Lemon, Poppy and Chèvre Cheesecakes

There is something relaxing and therapeutic about spending a weekend afternoon testing out a new recipe that takes hours and stages to prepare. This is exactly what I did a couple of Saturdays ago after quite a few weeks of weekend travel. My experiment this time was cheesecake, which was something that had previously seemed to be too intimidating to attempt. However, after perusing through Food & Wine, Southern Living, Cooking Light, and a few other magazines, I felt inspired, and set out on my quest to create a lemon, poppy, and chevre cheesecake with steusel and a raspberry and strawberry compote. As most recipes I make, I found a great recipe that incorporated seasonal items and tweaked it to fit my tastes, be slightly healthier, and become a my creation. I also loved that this recipe makes individual portions in ramekins (everything is cuter in mini sizes!), which was perfect for just the two of us, and would make a great treat to take to a small dinner party.

Lemon, Poppy and Chevre Cheesecakes with Raspberry and Strawberry Compote

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine

Yield: 8 mini cheesecakes (cooked in 8 ounce ramekins)

Nutrition for cheesecake only: 221 calories, 16.7 grams of fat; 6.5 grams of carbohydrates; 2.7 grams of sugar; 9.7 grams of protein

Ingredients:
Cheesecakes:

• 1/4 cup, plus more for coating the ramekins
• 8 ounces fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fat free sour cream
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Strawberry & Raspberry Compote

• 8 ounces strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon St.-Germain liqueur 
• 1 pint raspberries
• Juice from half of a lemon
• Juice from half of an orange

Streusel

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from 1 sleeve)
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

I. Make the cheesecakes: 

• Preheat the oven to 325°. 
• Spray eight 4- to 6-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray and dust with sugar; tap out the excess. Set the ramekins in a large roasting pan. 
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, goat cheese and the 1/4 cup of sugar until smooth. 

• Split the vanilla bean in half and slice to remove the beans. 
• Beat in the zest, lemon juice, vanilla beans and pure vanilla extract, and salt. I doubled up on the vanilla here, because I like a strong vanilla taste in cheesecake. 

• Beat in the sour cream. 
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. 
• Beat in the poppy seeds.

• Divide the mixture between the ramekins and set the pan in the oven. Carefully add enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just set. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath for 1 hour. Refrigerate the cheesecakes until cooled completely, 3 hours.

II. While the cheesecakes are cooking, make the compote: 

• Cut your strawberries into fourths and slice down one side of your vanilla bean.

• In a medium sauce pan, add your strawberries, raspberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, St. Germain, vanilla bean, and salt. 
• Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the berries are breaking down and the excess juice cooks off, and the liquid is slightly thickened (to a syrup like consistence). 
• Transfer the compote to a bowl and let cool. Discard the vanilla bean.

III. Make the streusel:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. 
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. 
• Beat in the graham cracker crumbs, flour, salt and cinnamon. 
• Pat the streusel flat onto the baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.

• Bake the streusel for about 20 minutes, until fragrant, golden and firm.
• Let cool completely, then crumble the streusel.

IV. Get ready to eat! 

• Place the streusel crumbs on the plate (put enough to cover the size of the bottom of your ramekins). 
• Run a thin knife around the cheesecakes and invert them onto plates. 
• Spoon the compote on top, and serve right away!

Since I substituted some fat free ingredients making the cheesecake come in at only 221 calories, I didn't feel quite as bad indulging in second one the next night. 

Hope you enjoy these light, fluffy, refreshingly lemony cheesecakes at your next summer dinner!

xoxo 

*K

(all photos by me)

Island Life and My Best Friend's Wedding in Paradise: USVI and BVI

I spent five days last week pretending that I gave up my career and fulfilled my long time fantasy of moving to the islands while celebrating my best friend's marriage to the man of her dreams. Sadly, I did only have five days to pretend I didn't have to come back to life on the mainland with all that that entails (work, ew), but I maximized my time in St. John and BVI. And today, as I sit back at my desk, daydreaming of all the places I'd rather be, I thought I would share a few notable restaurants, travel tips, and adventures, and add better views to your day through pictures. 

