Beef Wellington & Lobster Mashed Potatoes

It's the last weekend of the holiday season, so whether you're cooking on Friday, Saturday or Sunday; make it special and bring in 2011 with one last feast before you go on that diet...

There are a lot of traditional 'lucky' foods eaten for New Years - beans and legumes, pork, sauerkraut, greens, noodles, etc - but the two most popular with our guests at Tony's are Beef Standing Rib and Tenderloin, as well as Lobster.  Here's a couple very special recipes to consider for your last feast of the holiday season: The Ultimate Beef Wellington Chateaubriand paired with decadent Lobster Mashed Potatoes.  Add a salad and steamed asparagus (maybe a package of Hollandaise or Bearnaise from our freezer case) and you've got a memorable New Year's Feast!
Cheers and Happy New Year!

Ultimate Beef Wellington Chateaubriand

one Chateaubriand (center cut of even thickness) tenderloin, about 2 pounds

Tony's Steak and Roast, Euro-Crust or Z Blend seasoning
canola oil as needed
1 batch Mushroom Duxelles
1 pkg. DuFour puff pastry
1 well-beaten egg

Earlier in the day or the day before, season roast lightly with Tony’s Steak and Roast, Euro-Crust or Z Blend seasoning (or salt, pepper and herbs) and sear in a large heavy pan with oil as needed. Transfer pan to a 375-degree oven, roasting to 110-115 degrees internal. Rest and chill. Prepare duxelles and chill.

Roll pastry gently on a floured board and top with one batch duxelles, spreading to the same size as the roast. If using pate, slice and place a thin layer down the center of the mushrooms. Top with tenderloin.

Moisten edges of pastry with water and carefully wrap roast well, tucking ends in first and stretching dough into place to seal. Hold contents in place while wrapping. Place on the folds, on a parchment lined sheet pan. Decorate with shapes of dough if desired, sticking on with water. Roast immediately, or rest at cool room temperature, covered with a towel, for up to 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (convection 400) and adjust racks to top 1/3 of oven. Brush pastry with beaten eggs.

Roast in the top half of your oven, rotating at least once, until crust is browned and internal temperature is 115-130 degrees for rare to medium. If roast begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Rest uncovered for 15 minutes before carefully slicing and serving.
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Mushroom Duxelles
8 oz. finely chopped mushrooms
1 shallot, finely chopped
Butter as needed
Parsley, chopped to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the mushrooms and shallot in butter until the mushrooms have released their moisture and begin to brown. Season with the parsley, salt and pepper. Chill.
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Lobster Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes
10-16 oz lobster tail meat (about 2 tails)
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 sticks salted butter, separated
1/2 cup heavy cream, or more to taste
1/2 cup milk
pinch of sugar
fine sea salt and white pepper to taste
fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with kosher salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender. Test for doneness by piercing into the center with a fork, if the potato falls easily from the fork, they are done. Drain hot water into mixing bowl (to preheat), drain potatoes well. Hold potatoes with a dry towel and use a spoon to peel, dropping peeled potatoes into the warmed bowl of a stand mixer. Break up with a fork.

While the potatoes cook, combine the cream and milk in a saucepan with a pinch of sugar (optional, to inhibit scorching) and simmer to reduce slightly - keep warm. Cut lobster into bite-sized pieces. Cut butter into pats. Mince the parsley.

Slowly blend potatoes in mixer, adding about half of the butter pats (or more to taste) and the warmed cream a little at a time - stop and stir often - taste and adjust with salt and pepper (keep in mind that more butter will be added later).

Heat 1-2 pats of butter until it foams in a saute pan, add the lobster pieces and saute just until done - about 2-3 minutes. Fold lobster into hot potatoes along with the parsley. Dollop decoratively into the center of warmed plates, studding each with one or more pats of butter.

– Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci, Tony's Market
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About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or join Tony’s Culinary Club.

The Holiday Roast Beast - Beef

The most popular holiday roast locally is the Standing Rib, with the Tenderloin not far behind.   Read on for everything you ever wanted to know about choosing, seasoning and cooking a Standing Rib or Tenderloin Roast...

Tony's Crab Stuffed Tenderloin - call ahead to order.

Premium Choice Rib Eye Steak

First, the facts about choosing beef...

• Quality Grade:  The USDA inspects most beef to rate it's quality.  The highest grade is Prime, representing the top 2% or so of all American beef, and is rich, flavorful and juicy thanks to generous marbling (marbling is the thin lines of fat in the interior of the meat - the more the better!).  The next category is Premium Choice (AKA Top or High Choice), an industry term representing a combination of the top 10% or so of Choice beef mixed with Prime beef.  Regular / Low Choice is a very broad category with little to some marbling, and Select is not even worth talking about.  At Tony's we offer Prime and Premium Choice Beef.

Dry Aged Rib Roast

Extended Aging:  Quality beef benefits greatly by aging for 3-4 weeks under specific conditions, lower grade beef does not seem to benefit as much.  There are two styles of aging; wet aging works well, and dry aging works even better.  At Tony's we use a combination of wet and dry aging techniques.

