Grilled Filet Mignon, Grilled Artichokes and Garlic Aioli

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE BABY IS FINALLY SLEEPING.

"Sup?" - Caby Roarke (2 weeks old)

Well, hello, dear neglected blog! When was my last post? I have no freaking clue. But today, we are 2 days from our cavebaby (caby?), Roarke, being 3 weeks old! Time flies when you're sleep deprived and running on paleo fumes. But I'm happy to report, after a easy, unmedicated labor and traumatic delivery, I'm almost fully recovered, back in the gym (ish), but most importantly, Caby is thriving! The tremendously difficult delivery involving 4.5 hours of pushing proved him to be ridiculously healthy, amazingly alert and crazy strong. And big. BOY IS BIG. At over 2 weeks early, he came out weighing 8 lbs. Lord help me if he made it to 40 weeks. (I could go into the full gory details of the whole delivery process, but I'll spare you all... for now.)

But we're managing, and I'm lucky the little guy came just before CB John's 2 week break from school. We actually get a little cooking done, even if it's mainly easy, boring stuff, or we're eating plain rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and veggies we manage to scavenge from the depths of our fridge.

For CB John's first Father's Day, we had a plan for a nice brunch in Carmel Valley, but then we forgot to make reservations, but then we forgot we had a christening to attend, which we did. Luckily, I had some filets thawed in the fridge and artichokes that needed eatin' so it made for a half decent Father's Day dinner.

The recipe isn't really a recipe for either the filet mignons or the artichokes. Rather, they're more like cooking techniques. But who doesn't appreciate a perfectly cooked steak?

Gilled Filet Mignon
2 filet mignon, 1.5-2 inches thick
salt
pepper
grass fed butter, softened or room temp

Bring your filets to room temperature. This step is incredibly important. You don't want to put a chilled, tightly wound steak on to a hot surface - it'll guarantee a tough, chewy piece of meat, especially when it's as lean as a filet.

Slather your filets in butter and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat your grill to high heat. You're going to leave the lid open, so make sure it's on high and the grate gets nice and hot. 

Medium rare

Place filets on the hottet part of your grill, and let cook for 3 minutes. DO NOT FLIP.

Turn filets 90º, leaving it on the same side. let cook for another 3 minutes.

Flip, and repeat. Each side should be cooked for a total of 6 minutes for the steaks to be cooked to medium rare. Add a minute or two to each side to achieve desired doneness if you'd prefer medium or well done steaks. (BUT WHY??)

Check out the link below for a simple touch test to gauge doneness without piercing your precious meat! DON'T DO THAT.

Let steak rest for 5 minutes before serving.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/



Grilled Artichoke
2 large artichokes
olive oil
salt
pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.

As the water is coming to a boil, prepare your artichokes by cutting off the long stem and an inch off the top. You may also snip off the thorns of the outer petals if you wish.

Place artichokes in boiling water and let boil for 15 minutes. When done, remove from water and drain.

When cool enough to handle, quarter the artichokes length wise, and remove the choke (the fuzzy part above the heart) with a spoon or paring knife.

Drizzle olive oil onto artichokes and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat grill to medium high. Grill artichokes for 5 minutes on each side.

Serve warm with garlic aioli or drawn butter!



Garlic Aioli  Garlic Aioli is basically garlic infused mayo. Easy peasy, but you need a handblender for this technique.
1 egg, room temperature
3/4 cup neutral flavored oil, NON-extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, etc.
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, chopped


Make certain the egg (and other ingredients) are at room temperature!

Separate egg yolk and white. Reserve egg white for breakfast or some other recipe. 

Put all ingredients, except garlic, in a tall container or glass that will accomodate the head of a handblender. 

Place head of blender at the very bottom of the container and blend. The ingredients will begin to emulsify and thicken to become mayonnaise. When completely emulsified, add garlic and blend again to combine.