CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Contender

Well, tonight’s dinner is the leading contender for the overall winner. It was DELICIOUS.



Beef Tenderloin with Mustard and Herbs

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 ½ pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed (ask the butcher s/he will do this)
  • Olive oil (as needed, approximately 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preparation

  1. Prepare grill. You want a HOT grill, 450° or so.
  2. Lightly coat beef with olive oil; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Reduce heat to medium, about 350°. Grill 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145° or until desired degree of doneness, turning to brown on all sides. Let beef stand 10 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle parsley, thyme, and rosemary in an even layer on an 18 x 15–inch sheet of plastic wrap. Brush mustard evenly over beef. Place beef in herb mixture on plastic wrap; roll beef over herbs, pressing gently. Slice beef.



Ravioli with Spinach

Ingredients

1 pound cheese ravioli (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (heat a skillet to hot, stir nuts quickly for 1 minute or less)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

2 bunches fresh spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)

kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain and divide among bowls.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the mixture over the ravioli.


And dessert, easy, delicious, sweet ..



Lemonade IcedTea Sorbet

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

4 regular-sized English Breakfast tea bags

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1 cup ice water

Mint sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine 2 cups boiling water and tea bags in a large bowl; steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add sugar to tea mixture, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Stir in juice and 1 cup ice water; chill 1 hour.

2. Pour tea mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Rating: This rated a 9.7. Flavors danced lightly on the tongue. The tenderloin was tender and PERFECTLY seasoned—no one added salt or pepper to their plate. The ravioli dish was garlicky, crunchy (pine nuts) and creamy (cheese in the pasta). This dish could be a main dish with some crumbled bacon or left-over grilled chicken. The sorbet, what can I say. The addition of this 78 calorie dessert was GENIUS. Sweet and tart, light and satisfying. Brilliant

Note: Timing in the preparation can be tricky. Don’t be tempted to cook the ravioli before the meat is cooked. The water can be boiling, but put the pasta in when the meat comes off the grill.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks and sounds delicious. Pete