Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

This recipe is from the 2008 Summer Grilling & Entertaining edition of Cooks Illustrated. I love this publication. I always use a lot of the recipes and they explain how and why they came up with it.

In this article I learned that using a bottle of Italian dressing as a marinade for steak is bad because the acid in the vinegar ruins the texture of the meat. This marinade is just as flavorful, if not more, and the steak was very, very tender. And I'm new to grilling.

I couldn't believe how flavorful this steak was. It really didn't need any steak sauce or other embellishment. You could make up your own rub recipe using a different fresh herb very easily.

I used the food processor to make the rub starting with the garlic, shallots, herbs, then olive oil.

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

1 whole flank steak, about 2 lbs.
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Garlic-Shallot-Rosemary Wet Paste Marinade
6 TBLS olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced (2 TBLS)
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 TBLS)
2 TBLS minced fresh rosemary leaves

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth, scraping down blender jar as needed.

1. Prick steak using dinner fork about 20 times on each side. Rub both sides of steak evenly with salt and then with paste. Cover with plastic wrap an refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Heat grill to high heat.
   
3. using paper towels, wipe paste off steak; season both sides with pepper. Grill steak directly over heat until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip steak; grill until second side is well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using paring knife make a small cut into thickest part of meat; if meat is slightly less done than desired, transfer steak to cutting board (Meat will continue to cook as it rests). If steak is significantly underdone, position so that thinner side is over cooler side of the grill and thicker side is over hot side; continue to cook until thickest part is slightly less done than desired, then transfer steak to cutting board.
   
4. Loosely tent steak with foil; let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Using sharp chef's knife or carving knife, slice steak about 1/4 inch thick against grain and on bias. Serve immediately.

Fish Tacos...a skeptic no more!

It's true, I've always been skeptical of fish tacos. I just didn't buy it. However, I have been eating more fish over the past couple of years, and "making fish tacos" has been on my mental "to do" list for a while now. I finally went for it when my favorite cooking magazine featured a recipe for fish tacos this month. Tim and I made them on Friday night and loved them. Like LOVED them. I think I could eat them for every meal for three days and still love them. Tilapia is a very mild fish and there are so many flavors going on in these tacos, that you might be able to trick people into thinking it isn't fish.

Fish Tacos with Cabbage and Lime
(from Everyday Food Mag)



1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, half finely zested and juiced, half cut into wedges
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
12 corn tortillas
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 small white onion, finely chopped

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack in highest position. Pat fish dry with paper towels and gently coat with oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until fish is browned on top and flesh is opaque throughout, 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, lime zest and juice, and a few dashes hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Toast corn tortillas over a kitchen burner using tongs or wrap in parchment-lined foil and heat in oven, 5 minutes. Divide fish evenly among tortillas and top with cabbage, cilantro, and onion. Serve with lime sour cream and lime wedges.

Cami's notes: I forgot to add the onion...oops. I grilled the tilapia then shredded it, which made it nice and crispy on the outside. I used small flour tortillas because Tim isn't a huge fan of corn tortillas and I decided to be nice. We also grilled the tortillas quickly. I had avocado and some canned pineapple in the fridge, so I combined them to make a salsa-type thingy. Very yummy.

Micah's 32nd Birthday Celebration

I didn't take a picture! Not a single one. But I did make a felt party garland like the one pictured here. It was very festive.

Image courtesy of The Purl Bee

We decided to have a dinner party sans children to celebrate Micah's birthday. We kept it intimate-big. There ended up being about 30 of us for a full adults only sit down dinner. I've been excited to make a record of the menu and share the recipes here.

Here's what you can expect to read about soon:

Appetizers:
Baked Brie with Honey Glaze
"Cheeses of the World"
Pepper Jelly Cracker Spread
Fruit with Heath Bar Fruit Dip
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple and Shrimp

Dinner:
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
Grilled Brats
German Potato Salad
Watercress Beet Salad
BLT Creamy Vinaigrette Salad
Roasted Carrots
Sour Dough Toast

Dessert: Home Made Pie and Ice Cream!
Cherry Pie - Micah's favorite
Blueberry Pie - My favortie
Key Lime Pie - A new family favorite
Cheesecake (not home made, from Costco)