Classic Cooking

Sometimes a classic is a classic for a reason. That old movie never really gets old, and that song that you've listened to over and over since you were 4 is still your favorite, but what about recipes? There are a lot of recipes that are mentioned, with the connotations of being old-fashioned, or out-dated. They get shoved to the back of our repertoires, and are glanced over on menus, but don't you think recipes can be classics for a reason, too?

Last night, I made Steak Diane. Yea, old school, right!? I mean, it's an entree that's been on every old-fashioned steakhouse's menu since the 50's, or earlier! It's got it's OWN Wikipedia page, for goodness sake! Well, I don't think I'd ever tried it before, either eaten or cooked, because of it's old-fashioned connotations. Yes, I am one of those always looking for the newest thing out there, the most outrageous techniques and the craziest ingredients. That's just how I roll!

So, while planning my menu this weekend, I happened upon a recent rendition of the recipe, printed from one of my email newsletters from Tasting Table. I gathered my ingredients, mostly on-hand before the weekly shopping, and got to work. This promised to be a quick dinner, so I looked forward to a bit of Monday evening relaxation after the job was done! There's very little prepwork to be done for this and sometimes that's refreshing. The only knifework necessary involved slicing some crimini mushrooms (my favorite kind of mushroom) and finely chopping some shallots. Done and done. I gathered the rest of the ingredients (Worcestershire sauce, Brandy, butter, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, and green peppercorns) and seasoned my steaks with salt and pepper.

This recipe definitely goes quickly, and it's totally simple to prepare, as well! The steaks cooked on either side for about 3 minutes each, and then were removed from the pan to rest, while I made the sauce. This was a delicious meal! The steak was a little undercooked when I finally sliced it, but what I loved the most was that as I poured the velvety sauce over the slices of meat, they were brought to the perfect doneness by the heat of the sauce. This recipe is written very well, and quite self-explanatory. Anyone could make this classic dish a meal to remember!

I decided to pair the heavy entree with a light side dish: Tomato and Haricot Verts Salad. Like our main course, this was a very simple recipe to prepare! I simply had to slice some haricots verts and tomatoes, blanch the beans, and then mix it all up with some sundried tomato slices, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, chopped basil and salt and pepper. What a lovely summer salad! We know what I'll be serving at every party this summer brings my way! It was easy, pleasing to a crowd and would even travel well because it's delicious at room temperature!