Beef Carpaccio a la Harry's Bar

It took a lot of convincing to get me to try carpaccio, as well as ceviche and sushi -- and today they are all favorites. I'm still a little skittish about raw meat, though, even if it is marinated. I always go to a very good butcher I trust -- Kuby's is my first choice -- and I prepare the dish as soon as possible. Raw food enthusiasts extol the health benefits of uncooked food, but to me it just tastes good!

The sauce below is an adaptation of the one served with the carpaccio at Harry's Bar in Venice, where the dish originated in the 1950s. This sauce is scrumptious -- in my opinion, worth every calorie. But if the sauce seems like too much, the carpaccio is also good with just a squeeze of lemon, or with a balsamic vinaigrette.
You can also eliminate the marinade. The Harry's Bar recipe does not marinate the beef -- I got that from a different recipe. Somehow it seems less raw if it's been marinated.

Carpaccio

1 1/2 pounds fat-free filet of beef (ask the butcher to slice paper thin)

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cognac
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped

Sauce:

2 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin oil
1 cup vegetable oil
2 dashes Tabasco, or to taste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish:

1 tablespoon capers
thinly sliced lemons
chopped parsley

Combine eggs, mustard, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a dash of Tabasco in a blender. Cover and pulse to mix. Turn the blender to medium and let it run while drizzling in the olive oil and then the vegetable oil. Continue to blend until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add Worcestershire and blend 10 more seconds. Taste and add salt if needed.

If you are slicing the beef yourself, partially freeze it and slice with a very sharp knife or preferably an electric knife.
Place each slice of beef between sheets of  waxed paper and pound until almost transparent.
Marinate beef for 4 to 6 hours, turning several times.

To serve, arrange slices of beef in a semi-circle and drizzle with sauce. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with capers and freshly ground black pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Neiman-Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe has been the subject of a long-lasting urban legend. Supposedly a woman was so taken with the chocolate chip cookie at the Neiman-Marcus Zodiac Room that she begged the waiter for the recipe. He told her that there would be a charge of "two-fifty." "Fine," she said. But when she received her bill she was shocked to see the charge was $250, not $2.50. In revenge she mailed the recipe to everyone she knew.

Neiman-Marcus has always denied the story, and to prove it they have the recipe posted on their web site. I've made these several times and they are really good. The espresso powder supposedly intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. I know everyone is watching calories, but for that very reason sometimes it's really special to have a yummy and totally unnecessary sweet treat!

Neiman-Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300.

Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (about 30 seconds). Beat in the egg and vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients and beat into butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds.
Stir in espresso powder and chocolate chips.
Using a 1-ounce scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto greased cookie sheet about three inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2-inch circle.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

The final Easter dinner recycling recipe! The cheat here is that I already have the gyro meat -- the lamb I picked up at a Middle Eastern restaurant for Easter was the meat they use for their gyros. It was delicious, but I have no idea how to reproduce it. I would suggest picking up the meat from a restaurant, as the process they use cannot be duplicated at home. I also got some pita bread from them, so I figured all I need for gyros is a tomato and tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

2 8-ounce containers plain yogurt (or low-fat)
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
3 cloves garlic, peeled

Drain the yogurt in cheesecloth over a bowl in the refrigerator for several hours. When ready to use give the cheesecloth a final squeeze to remove more liquid.

Salt and drain the cucumbers on paper towel for about an hour. When ready to use wipe off any remaining moisture.

In a food processor or blender combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill, and garlic. Process until well combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Gyros

Gyro meat
Pita bread
Tomato, sliced lengthwise
Tzaziki sauce

In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the surface of the pan. Add gyro meat and allow to warm,, tossing every few moments to heat evenly.

Warm the pita bread in the microwave, then slice in half. Stuff each half with gyro meat, tomato slices, and tzatziki sauce.

Easter Continues: Leftovers

I did survive! And so did quite a bit of food. Tonight I've created a nice main dish salad with the remains:

1 leaf Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
tomato slice
marinated asparagus
ham salad
(vinagrette)
(toasted pita bread)

Assemble lettuce, tomato, asparagus, then a mound of ham salad and top with vinaigrette if desired.  Toasted pita on the side.

Easter Stuffed Eggs

Stuffed (or "deviled") eggs are one of the great culinary treats: the richness of the eggs blended with a vast variety of ingredients...herbs, fish, and pickled anything. The only rule is that any addition must be light or subtle enough to allow the egg to shine through. To me, "stuffed" eggs are those with the most subtle flavors - like salmon or curry - while "deviled" eggs are more spicy - stuffed with ham, pickles, even jalapenos, for instance. For Easter this year, I'm doing eggs with smoked salmon, curry, and pickle relish.

Place the eggs in a pot with plenty of water.Bring to a boil. Remove the pot from heat and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a cold water bath -- a bowl of water with a lot of ice. When the eggs are done, scoop them out of the pot with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water. Cool them for at least 15 minutes (longer won't hurt). The purpose of the ice bath is to prevent the unpleasant green or gray ring around the yolk that can sometimes form.

After the eggs have cooled completely, remove the shells. Halve lengthwise and remove the yolks.
At this point, you can (a) mash the yolks and other ingredients with a fork (b) puree the yolks and other ingredients in a blender or food processor, or (c) put yolks and other ingredients through a sieve. This depends partly on what your other ingredients are and what you want from your stuffed eggs. For instance, if you are making what I consider the classic "deviled" eggs -- adding mayonnaise, a dab of French's mustard, and pickle relish -- you would mash with a fork to preserve the integrity of the pickle relish. If you are stuffing with salmon, you might want to blend or sieve some of the salmon into the yolk and then add a strip of salmon on top. Putting it through the sieve would preserve a little more of the distinct flavor and texture of the salmon. Blending would give you a salmon-flavored yolk.

For a really nice presentation, put the stuffing into a piping bag and swirl into the halved whites. Or just scoop into the whites with a spoon. A sprinkling of paprika or cayenne is traditional and gives a nice color contrast and flavor boost. Another topping of some kind is nice, too. Here is what I have planned: fresh dill atop the smoked salmon, a dab of chutney atop the curry, a strip of pimiento atop the pickle relish.