Our Florida Surf and Turf

On our Florida vacation, our beach house had a grill outside.  We found a nice meat market and picked up a large beef tenderloin, portioned it up, grilled it, and served it with some very garlicky shrimp and a side of potato and brussel sprout hash.  After a day on the beach coupled with this big meal and a couple bottles of red wine, we were all done for after eating!

Beef Filets with Butter Garlic Shrimp

Serves 4

• 4 portions of beef filets
• 1 pound large-ish shrimp, shelled, de-veined, tails removed
• 4  cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 more tablespoons butter,  cut into smaller chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup white wine

Generously season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper.  Grill over hot grill about 4-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) for medium rare.

White steaks are resting, make shrimp.  Heat cast iron pan over medium heat.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil.  Add garlic and slowly cook until bubbly and just starting to brown, about 2 minutes (don’t burn!).  Add shrimp, season well, and cook about 2 minutes. Add white wine and let reduce by about half, about 2 minutes.  Once reduced, turn heat off and slowly start stirring in butter chunks, about one at a time.  Taste for any final seasoning and serve over steaks with lots of garlicky sauce.

Potato and Brussel Sprout Hash

• About 3/4 pounds small potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• About 3/4 pounds brussel sprouts, ends cut off, sliced in half
• 1 medium white onion, cut into dice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons  butter

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until just about cooked through, about 9 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.

Blanch brussel sprouts in boiling salted water until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive in cast iron pan over medium high heat.  Cook onions until cooked through and starting to brown in areas. Season and stir in butter and mix until melted.  Add to a large serving bowl. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Do the same with the potatoes and brussel sprouts, separately in two batches:  Heat a cast iron pan with the oil medium high heat, add the vegggies and season, cook until starting to brown in spots, and melt in the tablespoon of butter.  Add to serving bowl.  Once all veggies are done, give it all a good mix and serve with steaks and shrimp.

Our dinner table at the Beach House

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Saturday Morning Breakfast

I made breakfast the other morning and referred to it as “bacon hash”.  After saying that, I realized I knew what that conjured up in my mind, but I thought there might some ambiguity of what it was in others’ minds.  When I told my husband I was making bacon hash for breakfast, I heard him make some sort of grunting sound that I understood was meant to express his pleasure, but I then realized that I doubt he actually heard what I said after he heard that word “bacon”, as that word alone is enough for him to be pleased with anything that might come next.

As for me, when I think “hash“, I think small, diced up pieces of meat and potatoes, and probably some veggies, too, cooked up and browned a bit, and then kinda tied together in some way – maybe through gravy, or eggs, or a larger piece of meat – or  all three for that matter.   For Saturday morning, it meant potatoes, bacon, and onions with a couple of poached eggs.

 

Poached Eggs and Bacon Hash

Bacon Hash with Poached Eggs

• 6 slices bacon, cut in half long-wise, and then diced into pieces
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 5-6 new (red) potatoes, diced
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Add bacon to pan and place pan over medium heat.  Cook bacon about 3-5 minutes.  You want the bacon to start to render some fat, but not cook all the way.

Once the bacon is sizzling pretty well, add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes to the pan and give it some seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cook hash mixture on stove top for another 5 or so minutes.  I like to allow the mixture to be spread over the pan in a somewhat thin layer and allow the mixture to brown in areas by leaving it alone for about a minute, then giving it another quick stir, and then spreading it out again.  After doing this for about 5 minutes, spread mixture out again one last time in pan and place pan in oven  for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

In the meantime, bring a pan with water and the 1 Tablespoon of vinegar (the vinegar helps the egg whites stay together) to just about simmering.  If the water starts boiling, and becomes too vigorous (lots and lots of bubbles bursting on surface), turn it down.  To poach eggs, you want the water just simmering.  I use a wide, flat pan (has about 3 inch sides) and fill it about 2/3 full of water.

Working one egg at a time, crack your egg into a small cup or ramekin.  Bring your cup to the surface of the water, and gently slide your egg into the pan.  Using  a slotted spoon, gently coax the egg whites closer to the yolk, as this will provide more contained, even cooking.  (I have read that some people use the lid (ring) of a mason jar turned upside down in the cooking pan to allow the egg to “settle” into the ring to cook.  I have not tried this, but I suppose this idea seems quite reasonable.  I’ll have to try it and see how it goes.)

Go ahead and repeat this process with each egg until its cooked.  I let my poached eggs cook about 3-4 minutes.  I usually only work 2 eggs in the pan at one time, otherwise things get a little too hectic and they don’t turn out quite as well as I would like.

When your egg is done, remove it from the water with a slotted spoon.  Hold the egg over the water for a few seconds to allow it to drain.

Place some hash on a plate, and top with your poached eggs.  We also had toast with some of the Truffle butter we had picked up at the farmer’s  market a few weeks ago.  Truffle butter + egg yolks + bacon = happiness.

 

Yolky goodness for sopping up with my Truffle butter toast

my notes:

• I served my eggs right away.  If you need to cook several in advance, place them in  bowl of cold water after cooking them.  They won’t stick together, and they hold well in the water.  To warm them before use, gently place them in the pan of just barely simmering water for 1-2 minutes to warm them.  Drain and serve.
• To make cutting bacon easier, place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  The bacon becomes firm and less greasy and becomes much easier (and safer) to cut up.
• I used a cast iron pan to cook up the hash, but use whatever you like.  Just make sure your pan is oven-safe.