What’s for Dinner when Dining at the Home of a Food Critic?

We had the very special honor last week of being invited to dine at the home of a new friend, Maureen Clancy, who has over 25 years experience as a Food Editor, Food Columnist and Restaurant Critic for the San Diego Union and the San Diego Union-Tribune. As we anticipated the evening, it was fun to think about what she might choose to serve. It was a week night, so we didn’t expect the elegant meal that we were served. Maureen explained it away as simple elegance!

 

 Along with fabulous conversation in German and English, we were served a lovely dinner of GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH COFFEE AND BLACK PEPPER MARINADE
From “Bistro Cooking at Home” by Gordon Hamersley featured in Maureen’s blog entitled “So Many Recipes….So Little Time” http://www.maureenclancy.com/2008/08/so-many-recipes.html

 

GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH COFFEE AND BLACK PEPPER MARINADE
From “Bistro Cooking at Home” by Gordon Hamersley
Gordon Hamersley has been one of the brightest stars on the Boston scene for more than 20
years. His restaurant, Hamersley’s Bistro, remains a trend-setter in the industry. Hamersley
is there every night, working the line in his signature baseball cap.

1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus a little more for rubbing on the steak
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely round black pepper
1 ½ – 2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of fat

Combine the coffee, mustard, garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, the 1 tablespoon vegetable
oil, the brown sugar, salt and pepper in a large dish or zip-top plastic bag. Remove and
reserve ¼ – ½ cup marinade and set it aside to be used as sauce.
Add the flank steak to the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours,
turning the meat occasionally.
Heat a grill to medium-high. Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid for
basting. Lightly pat the steak dry with paper towels, rub it all over with a little oil and
season with a little more salt.
Grill, basting frequently with the coffee marinade,  until cooked rare to medium-rare, 3 to
6 minutes per side, depending on thickness. (You don’t want to overcook flank steak so take
it of the grill when it’s slightly less done that you would like.)
Let meat rest at least 5 minutes before slicing it thinly, across the grain.
Combine any juices that have collected with the reserved marinade, heat in a small saucepan,
and pour over and around the beef. Serve.
Serves 4 to 6

The side dishes included roasted caluiflower (recipe below) and a brown rice medley. Dinner started with a lovely salad of greens and radicchio and a goat cheese mixed with minced figs. Maybe we can get Maureen to post the recipe on her website!

Also from Maureen’s website, here is the recipe for the cauliflower:

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH CAPERS AND GARLIC

1 large head cauliflower, broken apart into rosettes
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place cauliflower rosettes in baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt
and stir with wooden spoon. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until rosettes are tender and
have well-charred edges.
Remove oven from pan and immediately add minced garlic and capers. Stir to combine. Serve
immediately. Serves 3 to 4.

Thank you to Maureen and Tom for teaching us what the real foodies serve guests (on a weekday even)!