Natural: To be graded as USDA Natural, meats cannot have anything added to them.  Pumping meats with flavoring solutions and increasing their weight by as much as 20% are common ways to improve low grade meats while reducing costs.

Trusted Butchers: The vast majority of beef in this country is of low grade and not aged, so everybody can't have 'The Best' as the ads suggest. Sadly, many retailers will simply tell you what you want to hear to make the sale, stick to a butcher you trust.



Beef At Tony's
We buy natural beef, responsibly raised by local ranchers.  We only buy Prime and Premium Choice Beef and age steaks and roasts for 3-4 weeks using a combination of wet and dry techniques.  I visited one of our ranchers, meet him in this video.



Standing Rib Roast
Most butchers and chefs agree, the Standing Rib is the ultimate beef roast.  The rib has generous marbling; thin lines of fat within the meat, which creates fabulous flavor and juiciness.  The best part of the Standing Rib is the Rib Eye, or the center of the roast - the rest is bones, fat and tough 'lifter' meat.  Make sure your butcher removes the 'lifter', 'feather bones', 'button bones' and excessive fat - essentially making the roast a Rib Eye with only the rib bones left - or remove the rib bones as well for a boneless rib eye (both available at Tony's).  Also, when the rib bones are removed, the fat wedge in the center of the roast can be removed, which some prefer.  Note: The Standing Rib is often called the Prime Rib, but don't confuse this with the beef's grade.  At Tony's we call a Prime Grade Standing Rib a "True Prime Rib".

Here's a quick video on how I am cooking my Standing Rib this year! 

Get the Recipe Here.

Beef Tenderloin Roast
The tenderloin is beef's most tender cut.  It's also known as the fillet mignon - and a center cut is called Chateaubriand.  This small muscle weighs only about 3-4 pounds and there are only two on each animal - making it beef's most expensive cut.  It comes completely encased in gristle and fat and takes some skill to clean correctly.  The tenderloin has an irregular shape - thick with three lobes on one end and a slender center that tapers down to a point on the other end.  If cooking whole, the thin 'tail' can be tied under.  Another great way to prepare this roast is double thick, tying them on top of each other 'flip-flopped' turns it into a pretty even roast - and the thicker weight is less likely to be overcooked.  All of this is discussed in the video, along with cooking tips.

There are many great cooking methods for tenderloin, here is how I cook mine.

Recipe: The Ultimate Tenderloin Roast

Best Seasonings for Beef
A great piece of beef deserves a great seasoning!  For Standing Rib, Tenderloin and other beef roasts, I recommend…

Euro Crust: Large chunks of sea salt, herbs and spices with just a hint of garlic - the perfect blend for beef, bison, game and lamb.  I specifically blended this seasoning for our families Christmas Standing Rib after a fall trip to France.  Sprinkle it on or blend with lots of minced garlic and olive oil to make a wet seasoning rub / marinade and spice crust.  Can also be crushed into a finer spice.






Tuscan Grill Rub: A chunky blend of coarse sea salt with a medley of Tuscan herbs and peppers, particularly good for encrusting meats and seafood, in sauces, casseroles and even on eggs.  I blended this to recreate the tastes of Tuscany after my second trip to cooking school in Italy.  Also great blended with lots of garlic and olive oil to make a wet rub and spice crust.  Can also be crushed into a finer spice.

 

Z Blend:  An intriguing, complex blend of sea salt, herbs, aromatics and whole spices with a Northern European flair.  Hints of caraway and dill make this very special blend memorable.  Balanced, chunky and unique, it makes a great crust on beef roasts and steaks, but is also amazing on pork and poultry.






Tony’s Prime Rib & Tenderloin: A garlicy seasoning blend with herbal overtones - particularly good with beef, and also delicious on pork and chicken.


Tony’s Porterhouse & Roast: A zesty blend with plenty of paprika and herbs, particularly good with beef roasts, steaks and burgers - one of our first custom blends and still one of the most popular. 
 

Tony’s Steak and Roast: A fine, particularly balanced seasoning blend with a warm and almost smoky flavor and just a hint of garlic.  Great on beef steaks, roasts, burgers and even pork. 
 

About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or join Tony’s Culinary Club.

The Holiday Roast Beast - Ham

The family's holiday feast is about traditions, and we have them all at Tony's; from lutefisk, finnan haddie, smelts, baccala and herring; to homemade stollen and bourbon-soaked fruitcake and a couple hundred traditions in between.  Our shelves are stocked with tasty treats in every department, especially the meat department...

Apricot-Glazed Ham

We're known for having the very best meats in town so the meat department is the place to be in December - and through all the special roasts and sausages and seafood we see to, three items stand out as the most popular every year: Ham, Beef Tenderloin Roast and the biggest seller of them all; Standing Rib Roast.  Today, I want to talk about Hams - beef tenderloin roasts and standing rib roast facts, cooking tips and videos will follow soon...


