Goat Cheese & Thyme Souffle

 So this is Foodbuzz competition seems to be going pretty well for me.  I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know what I mean?  It seems pretty crazy that I made it to the third round.  I hope this good fortune keeps up!
This is one of the dishes from the dinner party challenge.  I’ve only ever made souffle once before, so I was crossing my fingers that this one would turn out well.  Souffle is not difficult, it’s just delicate.  It needs to be served ASAP, so it’s a little nerve-wracking if you have guests arriving.  You don’t want it to be done too early, or make them wait.  I put these souffles in about 10 minutes before the scheduled arrival time and somehow it worked out right on schedule.  They actually came out a little darker than I wanted- I forgot to adjust the time for the smaller dishes (see the note below).
Timing mishap aside, the dish was well-received and delicious, if you ask me!  The goat cheese was delicate but not absent, and the thyme was light and fragrant.  I would definitely make this again in the larger size as a full dinner at home.  I served it with a simple salad of arugula and radicchio, dressed with a lemon balsamic vinaigrette (3 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic, 1 part fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste).  The crouton on top is just a thinly sliced baguette, spread with butter, and broiled until golden brown.
Simple luxury, people.  That’s what it’s all about!
(It’s also about voting for Challenge #3 if you haven’t yet. 🙂 )

Goat Cheese & Thyme Souffle
Food & Wine

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
3 1/2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, separated, plus 3 large egg whites
1/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a 1-quart soufflé dish. Add the Parmesan and turn the dish to coat it with the cheese. 2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until blended. Whisk in the milk, wine, mustard and anchovy paste and cook, whisking, until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese and 1 teaspoon of the thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the egg yolks. Scrape the soufflé mixture into a large bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.  

In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the beaten whites into the soufflé mixture; fold in the remaining whites until just a few streaks remain.

Gently scrape the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with the Cheddar, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and some pepper. Bake the soufflé in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until nicely risen and browned on top. Serve at once with a green salad.

*The soufflé can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight. Bring the mixture to room temperature before proceeding.

**You can also prepare this rich and comforting soufflé in two 2-cup ramekins, or 8 4oz ramekins.  Be sure to reduce the cooking time slightly- cook about 15 minutes for 4oz ramekins, closer to 20 for 2 cup ramekins.

Don’t forget to enter the Food & Wine giveaway!
FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Oven LoveClick here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD &WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

Double Apple Bundt Cake

 Today’s TWD pick, courtesy of Lynne at Honey Muffin, is the ol’ Double Apple Bundt Cake.  It’s called double apple because the recipe includes both grated apples and apple butter.  Let me just say- I was amazed to find apple butter in the commissary.  I was under some delusion that apple butter only existed in Lancaster County, PA, handmade by the finest apron-clad Amish and Mennonite women or at the Masonic Village on Autumn Day.  But it appears you can buy it anywhere!  Figures.  Classic Natalie.

This bundt definitely has the fall flavors covered- apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger- with some nuts and raisins added in as well.  Mine didn’t come out of the mold looking as pretty as I’d hoped, so I whipped up a quick cinnamon glaze to spread on top (a few tbs heavy cream, maybe a cup of powdered sugar, a dash of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla). 

After a little taste and the gorgeous weather, I am full-on ready for fall.  This bundt has also got me wishing and hoping that my girl, Miss Mary, will give us another month full of bundts this year!  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let’s just say I like Big Bundts.

 Thanks for the great pick, Lynne!
 (I’ll be shoving this out the door with the hubs in the morning so I won’t be shoving it in my mouth.)

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.

Opa! Greek Festivals 101

I’ve always had a fascination with Greece.  Greek food, culture, all of it.  There’s something about all that blue and white that makes me want to get to the shores of Greece ASAP.  We almost went last year, but ended up in Italy instead.  Forget France– I’m going to Greece if I win PFB!
 
This weekend, we hit up the Central GA Greek Festival and I was reminded about how much I love Greek food.  I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites so you can navigate your local festival like a pro.
First, the savory stuff.  My favorite Greek classic is pastitsio, a lasagna-type dish with beef and a sweet cream sauce.  Since I tasted it again this weekend, I’m dying to find a recipe and replicate it at home.
The hubs picked souvlaki, or grilled chicken kebabs.  That man sure loves his grilled meats.  Who can blame him?  They smelled amazing as we walked into the festival.
 