Kevin, Mal, Me, Jason

The Journey to St. John: 

Jason and I took separate flights to St. Thomas (booking with travel reward points), but landing at St. Thomas within a few minutes of each other. Upon arrival to STT, we were greeted with complimentary Cruzan rum shots, and Jason had a beer from the bar located at the baggage claim. I don't know why more airports don't have bars at baggage claim! It would certainly help cut the tension for people who have bags that are lost.

Another tip about STT: the flight attendant announced that we must arrive 3 hours prior to departure on the trip out. I'm terrible about underestimating the length of time it will take me to get through security and/or customs, and always cut it very close when traveling. On the return trip, I had a 1:50pm flight out of STT. I took the 11:00am Westin ferry on the Westin concierge's recommendation, which had me to the airport by 11:45am. I had plenty of time to get through customs and security and still had about an hour to sit before boarding, so I think you can probably take the the "three hour" as a suggestion and not a hard cut "MUST" rule, but do keep in mind you have two steps to get to your gate: customs and security. Arrival an hour and fifty minutes prior to flight time was plenty for me, but I didn't check bags and the lines were reasonable. I did hear one man say it took him several hours to get through customs and security on another trip out of there...

From there we started our journey to The Westin St. John Resort and Villas. The Westin as its own ferry service that goes from the airport directly to the hotel, but it is $120/person (round trip), so Jason and I decided to be adventurous and take the public ferry ($6/person for ferry, plus $20/person for taxis), which required a 45 minute taxi ride to Red Hook, and then a 10-15 minute public ferry ride to Cruz Bay, and another 8-10 minute taxi ride to The Westin. I think it would actually be worth it next time to do the Westin ferry, because you can ride it as many times as you want during your stay, and it saves a significant amount of time (2.5 hours via the public transportation vs. 45 minutes door to airport via the Westin ferry). Despite our somewhat lengthy journey over, it was enjoyable because we completely embraced it, enjoyed the open air taxis and ferry, and a few drinks along the way. We were greeted by Mallory (best friend), Blythe (college friend), and Ellie (Mal's mom), and an iguana upon our arrival to The Westin. 

Where We Stayed: The Westin St. John Resort and Villas

walking to our room

one of many iguanas that roam the grounds and sleep in trees

The resort is undergoing construction, but it was fortunately all contained to back areas, and the restaurants were open. There is a nicer restaurant on premise open for all three meals. Snorkel's is the outdoor restaurant which is pictured below and backs up to the pool on one side and the beach on the other and is great for those light lunches or afternoon snacks. They also have a bar that serves a variety of drinks including the island signature cocktail the Painkiller, and rum drinks out of children's sand buckets called voodoo juice. The voodoo juice does work out to be a great choice because it doesn't taste like alcohol, but is $15 for the initial drink, and $12 refills, and each bucket is the equivalent of four drinks, so it's perfect for sharing. 

first rum drink in a children's sand bucket

rum drink in a children's sand bucket #?

The resort has a beautiful large pool and is on Great Cruz Bay which allows for a variety of both motorized and nonmotorized water sports that are either included or are for a very small fee. Mal, Blythe, J, and I rented snorkels to take to Trunk Bay (see below). Jason and I also gave paddle boarding a whirl. I mastered it. Jason took a dip in the bay (to his credit he was trying to take a picture of me when he fell, but it was a slow motion fall, so I was doubled over laughing then spent the rest of the day bragging at my superior paddle boarding skills :) ) Some other people from our group took out kayaks through the bay on another afternoon, and enjoyed it.

As I mentioned we were there for Mallory and Kevin's wedding with an intimate group of awesome people, which really allowed us to maximize our time with everyone at the wedding and enjoy each others' company.

first time paddle boarding pro!

