November 10 - Filet Mignon Simplified

Serving filet mignon is the classic way of serving an elegant dinner. But it does not need to be complicated. Freshly ground rock salt and pepper does the trick. Using a wok is one sure way of searing the meat the right way, if you are not opting for grilling or broiling.

I served the filet mignon with simply boiled French fingerling potatoes.

The kick came from the stir fried greens (way too exotic for my kids but the teriyaki-style sauce did the trick).

Filet Mignon

Ingredients

8 oz. filet mignon, pieces

freshly ground rock salt and pepper

12 pieces French fingerling potatoes

6 oz. stir fry greens (may contain Swiss Chard, Rapini Mustards, Kohlrabi, Chicory, Kale, Beet Tops, Amaranth, Bok Choi, Spinach), chopped

6 pieces of think bacon, chopped

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 slices of ginger

Cooking Time (35 minutes)

Pat the meat dry.

Sprinkle a generous amount of freshly ground rock salt and pepper on the meat.

In a large pot, boil the unpeeled potatoes with 2 tsp of salt.

Peel the potatoes before serving.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in a wok.

Set the bacon aside.

Using the oil from the bacon, add the ginger.

Cook the filet mignon in high heat.

Sear the meat on all sides.

For a 1.5" thick meat, sear for 11 minutes for medium rare, 13 minutes for medium and 18 minutes for well done.

Place the filet mignon on serving plates.

Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

In the same wok, cook the greens with the ginger.

Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.

Cook for 10 minutes.

When serving, top the greens with the bacon.

Serve the filet mignon with the potatoes and stir fried greens.

November 4 - Fried Chicken Revisited

Crispy fried chicken is one finger food that needs to be eaten right away to enjoy it. Max's Restaurant became famous with their fried chicken, the Max's fried chicken. What's unique about it is that they use spring chicken and cook the chicken so crispy that you could eat the wing bones.

Most of the chicken here in the U.S are jumbo, so I opted to use Cornish hens since they are about the same size as the ones serve in Max's.



Fried Chicken


Ingredients
2 Cornish hens or spring chickens, less than 1.5 lbs each
1 tbsp freshly ground rock salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled
spring onion (bulb only)
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 ginger, peeled
rosemary springs
48 oz. canola oil for deep frying





Cooking Time (2 hours)
Pat the chickens dry.
Rub the salt and pepper on the chicken.
Mix the garlic, onion, carrot and celery together.
Fill the chicken cavity with the mixture.
Place the chickens and the ginger on a steamer.
Steams the chickens for 30 minutes.
Let the steamed chicken stand for one hour to drain the liquids.
Take out the vegetable mixture out of the chickens.
Heat the oil in a large deep fryer or casserole.

Place the chickens in a single layer.
Fry the chicken for 25 minutes, carefully turning them twice.
Once cooked, let the chickens stand for another 5 minutes before serving.