Steak, Spring Risotto, and Chocolate Souffles

  Tonight Jake and I made dinner for my sister and her family. Jake was suppose to make this last night for Valentine's Day, but he had to play, with the band, at the basketball game. We do this every Valentine's Day. I let Jake pick the menu. I know all of this sounds expensive but really it wasn't, we fed 8 people. The ribeyes were the most expensive, I paid $30 for 4 steaks, but if you break it down, we split 4 steaks in 1/2 to make 8, so that was $3.00 a person. The risotto was pretty cheap, I took 1 bag of brown rice (I had bought 3 bags for $1.00 a while ago, the chicken stock was also 3 cans for $1.00,  the asparagus was $1.99, leek was $1.50, and finally we had the white wine in the fridge. The chocolate for the souffle was $0.99 a bar (baking chocolate) and we used 2 bars.

 I will start with the steak, I cut the steaks in 1/2, patted them dry, salted and peppered both sides, drizzled them with olive oil, and seared them in a hot cast iron skillet. Then let them sit for 5 minutes before serving. I also made a herbed butter to go with the steaks, I took butter, mixed some grated garlic, some chopped fresh oregano, basil, chives, and thyme. I placed it in a freezer bag and rolled it up, then placed it in the freezer to firm it up.

 For the risotto, I suggest prepping the veggies, 1 large leek(you can sub green onions, or spring onions), chop it up into small pieces, 3 to 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 bunch of asparagus, thinly sliced at an angle. Next Jake, combined 4 cups of chicken stock, 1 large pinch of saffron (we have had a container of this for a year now), and 2 cups of water. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. In a round bottomed pan heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat, add the white part of the leek, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, stir for 2 to 3 minutes, add the rice and stir a minute or two, add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed into the rice. Next begin adding the stock 1 ladle full at a time. With each addition of stock. stir the rice vigorously to build up the starch, do not add more stock until most of the last liquid is absorbed. The rice will be al dente after 18 minutes. Next begin preparing the asparagus in a separate skillet 2 to 3 minutes before risotto is done. Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the asparagus and lightly brown it, season it with the juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper. Finish the risotto by stirring in 3 tbs butter, the leeks, 1/2 the asparagus, and a handful of grated parm. Garnish with the rest of the asparagus. This took a long time to cook, but Jake did an amazing job!

Next Jake and Dakota made yummy souffles with a blueberry sauce. Here is the following recipe that Jake always uses, but he did a different sauce this time.

ingredients:

Chocolate Soufflés:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch salt
Pinch cream of tartar

Raspberry Sauce:
5 ounces fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Powdered sugar, for garnish

directions:

Chocolate Souffles:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease two 8-ounce ramekins. Coat the ramekins with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla and egg yolks, one at a time.

In a clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate. Spoon into the prepared ramekins. Soufflés can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day.

Bake until puffed and set, about 20 minutes (25 minutes if baking directly from the refrigerator).

Raspberry Sauce:
While the souffles are baking, purée the raspberries and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender, until smooth. Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.

Garnish the chocolate souffles with powdered sugar and serve immediately with raspberry sauce. 

Here is the blueberry sauce he made.  2 cups blueberry (he used frozen) 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs cold water, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and the zest of 1 lemon. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup water, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tbs of cold water. Slowly stir the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the berries. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla and lemon zest.

This was one amazing meal!!