The Restaurants, Food, and Drinks: 

I had quite a few very good meals in the Virgin Islands. Most restaurants we went to were reasonably priced by normal U.S. standards, but not in line with other islands I've been too where food and drinks are ridiculously cheap. We did find some places with $3 beers, and probably could have sought out cheaper options, but went for places that were highly recommended and more comfortable since we had some people in the group that haven't traveled extensively and/or wouldn't have enjoyed the more local/rustic (read: shack or dive bar-ish) places. The food in the Virgin Islands brings in influences from other Caribbean Islands, the U.S., and other international places, but isn't what I would consider exotic food by any means, and they focus on using fresh locally sourced ingredients. 

The Lime Inn & Restaurant: Our first night, the "young" people of the group met for dinner at Lime Inn in Cruz Bay, which was the perfect opening to the weekend of festivities. It is a low key open air restaurant with amazing fresh food and great cocktails, and they cordially accommodated our group of 12 with no reservation for an 8pm dinner. We started dinner with a range of appetizers including pizzas that were the perfect start to soak up the first round of rum drinks. Several of us had one of the specials of night, which was a locally caught mahi mahi. The mahi was some of the freshest I've had and came on top of a small amount of lobster cream sauce to add depth and contrast the freshness and slight citrus flavor of the fish. I would definitely recommend Lime Inn if you're looking for fresh fish and the very laid back island atmosphere with great service from the staff and owner, who stopped by our table and chatted with us several times. (Sadly all weekend I pulled my bad (or good?) habit of being too lost in my food and company to take any pictures of my food.) 

Ocean Grill: Our first dinner with the entire group was the rehearsal dinner hosted by Kevin's parents at Ocean Grill in Cruz Bay. It is again another open air restaurant, and they seated all 18 of us upstairs in a balcony area overlooking the courtyard. They hosted our group and allowed us to all order off of the normal dinner menu without even having to put in the order in advance, which I liked. I find it silly/annoying when restaurants act like they cannot accommodate groups of that size if we don't go with a prefix or pre-ordered menu. Again, another great set of servers dealing with our rum drinking crew. I switched it up from fish and went for the pecan crusted rack of lamb with an onion demi glace and garlic mashed potatoes, and my god was it the right choice! The lamb could not have been cooked more perfectly or been juicier and more flavorful. Definitely order the rack of lamb if you go; I met other people throughout the trip that went there and said the same. The restaurant also has a notable pastry chef, so save room for dessert. I had John's chocolate cake, which was a simple moist chocolate cake (not fruffy or complicated as they described it) and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Perfect end to dinner followed by drinks at the Beach Bar, which is literally on the beach and you can take your drink down and stand in the sand and listen to the live music playing. 

Morgan's Mango: This was by far the favorite meal of the weekend! The concierge recommended and totally nailed it. I'm normally a bit hesitant with recommendations from the concierge, but am certainly glad I went with this one. Morgan's Mango has an extensive list of cocktails that come in large glasses, and have lots of fresh fruit in them. We only had five of us make it out to this dinner, but started with lobster and pork ravoli, cajun shrimp, steak and brie quesadillas, and mushroom soup. The mushroom soup was a special for the night and is one I would love to recreate. It had the consistence of a light potato soup, with incredible mushroom and buttery flavor and had little button mushrooms throughout. The first bowl was so good, that we had to order a second bowl to share, and even that was not enough because we practically licked the bowls clean. Main courses for the evening were filets with chimichurri (again perfectly cooked and fresh chimichurri) and paella with a saffron cream sauce. Both dishes blew our taste buds away. The boys determined the paella was the best they had ever had due to the freshness of the seafood and mainly the saffron cream sauce. It was one of the few times I've taken food home with me from a restaurant because it was too good to leave behind. We didn't make it to desert because of the massive amount of food we had and the fruity frozen cocktails. If you can only have one meal in St. John, go here and order ridiculous amounts of food. 

