For Richie and Shira’s rehearsal dinner we ran this dish as a passed app and the feedback was awesome.  Joel asked me for the recipe which I’ve approximated and written below for him (and also for you!).   Try it out.  I’d love to hear some feedback.

Pepper-Mint Seared Beef

To get started you’ll need:

• 1 whole center cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
• 1-2 bunches of fresh mint, picked and cleaned
• 1-2 semi ripe mangoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced long ways (about 1/8 inch think)
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

Take you beef tenderloin and place it on its side, imagining a triangle shape. Slice that triangle right down the middle splitting the loin evenly, now take 2/3 of your mint and finely chop it, put aside. Rub the sea salt, black pepper, and mint into the beef until it’s evenly coated.  Wrap beef in plastic and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.  Peel and slice your mangoes just before searing…..

Before searing allow beef to come up to room temperature.  While you wait make your sauce.

Thai drizzle

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 rice wine vinegar
• 3 T brown or palm sugar
• 1 T green curry paste
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger or galangal, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Thai chile paste (to taste)

Put everything in the blender and blend for a couple of minutes, taste and adjust seasoning.

Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle for easy handling.

Now heat up a large skillet to searing temperature (when you see a bit of smoke coming off of it) with a little bit of grape seed (or light olive) oil.

Sear your beef for a minute or two on each side, depending on how rare you like it.  Be sure to hit it with a couple squirts of your sauce while its in the pan searing.

Remove beef from the pan and let rest until cool enough to handle.  Then slice on a bias, with a very sharp knife, to about 1/8 inch thick sliced.

Now thread beef onto half sized, presoaked bamboo skewers, placing a piece of fresh mint and mango between each slice of beef.  I usually use about 2-3 slices of each per skewer.

Place into a shallow baking pan and Drizzle sauce on top until each piece has been coated.  Place on a serving tray and serve immediately.

To serve as a main, skip the skewers, toss the beef, mango and mint into a bowl with some sliced green onion and chopped peanut, coat with sauce and serve as a salad or with a scoop (or two) of coconut rice.

Provecho!

So here’s a new one I’m loving.

I’ve kind of got a thing for star anise.  It’s got a warm and tropical flavour I can always find a home for in my dishes.

Lately I’ve been playing with a Blue Ginger inspired combination with jumbo prawns (lobster too!).

First you’ll new about 2 lbs. of Jumbo prawns/shrimp (same thing).

Peel and devein them but leave on the tail bit, and save the shells for making your stock!

Next your you’ll need to toast up about 1 tsp. each: star anise (seeds only), dried pepper, pink peppercorns.  Grind those up ind a spice grinder or dry blender and and sprinkle it all over your prawns.  rub it in evenly and set them in your fridge for now.

Now your need about 2 quart of fresh carrot juice (I like to put in a nice chunk of ginger when juicing) and 4-6 star anise.  bring that to a boil and simmer until reduced to about 1 cup, remove anise.  Add that to 1 cup of prawn of lobster stock and further reduce to one cup.

Now bring a large skillet to searing heat with about 1 T grapeseed oil.   Sprinkle your prawns with sea salt and (no more than 10 at a time to avoid crowding the pan) begin searing off for about 1 minute on each side.  Set your prawns aside and deglaze your pan with some sake or white wine, then add half your reduction, a splash of rice wine vinegar, and 1 T of butter (if your feeling dangerous).   Once your sauce has begun to thinken return the prawns to the pan just for a minute or so until they’re warm and serve them right away.

I like them plated over an avocado puree or salad.  With the additional sauce strained and served over top .  A little spring onion and cilantro never hurts either….

This is a work in progress that I’m loving so feel free to try it out and send me some feedback.

Provecho!