Food Fans

Last night it was my turn to cook, after a week where poor John even had to cook his own birthday dinner and all of us (Henry is home for the week for spring break!) were too tired to eat it. So there was this big fat rib eye and way more bok choy in the frig than you'd really imagine we could eat. I dibs cooking for the night, and told the menage that there would be beef and bok choy for dinner. They looked thrilled.

So I got home, and first of all rinsed a cup of quinoa, diced a 1/2 cup of onions and sautéed them in butter, put in the grains, and added a cup of water. To the boil covered, and then on low for the durations. Little salt in there too.

Then I dealt with the massive bok choy pile. I love roasting vegetables, so put the oven on 450, pulled the bok choy apart and washed, doused it in garlic and olive oil, little salt & pepper, and arranged it decoratively (all the stems at one side, all the leaves at the other) in a shallow roasting pan. Mixed up a little lemon zest, lemon juice, mirin, tarragon in a bowl and set that all aside.
Made the fruit plate: A beautiful d'anjou pear (usually I don't like those, but these are sweet and buttery in texture. very nice), two kiwis and a blood orange, all carefully sliced into half-moons and arranged decoratively in a fan shape around the plate. Very nice.
Took out the steak, rubbed well with fresh black pepper and kosher salt, and into a hot pan, fat side first to get some of the beef fat to fry it in (I'm sure it is endorsed by your heart doctor), and then seared on each side. Popped it into the oven to finish, and put the bok choy in too. About three minutes into this, turned the bok choy over in the pan to evenly cook. About three minutes later, pull everything out of the oven. Pour the reserved lemon mix over the bok choy. Take the steak out of its pan to rest, and put the pan on high heat with a good splash of red wine, a dollop of mustard, and a dollop of butter.
Make sure the bok choy is still nicely arranged, and put it on the table.
Slice the steak thinly, as for London Broil, and fan it nicely on the serving platter.
Shake up the sauce, and napé the steak fan.

A whole table of food fans.

Woop Woop (Australian Shiraz)