Cooper Island Beach Club: We went here on our catamaran tour of BVI, and the space is open air overlooking the ocean and surrounding islands with outdoor lounge chairs and rum bar. Many people in our group were not pleased with their food (mainly the chicken wraps and chicken sandwiches, which were apparently dry and terribly lacking in flavor); however, I got the chicken roti and enjoyed it. It wasn't as good as the one I had in St. Lucia a few years ago, but certainly flavorful and not a dish that pisses me off as a waste of space and calories. I ordered it under my theory that if ever questioning what to order, go with a local choice, because it's normally what they do best. This restaurant also had good strong cocktails, and put up these drink holder post tables in the water, so you can take your drinks out and stand in the ocean while sipping on them! 

Cooper Island Beach Club (notice the drink holder posts in the water)

The Adventures: 

Outside of time spent playing at the resort in the pool and doing water sports, we had several other adventures that filled our time. 

Trunk Bay: We took a 30 minute cab ride to Trunk Bay to go snorkeling. It has a 225 yard long underwater snorkel trail. We spent about an hour and a half snorkeling through the trail, and then around the tiny island to which the trail abuts. The water in Trunk Bay is the clearest water I've ever seen, and there is cool sea life and coral. The fee to get into the park was $4/person. There is a sandwich shop and showers on site. 

Definitely add Trunk Bay to the list of beaches you must visit. 

Trunk Bay

ray and fish in Trunk Bay

merman

pretending to be a mermaid

Bad Kitty: I'd highly suggest taking this tour or another one of this company's day tours. Nine of us from the wedding party took a catamaran tour of the BVI on the Bad Kitty. It was an awesome way to see five different notable spots in the BVI. We started the day out bright and early (7:30am!) and took a peaceful ride with breakfast over to Virgin Gorda to get through customs and do a quick bit of shopping. 

Stop two of the day was to The Baths, which an area where huge granite boulders were formed on the beach by volcanic activity. The only other similar location in the world is in the Seychelles Islands. We swam seventy yards from the boat to The Baths where we walked through, between, on top, and under these huge boulders learning cool facts about their formation and events that have taken place there. The Baths were so so cool and should definitely be added to your "must see before you die" places! (I've definitely added the Seychelles Islands to see the baths there to my list.)

The Baths: View from inside back out to sea

The Baths: View from on top 

Next stop was to Cooper Island for lunch (see above), and then to Norman Island for some snorkeling. There were three caves in the side of the cliffs at Norman Island, and the snorkeling was better than that at Trunk Bay. The sea life was not afraid of people and came within inches, and the coral was incredible. We also saw two eels while snorkeling! 

Awesome black and blue fish at Norman Island

Coral at Norman Island

Final stop of the day was to Jost Van Dyke to see the beautiful beaches of White Bay and to finally taste the original Painkiller, which is a coconut rum cocktail with fresh shaved nutmeg, at the Soggy Dollar Bar (they also have now created the Nilla Killer--a vanilla rum based version of the Painkiller). This place is definitely one that every tourist goes to, but is so much fun, and one where you totally need to embrace your inner tourist. The bartenders are hilarious, the drinks are delicious, and the beach and water is gorgeous. Can't go wrong with that combination!

Bad Kitty anchored in Jost Van Dyke

Soggy Dollar Bar waiting for my Nilla Killer (notice the police badges from many different places across the roof)

Soggy Dollar Bar

I would classify the Virgin Islands as a very beautiful, relaxing vacation spot, where you know you'll get a comfortable and more customary standard of accommodations/food/drinks, English is universal, the U.S. Dollar is the standard (duh), and the craziest things you'll face are the ocean life and open air taxis. We saw many people visiting with their families, and see how it would make a great vacation spot for an easy long weekend getaway. I hope you enjoyed a little escape to the Virgin Islands with me! Our trip certainly revitalized me and has me dreaming of my next vacation! 

xoxo 

*K

(all pictures by me)