Hams

Tony's Kurubota Ham

All hams are not created equally, not by a long-shot!  We carefully have chosen great hams from small family farms that have been raised right, naturally cured and wood smoked the old fashion way.  We have a nice variety of styles and sizes from premium companies, including Boar's Head - but my two favorite hams and top recommendations are: Kurobuta and our torch glazed Spiral Sliced Hams.

• Kurobuta Ham: If you like a mild tasting ham that's super-juicy, not too smoky and only lightly salted, this is it!  From an ancient English breed, Berkshire, the Japanese have protected the lineage of this breed for centuries, naming it Kurobuta or "Black Hog".  Known for it's amazing flavor and juiciness, these hams are naturally cured with a minimum amount of salt and lightly smoked for a particularly mild and juicy ham that won't leave you thirsty and dehydrated!  Truly a special ham like no other!
• Spiral Sliced Ham: If you like a smokier ham that isn't too salty, our spiral sliced and hand torched ham is for you!  Naturally raised on small family farms in Iowa, they're naturally cured and smoked the old fashion way, and then spiral sliced and torch-finished by hand with a brown sugar and honey glaze.  An amazing, traditional, smoky ham the whole family will love!

  

  Spiral Sliced Half Ham

Glazed Ham w/ Pineapple Raisin Sauce

Choosing a Ham
The best hams are made from solid muscle or whole legs of pork, naturally cured with salt and sweeteners (such as brown sugar, honey or maple syrup) and then slow smoked with a combination of hardwoods.  Keep in mind there is also a product called Fresh Ham - this is a raw leg of pork that is not cured or smoked and basically a raw pork roast.

Short Cuts
You'll see a wide variety of prices when you shop for 'ham' because there are a lot of tricks to make ham cheap.  For starters, using chopped pork trimmings and ground ham held together with gelatin and then molded to the shape of ham.  Other tricks include using liquid smoke or artificial smoke flavoring instead of natural wood smoking, or adding copious amounts of water.  The FDA has some basic labeling guidelines - in short they have to do with the amount of water added.  We only use "Ham" and "Ham with Natural Juices" - these are  the best hams and they don't have any water weight added.  Other categories include "Ham, water added" which has 10% water added by weight and "Ham and Water Product" which can have any amount of water, the percentage by weight should be on the package.

Cooking
Smoked Hams are fully cooked and can be served cold, at room temperature or hot.  Allow about 8 ounces of boneless ham, or about 1 pound of bone in per person (and I like to get an extra jar of the Boar's Head Ham Glaze, even if the ham is already glazed - I really like the glaze!)  To warm your ham, place in a roasting pan, flattest side down.  Add at least one cup of water (to keep pan moist and create a steamy heat - add more as needed during cooking), cover with foil or a lid and roast at 275 degrees for about 10-12 minutes per pound.  If glaze is desired, uncover the last third (or so) of cooking time and brush on several times with glaze.  Really the only thing you can do wrong is to overheat a ham, robbing it of it's juiciness. Here are a couple recipes...

Bone in Ham, not pre-sliced

Cola Pineapple Ham

Brown Sugar and Spice Glazed Ham

Glazed Leg of Ham with Guinness and Cardamom

Glazed Ham with Pineapple-Raisin Sauce

Baked Ham with Mojo Sauce and Papaya Salsa

Baked Ham with Mango and Ginger

Apricot Glazed Ham

Stay tuned for tips, recipes and videos on preparing the Ultimate Beef Tenderloin and Standing Rib or Boneless Rib Eye Roast - coming soon!

About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or join Tony’s Culinary Club.

Pictures from TheOtherWhiteMeat.com

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Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm crazy about oatmeal, which is great because it's a healthy breakfast!  Usually I make the McCann's by the overnight method, but when I am in a hurry, I make the old fashion Quaker oats.  I processed some pumpkins a few days ago, and they ended up in today's breakfast - yummy!

Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal

1.5 cups Old Fashion Quaker Oats, or other
3 cups water
1.5 - 2 cups processed pumpkin (pref fresh)
2 pinches kosher salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dry ginger (optional)
pinches of ground clove
1/4 cup maple syrup (to taste)
Cream or half & half and butter (optional)
dried cranberries, cherries or our Very Berry medley (optional)
a sprinkle of maple sugar (optional)

Simmer oats, water, pumpkin and salt - stirring regularly - until oats are done, about 5 minutes.  3/4 way through the cooking process, stir in cinnamon, ginger (if using), cloves and finally maple syrup.  If you don't have any maple syrup, use brown or turbinado sugar.  Remove from heat and rest a few minutes.

Stir in cream and butter (if using, I don't think it needs it, but would be rich and lovely).  Serve with a topping of dried fruit and maple sugar for crunch.  Other possible toppings include dark chocolate chards and roasted or candied pecans.  - Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci, www.TonysMarket.com  --  www.TonyRosacciCatering.com

About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or join Tony’s Culinary Club.