Current Cookbook - The New Steak

THE NEW STEAK - Recipes for a Range of Cuts plus Savory Sides - by Cree LeFavour

This cookbook has a copyright of 2008. I got this book from my Mom for my birthday this past May. I have not cooked from this before.

I like steak. Pretty much any kind. If I go to a restaurant I'm going to order a steak dish before I order fish or pasta. If you put an elaborate chicken dish in front of me along with just a nice, plain, dry aged, medium rare rib eye...yep, I'd pick the steak. So when I saw this cook book I knew it had to have a place in my collection.

The book starts out with a section on "Steak Basics" where I found a very liberating sentence..."Please don't meticulously measure every little item I call for". Who is this woman and I love her already for letting me be more of a pot cook than a knife cook. The basics also gives some wonderful information on cuts of beef (their different names for the same cut, how to best cook it etc.), what to look for in buying different types (wet or dry aged), cooking and handling (charcoal, gas, pan frying, doneness). There is also a section on kitchen essentials (from meat thermometer to hot sauce). The chapters with recipes are divided into American, Bistro, Latin and Far East. Each steak recipe comes with a recipe for a side or two (usually a starch and a vegetable). Not all the steak recipes have photos (maybe a fourth do) and there are a couple of photos of some of the side dishes.

I pretty much want to try every steak recipe in this book: Sherry-Chanterelle Sauce over Hanger Steak, Strip Steak with Tequila-Avocado Sauce, Tamarind-Marinated Flank Steak. Though sometimes it seemed like a lot of ingredients just to cook a steak, recipes seemed easy. Most steaks come with a sauce or seasonings, some are stuffed, some cut into strips. There are recipes for expensive filet mignons and for cheaper flank. Even some of the sides look good: Gingered Squash, Mango Salad, Robinson Bar Potatoess. I'm definitely going to be looking to this book the next time I'm looked to cook a steak!

Comments

[Emiline]

The recipes sound very good. Hope it works for you.

I went to Outback the other night, and it was terrible! The steak was so chewy. And the salad was drowning in dressing. So I hate Outback now.

[Matt]

Ohhh, I usually love Outback. Sorry to hear you had a bad meal. I hope it was a one-time situation.

I am a big steak lover. I may have to borrow this one some day. :-)