Other classic savory dishes to look out for:
Spanakopita (spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo dough)
Dolmades (ground beef and rice in grape leaves)
Gyro (a pita sandwich, usually filled with a mix of beef and lamb, veggies and Tzadziki sauce)
On to the desserts!
At past Greek fests, I went straight to the baklava and forgot the rest.  But this time I tried a few extra treats.  Baklava, honey and nuts layered in phyllo dough, is the most popular Greek pastry.  We tried finikia (honey dipped spice cookies) and kataifi (shredded phyllo dough filled with nuts), too, and I have to say, the finikia was my favorite!  I loved the texture of the cookie- it seemed like it would be dry, but it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. 

Other desserts you might run into:
Koulourakia (braided butter cookies)
Kourambiede (powdered sugar dusted cookies)
Karithopita (moist spice cake in syrup)
Loukomades (Greek-style doughnuts with honey and cinnamon)
The drinks are fun, too!  You’ll usually run into some imported Greek beers and maybe some Ouzo, an anise-flavored liquor.  We found this little gem at the festival- Ouzo-flavored soda!

Someone was pretty into the soda bottle, if you can’t tell.
It was so good to get a taste of Greece again.  If I’ve given you an appetite, too, here are some Greek F&W recipes to try:
Greek Baked Pasta (Pastitsio)
Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki
Spanakopita
Bacon Baklava (umm.. what??? I need to make this!)
Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts
If you’ve got a great Greek recipe, please share!  I’d love to try it out.  I really hope I get to Greece some day, but for now, Greek festivals and daydreams will have to do!
Don’t forget to enter the Food & Wine giveaway!
FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Oven LoveClick here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

Womp, Womp.

Remember when I told you about French Fridays with Dorie, the new TWD spin-off group?
 Well, yesterday was opening day for FFWD, and the first recipe was for Gougeres, those tasty little French cheese puffs.  I would have loved to make (and eat!) these, but I was wrapped up in my Project Food Blog bubble and forgot all about it.  By the time I remembered, I was already prepping for my dinner party challenge and couldn’t think about adding another recipe to the mix.
I am still tickled to be starting this new group, and I’m on board for Gerard’s Mustard Tart this Friday.  Check out all of the yummy-looking gougeres from the FFWD cooks and bakers.  I’ll get around to them soon enough, and when I do, it’s gonna be like Gougeresville up in here!

Luxe Made Easy: A French-Inspired Dinner for 8 [PFB Challenge #3]

We made it to the next round of PFB!  We’re now down to just 200 bloggers.  What better way to celebrate than invite six people over, stress all week about the menu, and go crazy cooking and cleaning all day?  Someone pass the wine already!
The challenge was to host a luxury dinner party.  To me, luxury is high quality ingredients, simply presented, but prepared in an interesting way.  So I set out to plan a menu that reflected that, and I ended up with a bit of a French twist.  French stuff always sounds fancy-schmancy to me.  I’ve really got to get to Paris one of these days.  Maybe that’s what I’ll do with my 10 grand.. stuff my face with croissants and macarons while wearing a beret and posing in front of the Eiffel Tower (really, I haven’t thought about it at all).
This was our first dinner party in our new house.  Actually, it was probably our first real dinner party ever.  I wanted to present some new tastes, but keep it classic enough that everyone would enjoy it and no one would be awkwardly picking at food they didn’t like.  I picked beef instead of fish [thank goodness, we had a few fish-haters at the table, ha!] for just that reason.
Here’s a peek at my menu:

