME when I am feeding others.

Let me tell you about an evening that defined all this and more. A night where I was feeding people who understand what ‘hard’ means. As survivors of ovarian cancer, they are part of the community of people within Teal Diva in Charlotte, NC. They ‘get’ an experience like that refines you, but they also understand that hard equals satisfying. And even more so that to be in the moment, especially while around the sacred space of a dining table, is exquisitely unique and celebratory.

Planned for weeks, eaten in one evening, let me share with you a couple of the dishes I created and served, and included these important ingredients: Friendship. Laughter. Connection. Grace. Love.

****

MENU:

Appetizer: Roasted heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and cocktail olives with buffalo burrata topped with an African inspired parsley, mint, jalapeno and lemon pistou.

Main Course: Black lava salt and rosemary crusted filet mignon over browned butter mashed yukons topped with mayonnaise and mustard roasted asparagus and featuring a spiked apple plum and ginger chutney with whole grain, citrus, and parsley croutons.

Dessert: Honey butter and balsamic roasted Asian pears over a lemon crema topped with butter fried sage leaves and candied pecans.

Special thanks to my Sous Chef Mandi Jenkins, Olive This! and Winestore of Charlotte for donating oils and vinegars and wine, and our hosts Mike and Shawne.

If you’re interested in hiring me for A Night of Bling Cuisine, click here.

Black Lava Salt and Rosemary Crusted Filet over Browned Butter Mashed Yukons and Mayo Mustard Roasted Asparagus

Can Serve with My Spiked Plum Apple Ginger Chutney and Citrus Parsley Croutons

Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

5 medium Yukon potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
2 t kosher salt
1 t black cracked pepper
4 T unsalted butter
¼ C heavy cream

METHOD:

Add 4 T unsalted butter to a small saucepan over medium low heat. While watching constantly, let the butter melt and then slowly become golden brown. DO NOT walk away and swirl the butter every few second so it all stays incorporated and brown evenly. As soon as you see the brown pieces pull pan off burner. Pour into a small dish and set aside.
Add cut, unpeeled potatoes to a large stock pot. Cover completely with cool water. Salt the water with the 2 t kosher salt. Bring to boil and let cook for about 15-20 minutes, uncovered, or until very soft. Drain.
Add the browned butter and the cream, 1 t black pepper and about 2 t kosher salt. Mix well with a masher (I don’t recommend a blender. This makes the starch in the potatoes too sticky. I like hand mashed rustic potatoes for this dish!) and add more salt/cream if needed. Put lid on and keep warm. It will stay hot for 30 minutes or so. Plenty of time to do the filets and the asparagus.

Asparagus

INGREDIENTS:

40 thin asparagus spears, washed and hard end of stalks trimmed off
2 T mayonnaise
2 t yellow mustard
½ t kosher salt

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add trimmed spears to a large bowl and toss with mayonnaise and mustard that has been premixed together. Arrange trimmed spears on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast for about 7 minutes or until tender.

Filet Mignon

INGREDIENTS:

8, 5-ounce filet mignons patted dry
2 T black lava salt
3 T fresh rosemary chopped finely
4 T good olive oil
4 rosemary sprigs
2 large cloves garlic cut in half
4 T unsalted butter
Chopped Italian leaf parsley for garnish

METHOD:

The oven should already be preheated at 375 degrees F for the asparagus. You will use the oven for both the filets and the asparagus.
Put half the rosemary and half the black salt on one side of the filets, pushing it down into the meat. Turn the filets over and do the same thing to the other side pushing the rosemary and black salt into the meat. Let sit for about 20 minutes. (Note, make sure your meat is room temperature before cooking for even cooking and more control of the outcome.)
Bring 1 large or preferably 2 smaller sauté pans that are oven safe to screaming high heat. An iron skillet works best or a pan that you have to season to use. It’s best to NOT use a non-stick finish. When hot add 2 T oil to each of the two pans. Then place 4 filets in each pan, not touching. Let them sear and caramelize on one side. Don’t try to move them too soon. They’ll lift up when ready. You will begin to see the meat color change to brown on the side touching the pan. When that appears as a thin line turn the steaks over. They should be a lovely toasted dark brown color. Let the filets cook on the other side for about 1 minute.
Then place both pans in the 375 degree F oven for 6 minutes for medium rare. Check and push in on meat to check. If the meat yields and feel too soft, keep in for another minute. You’re looking for a texture that feels like the inside pad of your thumb when slightly bent in.
Remove pans of filet and place each on a burner on low. Working quickly add the 2 T butter, a clove of garlic, and a sprig of rosemary to each pan. Tilting the pan ladle the garlic rosemary butter over the steaks to baste them. Tent with foil and let rest for 7 minutes while the asparagus cooks.

TO SERVE:

Place a mound of the mashed potatoes in center of plate. Arrange the chutney on one side and the croutons on the other if you are serving with these two sides. Then carefully place the filet on top of the potatoes and a few sprigs of the asparagus on top of it all. Then a flourish of finely chopped parsley to garnish. Optional: Drizzle a bit of fresh lemon juice over everything before serving.