Did you know that a simple dish can be complex at the same time?  Can we all say "Oxymoron?"  The steak to the left was extremely simple to prepare.  8 ingredients is all it took.  You might be saying:  "Really?  That's it for ingredients?  Must mean it is really hard to prepare..."  Do not fret my Kitchen Ninjas.  What makes this dish so complex is the flavor! 

Two things are very important to this dish.  They are needed to push the boundaries of flavor.  The first is the steak.  Whatever steak you use it must be from a great butcher shop.  None of this 1/2 price chain store garbage.  Believe me, you will taste the difference.  The second thing needed is the incredible Porcini Sage Butter from Epicurean Butter.  It is strung with the beauty of what the Japanese call Umami.

Ingredients:
1 Steak of your choice
Salt and Pepper
1 Medium onion sliced
1 TB Olive Oil
1 clove garlic chopped
1/4 cup medium body low IBU beer
1 TB Porcini Sage Butter

Directions:  Liberally salt and pepper both sides of steak.  I used high flame to char the steak but cook as you prefer.  In a saute pan, heat olive oil on medium high, add onions and begin cooking.  Stir often and allow to brown.  Once the onions have a deep browning, add garlic, stir for 1 minute.  Add beer and butter.  Mix until a sauce forms. Serve over steak.

2 four oz Salmon Filets

Peeled Asparagus skins

Fried Asparagus Skins

Silky light Crepe

Fill crepe in center with Asparagus, Salmon and Green Onions

Place crepes in a casserole Pan, cover   with Orange Beurre Blanc and broil for 4 minutes

Place sauce on plate, place crepe on top, finish with a touch of sauce on top of crepe with fried asparagus and scallions

What the crepe is going on here?  One that will blow you away!  The finished product was so tasty, my neighbor said she licked the plate clean.  Literally!  Now that is a sauce I can be proud of.  This recipe that I will be sharing is a bit more complex and time consuming.  But......I have faith in everyone's abilities in cooking.  Besides, if you love pancakes, you make pancakes etc....then you WILL be able to make a crepe.  Now, what tasty morsel did I concoct?  A Salmon Asparagus Crepe with Orange Beurre Blanc.  What follows is one heck of a recipe with the full on WOW factor.

Salmon
2 4oz Salmon Filets, skin removed
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable oil in saute pan

Directions:  Heat oil on high heat in pan. Salt and Pepper filets.  Once hot, pan fry top side of salmon for 3 minutes, flip, cook for 2 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.

Asparagus
20 stalks of Asparagus.  Peel the woody spots
Vegetable Oil

Directions:  Heat a pan of water, bring to a boil.  Add Asparagus stalks and cook for 1 minute.  Empty into a colander and run cold water over the stalks.

Meanwhile, heat a small saute pan filled with 1/8 inch of oil on medium high.  Once hot, add asparagus skins and cook till crisp.  Take out with tongs and place on a paper towel.  Set aside

Crepe
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 TB butter melted
6oz whole milk

Directions:  Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Mixture will be smoother than pancakes.  Heat non stick pan on medium.  Add 1/3 cup of batter into pan.   Move pan to ensure batter is even.  Cook for 2 minutes, using a rubber spatula, pick up edge of crepe, flip and cook for 1 minute, remove from pan and set aside.  Continue until 4 crepes are made.

Orange Buerre Blanc
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup white wine
1 shallot sliced
1 clove garlic cut into 4 pieces
1 TB butter
Zest of 1 large orange
1/3 cup heavy cream
3.5 oz Orange Honey Butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Heat TB of butter in a small sauce pan, add garlic and shallots.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add wine and orange juice and cook until 2 TB remain.  Add zest and cream and reduce until 1/4 cup remains.  Add Salt and Pepper.  Slowly add Orange Honey Butter. and whisk into liquid.  Once all incorporated, use immediately.  Taste, add more salt if necessary

Assembly:  Turn on boiler.  Take each crepe, place half the salmon in each one in the center.  Add 5 asparagus spears.  Add 1 TB of sliced green onion.  Roll up crepe and place in a casserole.  Once all 4 are made, pour sauce over crepes lightly so the tops are covered.  Place under boiler and cook for 4 minutes.  Once it is browned, remove from oven. 

On each plate, pour some sauce in the center.  Place crepe in middle of plate and sauce.  Pour remaining sauce over each crepe.  Top with fried asparagus skins and a few scallions.  Serve immediately. 

I often get asked what type of beer pairs well with different types of food.  I usually tell people to pick what they love to drink.  If the food is heavy, I do urge a crisper beer but it all depends on each palate and what that palate likes.  What I never get asked but feel is in need of discussion is:  What do I drink if I'm smoking meats all day?

Now there is a question I can get my brain wrapped around.  All Day IPA from Founders Brewing.  Why do I love this one?  Because it lives by its name.  I sip slowly, enjoying each moment of smoke coming out of the smoker and a beer with huge flavor yet yields a power that entices me to sip it.  If someone handed me a nasty macro lite beer, it would be gone in no time and the meat I was watching would be over cooked and dried out from the inebriated mess I created.  If you took the time to put some thought and time into a great dish, being too drunk to enjoy it defeats the purpose. 

So....take your time, as my wife says "its a marathon, not a sprint." All great things take time.  Smoked meats, an elaborate meal, fine wine, great beer....doesn't make sense to just guzzle it down and lose the essence of life! 

I received a phone call a few weeks back from a potential client needing my services.   This client had recently been diagnosed with a histamine allergy.  They had NO idea what to eat.  Basically, this person was allergic to almost everything!  There are many food allergens I am aware of.  This was a new one.  I requested some info on the issue so I could see what I could do.  This person needed help and just didn't know what to do.

I opened the email which, honestly, threw me for a loop.  The list of banned foods would make anyone want to throw in the towel.  Here is a snippet of banned items:

• No Tomatoes
• No Lemons or limes
• No Thyme
• No Eggs, cheese, sour cream, yogurt
• No bleached flour
• No Chili powder or anything with the word spices in it
• No vinegar
• No processed meats...like sausage
• Meats, if not immediately consumed, must be frozen
  

I let this rest overnight.  I needed to re approach this.  Give it time to mull in my head then read it all again.  My 2nd reading, the light bulb went off.  This can work!  I would miss acidic foods, but using natural flavors from fresh herbs and the use of proper seasoning, food would taste good.

My, now new, customer would be pleased.  She gave me a list of foods she liked.  My job was to recreate them without using the banned foods.  What you see to the left is one such creation, a beef and bean burrito.

The first obstacle was realizing all flour tortillas use bleached flour.  I would have to make this from scratch.  Upon reading what would work...lard (approved) should have worked....but alas, all versions had citric acid.  Unfettered....butter became the "fat" of choice.  I will toot my horn and say they tasted great!  Next I had to figure out a way to make a great sauce.  Tomatoes were out.  Beef stock though, if organic and without the word "spices" would be perfect.  With that block in place, the rest fell into place.  Some basic veggies, dried ancho chili, and some caramelized onions simmered with fresh herbs would season this perfectly.  After and hour of simmering, the contents were pureed...creating a beautiful texture and flavor. 

I added some of the liquid to the ground beef and black beans when it was almost finished cooking.  The finally product tastes amazing.   This challenge is one I welcome and will continue to take head on. It only makes me a stronger chef!