the courses.
first: Goat Cheese and Thyme Souffle, Salad of Arugula, Radicchio and Shaved Parmesan
second: Braised Beef Short Ribs, Puree of Celery Root and Yukon Gold Potato, Red Wine Reduction
third: Dark Chocolate Pots de Creme, Whipped Sweet Cream, Fresh Raspberries
In my opinion, you know you had a good meal if the pictures get progressively worse- that means you were having so much fun that you didn’t care about documenting it!  If it weren’t for the challenge, I don’t think I would have snapped a single photo, and that makes me so happy!
Here’s a little secret: recipes that sound fancy usually aren’t that hard to make.  It’s all in how you describe things.  Example A: I could have written ‘chocolate custard’ on the menu, but I wrote ‘dark chocolate pots de creme’ instead.  Easy to do, fancy pay-off.  Your guests will be impressed before the food even reaches the table.
I’m no Martha (in my dreams), but here are a few tips to help you go luxe:
don’t stress about setting the perfect table.  Chances are, if you’re trying to go luxe, you’ll have your hands full with the food.  Give yourself a break and go easy on the decor.  Use simple, classic dinnerware and the food will take center stage.
choose simple centerpieces.  Produce is always easy, less expensive than flowers, and you can use it afterwards.  Who’s coming over for lemonade this week?
pick recipes that you can make ahead.  in my opinion, this is key!  You don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen while everyone is having fun.  Do just enough that all you have to do is plate the food.  In this menu, the souffle, the short ribs and the dessert were all make-ahead items- it made all the difference when it came time to serve the meal.
be mindful when it comes to drink options.  Not everyone likes wine with dinner, so keep other beverages on hand so no one goes thirsty.
relax.  After all your hard work, make sure you actually enjoy the party!
This party was a smashing success and tons of fun.  Thank you, PFB, for getting me off my tush and finally inviting some people over!  Now I’ve got the entertaining bug.
Voting for this challenge is open October 4th at 9AM ET until October 7th at 9PM ET.  As usual, I pinkie promise to remind you about voting (even though I’m sure it’s getting old, “vote for me, blah blah blah”) and swear on my overabundance of lemons that I will throw you an even fancier dinner party if I win.  Try me.

PB&J Ice Cream

When I was in school, everybody used to always say high school and college were so great and that I would really miss them when they were over.  I was like, “Yeah, right.  I’m super cool and grown-up and I’m ready for the real world.  You don’t know what you’re talking about.  Seriously, I’m like a grown-up already.” 
Flash forward a few years to me, sitting at home with my baby, reading Facebook statuses (like me!) about kids going back to school and there I was, getting nostalgic.  Ugh, someone pass the tissues.  Everybody-1, Natalie-0.  I guess I just have to wait a few years until I can live vicariously through my kids, right?  (Kidding!)
This treat is in honor of back-to-school.  A little late, yes, but still relevant!  I L-O-V-E love PB&J.  Love it.  Love it in all forms.  I especially love a cold PB&J.  (I’ve been known to steal cold PB&Js, so keep yours close, pal.)  A delicious cold PB&J is what inspired this ice cream.  Wouldn’t this be the best after-school snack?


You will be the coolest parent if you welcome your kids with this treat after school.  But not every day, because I don’t think getting your kids addicted to sugar makes you a very cool parent.  But I do support occasional treats.  Life is just a little happier with PB&J, you know?
PS- Just had a genius idea: this would make a great ice cream sandwich, between two PB cookies!  I must make one ASAP.  It could be the snack of my dreams.
PB&J Ice Cream
Oven Love

-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
-2 tablespoons light corn syrup
-1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
-your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe (I use Dorie’s.  Recipe posted here, or you can find it in Baking From My Home to Yours.)
-your favorite jam or jelly (I used grape here)

Make peanut butter sauce. Combine the peanut butter, 1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and the 1/4 cup of brown sugar in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Chill thoroughly.

Prepare the vanilla ice cream in your ice cream maker.  In a freezer-safe container, layer the vanilla ice cream with spoonfuls of peanut butter sauce and jam.  Swirl with a knife or a skewer, and repeat another layer or two of ice cream, peanut butter sauce and jam.  Top with a final layer of ice cream and swirl.  Freeze until firm.

Pappa al Pomodoro (Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup)

Ahh, Tuscany.. don’t you wish you were Italian?

Pappa al Pomodoro is a traditional Tuscan tomato and bread-based soup.  This dish makes me nostalgic for Italy, especially since this time last year, the hubs and I were galavanting all over that magical place.  We had the most delicious pappa al pomodoro at a place called Paoli Ristorante in Florence.. go there if you ever get the chance.

I love this soup for its body (how superficial of me).  Mixing the bread into the soup gives it that extra oomph that thinner tomato soups (a certain red can?) can’t match.  It’s great for cooler weather when you need something that will stick to your bones, but isn’t too rich or fatty.

And, lucky for us, Food&Wine has a recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro, too!  Just in case you don’t like this version, but you’d be crazy not to.  There are lots of variations out there, but the main idea is the same- tomatoes + bread.  It will blow your pants off.