Fat Free Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragu

Making gnocchi had been on my list for ages to make. I've pinned and saved many gnocchi recipes and for some reason or another (normally my craving for meat or desire to quickly cook dinner), put it off. A few weeks ago, Jason and I had an amazing lunch at Lupa with our dear friend Jo who was back in New York from Toronto. Jo highly recommended Lupa, and it is one of the best Italian meals I've ever had, and tied with Casa Mono for the best of the Batali restaurants (even over Babbo and Del Posto). Italian is normally pretty far down my list of cuisines, but Lupa totally changed my mind on that, by having robustly flavored dishes that were still light and nicely portioned, not at all like the traditionally thought of heavy cream, large Italian dishes; therefore, we completely indulged in the menu and had several courses for lunch. (Another positive side note on Lupa: they easily accommodate gluten free and dairy free diets, just another reason to go there.) One of Jason's dishes was a ricotta gnocchi with sausage and fennel, and the inspiration for my newest experiment. 

I had seen a recipe for ricotta gnocchi on A Cup of Jo and thought I could make it using fat free ricotta, cutting down the fat and calories in the dish, and finally got around to trying it. Making gnocchi does take a bit of time because of the shaping process, but it is not nearly as time consuming as I had pictured (ie: this little cute old Italian grandmother hand-making gnocchi over the course of an entire day, which becomes the centerpiece of the delicious meal she prepared for 30 of her closest relatives...I digress). In fact it only took about 20-30 minutes to mix, shape, and roll the gnocchi, and another 5-6 minutes to boil them and finally a couple of minutes to brown them, and the process is one of those therapeutic cooking experiences where I get lost in the process of making the dish and the peace of being in the kitchen without anything else on my mind but the end result of my work to be enjoyed with a French Chardonnay.

Fat Free Ricotta Gnocchi

Recipe slightly adapted from A Cup of Jo
Yield: 6 servings (11 pieces)
Nutrition: 201 calories; fat: 7.8g; sodium: 302mg; carbs: 20.1g; protein: 12.3g

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 15 ounces fat free ricotta (about 2 cups)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup finely grated Pecorino-Romano (plus more for serving) (The original recipe called for Parmesan. You can use whichever you prefer/have on hand.)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh basil (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk egg and egg yolk. Add ricotta, pepper, Parmesan cheese and kosher salt, and mix until well combined. Add flour; stir just until combined and mixture forms a ball. Add more flour as necessary if the dough is too wet.

2. Dust a rimmed baking sheet generously with flour. Measure out 1/2 tablespoon of dough, and roll into balls; they don't have to be pretty (I used the 1/2 tablespoon to ensure my gnocchi were uniform in size and would cook evenly. You should end up with about 63-66 gnocchi). Then roll the gnocchi with more flour so that they are coated.

3. Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and tender, 5-6 minutes. The gnocchi will quickly float to surface, but continue cooking for the entire 5 to 6 minutes until they are fully cooked. (Save this step until your sauce is prepared, so they don't get cold while the sauce cooks.)

4. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. In a non-stick skillet, heat a few drizzles olive oil with some minced garlic, then add the gnocchi and gently pan fry for a few minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Add your sauce and serve with basil chiffonade.

Mushroom Ragu

Yield: 6 Servings
Nutrition: 213 calories; fat: 12.4g; sodium: 111mg; carbs: 16.3g

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
• 4 ounces oyster mushrooms
• 4 ounces maitake mushrooms
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fat free chicken stock
• 1/4 cup green onions

1. Directions: 
2. 1. Roughly chop all mushrooms; mince shallots and garlic, and chop the thyme and green onions

1. 
   
2. 2. In a French oven, melt the butter in the oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and shallots, and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring, until tender and just browned. Stir in the wine and cook until nearly evaporated. Add the chicken stock and green onions, and cook until the liquid is about 2/3 evaporate; keep warm over low heat.
3. 

This fat-free ricotta gnocchi can be made mostly ahead of time and refrigerated for up to two days (leaving only the boiling and browning). I loved the balance of the delicate flavors of the gnocchi contrasted with the strong flavors of the mushroom ragu, which really took the spotlight, and the whole dish was under 500 calories per serving! However, for those of you that don't like mushrooms (blows my mind that is possible), this gnocchi is so versatile it could stand up to tomato-based sauces or something creamy. Give this recipe a whirl when you have some time and feel like playing with your food while you make it. 

xoxo

*K

(all photos by me!)

