Smothered Filet Mignon

Smothered Filet Mignon
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients:
4 (6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
seasoned salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups onion slices
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1. Season steaks with seasoned salt and black pepper, and arrange in a single layer in a large baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and rosemary. Pour mixture over filets, and turn to coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes.
2. While you are marinating the meat, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion slices in butter until soft, then stir in sugar. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized. Set aside.
3. Preheat grill for high heat on one side, and medium heat on the other side.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the hot side of the grill, and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. When the steaks are almost done, move to the cooler side of the grill. Top each filet with a quarter of the caramelized onions and blue cheese. Close the lid, and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

Ref: All Recipes

Love, love, LOVE this marinade! The blue cheese crust with a great glass of Pinot Noir was just fantastic. I'm thinking it would be a good marinade for chicken too! Although I did find out a certain someone doesn't like blue cheese afterwards... but did devour the filet mignon regardless... still under investigation if he was being nice or more proof on how much this recipe rocks. :D

Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth

Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
* 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning fish
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning fish
* 2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 pound frozen artichokes, thawed
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the halibut and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Cook the fish on the grill pan until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and artichokes and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and stir, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Ladle the artichoke and tomato broth into shallow bowls. Top with the grilled halibut. Serve immediately.


Ref: The Food Network

This was really different, not what I was expecting but an interesting twist to how I normally cook halibut. I dug it. I knew I was playing with fire though since Mike doesn't like tomatoes, but he's such a good sport with my cooking shinanigans!

Baked Halibut Steaks

Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (6 ounce) halibut steaks
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow baking dish.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir in zucchini, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Remove saucepan from heat and mix in tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Arrange halibut steaks in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Spoon equal amounts of the zucchini mixture over each steak. Top with feta cheese.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Ref: All Recipes

It was decent, it has potential, was a little more bland than I was expecting. Just need to play with seasoning more with this one... maybe breading the halibut may not be a bad idea either.

Halibut Chowder

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1 large onion, finely diced
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 6 cups chicken stock
* 1 (8 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, diced
* 2 large carrots, shredded
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 pounds halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic, and continue cooking until the potatoes have softened slightly, about 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the chicken stock, tomatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and cream, season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the halibut. Continue simmering uncovered until the halibut is flaky and no longer translucent in the center, about 10 minutes. Gently stir in the Cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Ref: Allrecipes


I loved it. Exactly what I was craving. It wasn't as thick as I was expecting like a clam chowder, but it was pointed out to me that calorie wise, it's perfect. The 1/2 cup of heavy cream was the only fattening aspect. I used 1% milk too. And low sodium organic chicken stock. Oh and i left out the red pepper flakes, didn't want it to be too spicy for a certain someone's delicate palate. :D I believe it's just a lovely 190 calories per serving and still delicious. Not too many crazy ingredients makes sure you don't lose the flavor of the halibut. Big fan! Granted that 190 calories doesn't include the delicious extra sourdough bread bowl we used the second night we had this for dinner.... hehe

BBQ Halibut Steaks

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (1 pound) halibut steak

Directions

1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place butter, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Brush fish with brown sugar sauce, and place on grill. Cook for 5 minutes per side, or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork, basting with sauce. Discard remaining basting sauce.

Ref: All Recipes


Just a heads up, it's going to be a halibut recipe marathon. Mike has a ton of halibut just waiting to be cooked up in some fancy schmancy way and I'm more than happy to oblige in helping complete this task of deliciousness. So first up was halibut on the grill, I know, not real exciting but the sauce was! It was really tasty especially if the edges get a little crispy. I definitely recommend marinating it over night. I only did it for an hour but see the potential in a longer marinade time! Oh and the picture is from allrecipes.com. Forgot to take one, oops. :)

Planked Pork Tenderloin with Asian Style BBQ

Ingredients:

* garlic
* fresh ginger
* hoisin sauce
* rice wine vinegar
* brown sugar
* sesame oil
* soy sauce
* red pepper flakes
* 1 pound pork tenderloin
* 1 - 15


Recipe:

Sauce:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce, available in the Asian section of the grocery store
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
Red pepper flakes to taste

Pork:
1 – one pound pork tenderloin, sliver skin removed
1 - 15” Fire and Flavor Cedar or Oak Grilling Plank, soaked

FIRST Combine sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and place over medium heat. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until reduced. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

NEXT Preheat grill to 350°F or medium-low heat. Place pork in a large reseal able plastic bag. Reserving ½ cup of sauce for later use, add remaining sauce to plastic bag, toss gently to coat and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

LAST Remove pork from marinade and discard remaining marinade. Sear pork directly on oil grilled grates for 1 minute on all four sides. Remove from grill and place soaked plank on hot grill. Close lid, allow to heat for 3 minutes, flip plank and place pork onto heated side of plank. Grill with lid closed for 15-20 minutes, or until pork reaches 145 degrees. Remove pork and plank from grill. Tent pork loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve with reserved sauce.

Ref: www.fireandflavor.com
Photo: google images... forgot to take a pic of mine. :(


This sauce was awesome! And very versatile for other dishes too! Was worried about only marinating for 20-30 min but it was actually perfect. I think the sauce would have been TOO much if I let it go longer than that. (Generally I like to marinate over night, but that's a lot of pre-planning that I just don't do...hehe) And once again the cedar planks did not disappoint. However...ahem. Should probably soak for longer and not heat them on the grill on high.... as we learned the hard way... hahahaha

Ginger Scallops

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 pounds scallops
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. In a medium skillet saute the green onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter. Stir in the carrots and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the ginger and the wine. Once hot add the cream, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, over high heat until the sauce is reduced by half.

2. Stir in the scallops and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining butter and stir until melted. Serve.

Ref: www.allrecipes.com


Delicious!! The flavors of the butter, wine, green onions and fresh ginger melt together! I will admit I was completely freaked out with the thought of cooking scallops. Never done it before and was worried I'd over cook them and end up with little rubber tires in a great sauce. I'm definitely glad I took the advice of other reviewers and seared the scallops on each side for 1 minute in a separate pan with a little extra virgin olive oil before mixing it into the sauce for an additional minute. I don't think the minute alone in the sauce as stated above would have cooked the scallops enough. So crazy how things turn out when I read and follow directions!! What a concept! :D And the best part about this recipe was how easy it was to make! I know, shocked again about how something so easy can be so yummy!