Okay, maybe it won’t blow your pants off, but it will make for a tasty fall lunch.  Close enough.

 Pappa al Pomodoro (Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup)
 adapted from Feast and Fotos and Anne Burrell
1 large red onion, diced
large pinch red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup white wine
2 pounds ripe, summer tomatoes, diced
20 basil leaves, 15 whole and 5 cut into chiffonade
1 can tomato juice (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
1 1/2 – 2 cups day old whole wheat bread, crusts removed and cubed
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan, if you prefer)
Extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Coat a large wide pot with olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and red pepper and cook until soft, approximately 8 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Toss in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until it has reduced by half.  Stir in the tomatoes and basil leaves, add a bit more salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes break down and get very soft, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Use an immersion blender and puree the tomato mixture.  Add the tomato juice, milk/cream and the bread cubes.  Continue to cook the soup for another 15-20 minutes, allowing the bread to break down.  Use the immersion blender and puree the soup again, further breaking up the softened bread and incorporating it fully into the soup.  If you would rather have chunks of bread in the soup you can go easy on the pureeing.
Taste the soup and add more salt and/or pepper if necessary.  Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh basil and sprinkle with as much grated cheese as you like.  Lastly, drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the soup and serve.

Don’t forget to enter the Food & Wine giveaway!
FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Oven LoveClick here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

Classic Kung Pao Chicken [PFB Challenge #2]


Thanks to all of you hardworking voters (I’ll assume you’ve done your homework!), I’ve made it to the next challenge in Project Food Blog!  Challenge #2 is up next, and it’s all about the classics.  You already know I love taking classics and reinventing them, but the challenge this time was to refrain from reinvention and seek out tradition in a cuisine I’m not familiar with.  (Talk about options!)

For me, Asian cuisine is a huge section of world cuisine that I generally leave untouched.  Maybe it’s the unusual ingredients or the intricate techniques.  I’ve made a few take-out knock offs (sesame chicken, beef and broccoli), but for some reason, Asian cuisine seems out of my reach. 

As luck would have it, my brother and sister-in-law love Asian cooking.  As soon as I mentioned I might go Asian for this challenge, they loaded me up with cookbooks and my search for a classic began.  After a few hours (read: days) of being paralyzed by choice, I arrived at Kung Pao Chicken. 
To be honest, I’ve never even eaten Kung Pao Chicken.  It’s not something I’d ever pick on a Chinese menu (give me some Wonton Soup and I’m golden).  Needless to say, it’s more than a little out of my comfort zone.

 The recipe I used is from Ken Hom’s Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood.  It’s not a cookbook I would have picked up on my own, but now I’m hoarding it and might accidentally “forget” to give it back.  Hom introduces his recipe for Kung Pao as “the closest recipe to the original.”  Sold!  Let’s do this.
I was surprised at how simple the cooking process was.  Gathering ingredients and preparing them was what took up most of my time with this dish.  The chicken is quickly cooked in a wok over very high heat, so there isn’t a big time commitment involved and it’s table-ready in just a few minutes.  Just make sure all your ingredients are prepped and at the ready.  This would be a great weeknight dish if you keep the right ingredients on hand in your pantry.

This dish was part of a greater Asian feast with my family, including Gyoza Panfried Dumplings and Steamed Sponge Cake (mostly because I couldn’t decide what to blog).  I really enjoyed diving into the Asian cooking world, and thanks to this challenge, I’m no longer afraid to tackle Asian dishes.
Voting for the second challenge will be open 9AM ET September 27th through 9PM ET September 30th.  I’ll make you some Kung Pao if you vote, I swear!  Pinkie promise.

Classic Kung Pao Chicken
from Easy Family Recipes From a Chinese-American Childhood by Ken Hom

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons corn starch

2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 dried red chilies, split lengthwise
1/4 cup shelled raw peanuts
1 tablespoon finely sliced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoons Chinese black rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.  Mix the chicken thoroughly with the egg white, salt, sesame oil and cornstarch.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the chicken pieces, stirring vigorously to keep them from sticking.  When the chicken pieces turn white, in about 2 minutes, quickly drain the chicken and all of the water in a stainless-steel colander set in a bowl.

