Beef - It's What's for Dinner
<br /It's hard to teach an old vegetarian new tricks - but it looks like my friends may be the exception to the rule.
A few year's back, my pal Jen Y. transformed from a vigilant vegetarian into a ravenous meat-eater. Over the past year or so, she has regularly put hungry-man men to shame with her ability to polish off platter after platter at all-you-can-eat churrascaria dinners. And, the meat orgy doesn't end there. Jen Y. is also a fan of steakhouses and BBQ joints alike.
To think, she used to be a sprout eater.
Well, now another sprout eating friend has come on board the (ground) chuck wagon! Jenn B. has finally moved beyond the produce aisle (with an occassional sidetrip to seafood) to discover the wonderful world of her local butcher.
I was so enthusiastic about her conversion, that I had no choice: A dinner party was a must-do!
The menu:
*Cheese and Quince Paste with Crackers
*Lyonnaise Sausage
*Kalamata Olives
*Chilled Shrimp Dylan on Mesclun Greens
*Eye Round Roast (pictured above in its magnificent, raw form) with Thyme-Horseradish Cream
*Gorgonzola Macaroni and Cheese
*Greenmarket Heirloom Tomatoes with Fresh Basil
*Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Warm Raspberry Compote
That meal was tasty, if I don't say so myself. So, what the heck is Chilled Shrimp Dylan? - you ask. It's my own creation. Beautiful poached shrimp slathered in a homemade spicy Russian dressing of sorts, generously spiked with dill weed and diced green pepper. A perfect surf lead-in to the turf centerpiece of the evening.
Everything was consumed heartily. And, it lifted my heart to see it. To lift your heart (with the hope that you won't always clog its arteries with heavy fare like the meal described above), here's my recipe for the Thyme-Horseradish Cream that took the roast beef to new heights:
Thyme-Horseradish Cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
3 TBSP. horseradish
2 TBSP. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix ingredients together. Refrigerate and let the flavors meld for at least two hours before serving as an accompaniment to beef.
P.S. If Dr. Biggles doesn't appreciate this posting, I don't know who will!