Steak Night

If there's one thing my husband Christian and I can easily agree to, it is steak night. It's easy for me and for him, something to look forward to at the end of a long week. The guys at The Meathook cut this gorgeous 1.5" 1.4 lb ribeye for just for me. And after salting the hell out of it (and a little pepper), I seared it in a cast iron skillet for about 4 minutes on each side for a lusciously crispy fatty rare goodness.

It's important to mention that the meat was from a local farmer who uses humane and healthy practices. We agreed that this greatly impacted the beefy flavor, which was almost gamey - in just the best way you could imagine. Buy local grass-fed, grain finished if you can.

While the meat rested, I threw together a light salad of arugula, heirloom tomato, watermelon, feta and red onion. It's dressed with nothing more than lime and a basil-mint oil I made earlier in the day. Christian loved every bite!

for Basil-Mint Oil:

Throw a handfull of basil and a handful of mint and 1 small clove of garlic into your processor and pulse together with about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Press through a strainer so only the oil remains. Salt to your liking and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Best Summer Gin and Juice

Muddle 1 lemon, handful of mint and 1 tbls raw sugar in a shaker. Add 1 oz Cointreau, 2 oz Gin and 3 tbls macerated strawberries and freshly grated ginger. Shake until frosty cold. Pour over ice into 2 tumblers. Top off with Orangina. Give a light stir, garnish with mint and enjoy on a hot summer day.

My little Champions League Final watching party invention. Perfect!

Gingerbread Pancakes

My first encounter with these little darlings was at Magnolia Cafe in Austin, TX. Texas Monthly published the recipe a few years ago and I discovered that one of the secret ingredients was coffee. So I added a little espresso powder to my batter. It was fantastic!

Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup Buckwheat Pancake Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Espresso Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 tbls Honey
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk

Combine all and fry up on the griddle. If you wanted to cook them in just a little bacon fat (I used pancetta because it was in the fridge), the added flavor is a crowd pleaser. Just be sure to cut it with a little unflavored oil like safflower or vegetable.

They were very pleased to be complemented by some strawberries tossed with fresh mint and grated fresh ginger, a squeeze of lemon and just a little maple syrup.

Serve all with butter, maple syrup and the bacon, of course.