Heat peanut oil in a  wok over high heat.  When the wok is very hot, toss in the chilies and stir-fry for a few seconds, until they blacken slightly.  Toss in the peanuts, garlic, scallions, and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, until they are lightly browned.  Add the cooked chicken, the stock, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, salt and sesame oil, then stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Continue to stir-fry for two minutes.  Serve at once with rice.

*Note: This is the water-cooked variation of this recipe. There’s also a oil-cooked variation in the book.  I chose the water version for health reasons- I’m sure the fried version is delicious, too!

Grilled Ginger Cumin Carrots and Coconut Rice


This post has two recipes.  Aren’t you a lucky duck?

These two side dishes went with the flank steak recipe from yesterday.  I was trying to cook down my fridge (we are on a little trip right now to meet our new nephew!), which is always an adventure.  I couldn’t believe I came up with something half decent out of what seemed like nothing.

Boys and girls, let me tell you, grilled carrots are where it’s at.  It doesn’t seem like people really grill carrots all that much, but it’s worth it if you’re already grilling something else.  They take a little longer than most other grilled items, but just throw them on as the grill is heating up and they’ll be done in time for your meal.

There is something about coconut rice that’s just fabulous.  It doesn’t take much extra effort than making regular rice, but the payoff is substantial.  If you aren’t a coconut person, I’m a little sad for your taste buds right now.  I love the sweet and savory combination.

Just like I’ve been doing all week, I’m going to link you up with some yummy F&W recipes, too!
Glazed Carrots with Cardamom and Ginger
Honey and Soy Glazed Carrots
Coconut Cashew Rice
Basil Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice
Coconut Arborio Rice Pudding

Now I’m thinking about making this meal all over again, F&W style.

Enjoy the deliciousness.

Grilled Ginger Cumin Carrots
Oven Love
1 lb whole carrots, peeled
2 tbs packed brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
Prepare your grill.  Make a foil tray out of aluminum foil and place carrots inside.  Sprinkle carrots evenly with brown sugar, butter pieces, ginger and cumin.  Place foil tray on the grill and cook for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of carrots), turning carrots frequently.  Carrots are done when they show a slight char and are fork tender.  Serve immediately.
Coconut Rice
(based on Darlene Schmidt’s Easy Thai Coconut Rice)
2 cups jasmine rice
1 can light coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 cups water
2 heaping Tbsp. dry shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil (or coconut oil, if you have it)

  1. Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
  2. Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low. Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
  3. Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat. 
Don’t forget to enter the Food & Wine giveaway!
FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Oven LoveClick here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

Tequila Lime Flank Steak with Garlic and Cilantro

So it seems I can’t commit fully to fall dishes yet.  I thought the butternut squash lasagna would be my fall kick-off, but today, we’re back to grilling.  I think that’s one of my favorite things about GA so far- grilling in September (and October, too, I’m sure.. maybe November as well?). 
This dish was inspired by the big bunch of cilantro sitting in my fridge.  And then I saw limes, and then I saw garlic, and then I thought tequila.. and all of a sudden, I had a yummy marinade in the works.  I’m sure it would work on other meats as well- it was so great on the steak; made it very tender and flavorful.  The kind of flavor that doesn’t smack you in the face, but is strong in a mellow kind of way, if that makes any sense.
I served the steak with Grilled Ginger Cumin Carrots and Coconut Rice, recipes that I’ll share later this week.  Here are some amazing looking steak dishes from F&W:
Pepper Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic-Herb Butter
Grilled Hanger Steak with Bacon Chimichurri
Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter
Steak Tomato and Arugula Sandwiches
Tequila Lime Flank Steak with Garlic and Cilantro
by Oven Love
5-10 cloves garlic, chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tbs fresh cracked pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
4 scallions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 flank steak (any size, as long as it can fit into a gallon zip-top bag)
In a gallon zip-top bag, combine garlic, lime zest, lime juice (and cut limes if you’d like), tequila, soy sauce, cilantro, cumin, pepper, cayenne and scallions.  Stir to combine.  Add flank steak.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Remove 30-45 minutes to rest at room temperature before you’re ready to grill.
Prepare your grill to medium-high heat.  Grill for three minutes on the first side, and rotate to create grill marks.  Cook on the same side for another three minutes.  Flip steak, and cook 3-5 more minutes for medium rare, cook 5-10 minutes longer for medium (shown in the photos as medium).  Let rest 5 minutes, slice and serve.
Don’t forget to enter the Food & Wine giveaway!
FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Oven LoveClick here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.