The Re-vitalized Chef's Menu

Today I worked another 10+ hour work day which isn't an abnormal occurrence but it felt like a lifetime since I was yearning to come home and break in my new All-Clad French Skillets.

Normally when I work a longer day, I tend to find myself picking up something quick and eating thoughtlessly, while watching Top Chef, and wishing I was having what they're having. Tonight, however, I decided to change that, in order to break in the new cookware.

I headed to the grocery store and picked up a filet of beef, 2 russet potatoes, a handful of brussels sprouts and fresh chive. I knew that I wanted to cook a steak because it would best showcase the sear that I was going to get from my new skillet and since I was a little tired, a quick, garlic and herb mashed potato would do just fine.

Calling my mom to ask her about how to best cook something is like asking a Republican if Clinton was the best President that ever existed. While there may be some benefit in asking their opinion, it is largely better not to ask at all. We got into a semi-heated discussion over the best cooking method for the steaks. Mom was all for grilling on our outdoor grill, where I was simply asking if I could stick aluminum pans in the oven without setting the house on fire. After 3 or 4 minutes of going back and forth, Mom just told me to do it my way and call her in the morning to tell her how it went. (Read between the lines and you will understand that she wants to know how badly I failed.)

Determined to proved mom wrong and show her that a sear is better than a grill for the occasion, I set out to cook the best damn steak that I have ever made.

Cooking for me is like a ritual, I begin and end very much the same way and each time I take precise steps, as I would imagine a priest might before giving communion to the congregation.

My ritual begins by putting on my white, Dean and Deluca apron. It's my favorite because it has a loop of fabric on the hip that allows you to string your favorite kitchen towel through, and it makes quickly wiping ones hands a cinch. (Plus it looks very Flay-like). Then I proceed to open a bottle of wine. Most times it's La Cream pinot noir. While it is my favorite and I do find that cooking is best done with red wine, I sometimes find it a necessity to sip white when a recipe calls for white in the sauce.

Okay, back to my ritual. I have my apron on, I am letting the bouquet from my red wine open itself and then I proceed to play relaxing music from my MacBook. It began with Chris Botti, then it was Andrea Boccelli, after I moved on to Ella and Billie and most recently I have begun with opera and am currently playing Pavarotti. Only then can I begin to cook properly.

If you have ever cooked with me in the kitchen then you would add another fact to a quickly progressing list of things that you would be learning about me. When I cook, I never go in on anything half way. It is always from scratch, gourmet, usually time consuming and seldom free of butter. In short, you get a real dinner at Chez Flay.

Tonight I started boiling the water for the potatoes. I peeled and chopped, and then with the prep work complete, I was able to turn my attention to the piece de resistance: le steak au poivre. I seasoned the two petit filets with kosher salt and fresh, coarsely ground pepper. I then set 2 tablespoons of real butter into my hot skillet to brown before I would allow my steaks to touch the pan.

With a snap, a crackle and little popping everywhere, my steaks went into their buttery bath where they awaited a crusty sear. Three minutes later I turned them over and added two tablespoons of my recently acquired Williams Sonoma beef demi-glace. I bought this very special sauce last year and with it's slightly hefty price I saved and saved it for the right occasion. Unfortunately the occasion never came because it expired and no more than a spoon or two was taken from the aromatic jar. This year it would be another story, no sauce or stew would make it out of the kitchen without a generous spoonful of this delicious reduction.

The steaks were properly cooked on both sides and they were put on a cookie sheet lined with foil into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes while I scraped and deglazed my pan to make a delicious gravy.

The little brown bits, stuck to the bottom of my glimmering new pan, were folded into a delicious gravy by sauteing 2 shallots until tender, de-glazing with a quarter cup of brandy, adding to the aromatics with a cup of broth and lastly adding flavor and depth with two more tablespoons of the demi-glace and two tablespoons of butter. Whisked together, it formed the most delicious gravy that I could have imagined for my revitalizing dinner.

The potatoes were properly steamed now, so I pulled the steaks out of the oven a let them rest while I mashed the potatoes into light, fluffy clouds. I then added two more tablespoons of butter, a half-cup (or maybe a full cup?) of whipping cream, an entire clove of garlic and a tablespoon of chive. Mash, mash here, throw a pinch of salt there, grind fresh pepper into the fluff and there you have delectably creamy mashed potatoes.

I asked Sean if he would like the other steak or some mashed potatoes and he said no since his dinner was two hours before. But, one whiff of my savory concoction and he was literally salivating.

I bit into my steak, had a bit of the garlicky potatoes, washed it down with a sip of La Crema and realized that no matter how long the work day, it is always best to take the time to make your own dinner than allow Monsieur McDonald to do the work for you.