Baked Eggs

I just finished taking the North Carolina Bar Exam last week, which meant that for the past two months I spent almost every free moment outside of work studying. I also started wearing the Fitbit Force* in mid-December, and really focusing on health, working out 5-6 days a week, and monitoring my intake (ie trying to lose 10+ pounds). So, needless to say, I have not had time for anything fun. The weekend before the bar exam, I decided to fit in a quick and easy new experimental recipe. For the past year or so I've seen many recipes for baked eggs on Pinterest, and have had it on my list of things to try to make at home, and finally created my own version of it using the random items we had in our otherwise bare cabinets.

Pancetta, Onion, and Mushroom Baked Eggs

Yield: 4 Servings
Nutrition: Calories: 223  Fat: 9.6g ; Sodium: 466mg; Carbs: 20.6g; Protein: 17.3g

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 large yellow onion
• 1 ounce pancetta
• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 2 ounces Cabot 75% fat free cheddar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons tomato sauce (I cheated here: I would normally make my own sauce, but since I was pressed for time, I used Classico Tomato and Basil Sauce, and I'm not sure that it makes a big difference to use pre-made sauce with a dish like this, given the small quantity used.)
• salt and peper, to taste

Directions:
1. Roughly dice tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, and pancetta.



2. Saute onion, pancetta and garlic until the onions are translucent and the pancetta is lightly browned (about 3-5 minutes) over medium-high heat. Add in the mushrooms and half of the tomatoes for the last minute.

3. Start the layering process by placing 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce into each ramekin. (You could cook this in one large baking dish, but I really liked the individual 7 ounce Le Creuset ramekins for this. It made the perfect individual serving and really allowed the flavors to meld without losing any one ingredient, or having the eggs cook together).

4. Next, spoon the pancetta/onion/tomato/mushroom mixture on top of the sauce.

5. Add the diced cheese: 1/2 ounce into each dish.

Sorry for the blurry iPhone pictures

6. Final step of the layering: crack your egg and gently pour in on top of the cheese. (As you can see below, some stayed in the middle, and others fell more to the side. Due to my OCD/symmetry loving-tendencies, I would prefer for all of them to be in the middle, which you could do by piling the cheese and leaving a perfect little dip for the egg, but it honestly does not make a difference to the way it cooks up or the taste.)

7. Gently place two tomato halves on top/side of each egg, and then bake for 6-8 minutes, until the egg white is almost cooked. You'll know it is ready when the juices from the tomato sauce and pancetta/veggie mixture start to bubble to the top. 

Serve with breakfast potatoes or toast and enjoy the results of your 15 minutes recipe!

xoxo 

*K

(all photos by me..explains the blurry, hastily taken iPhone quality...also completely illustrates my past two months)

*Side Note: the Fitbit Force has been an awesome tool to help me monitor my food intake, encourage me to exercise, and see the results of my efforts. I officially hit the down 10 pounds-mark after eating this brunch creation. However, I am sadly one of the 1.7% of people who have had an allergic reaction to it (I think to the nickel), but fixed that by covering the metal parts with electrical tape. I fully endorse Fitbit's products and their app, especially for those of you who like me, have that bit of weight you put on gradually and didn't really notice, or are at the point of trying to lose those last few pounds and need some help. I think I have always been a pretty active and health-conscious person, but this has helped me take it to the next level, and has made it more fun and like a game with the step/active minute/stair/calorie achievements daily. (And, no, I am not receiving anything from Fitbit, nor am I any kind of spokesperson for them. I really like their products and the results I have seen in two months time--10 pounds is a huge achievement for someone my size (8% of my weight)!)

Sticking with the Classics: Steak Au Poivre

It's the start of a new year, and the time when many people make resolutions to make changes, great or small, and depart from their past. I think I've only once made a resolution for New Years (to give up fries, which I did for almost 18 months), but otherwise, I am not one to think I have to change something every January 1st. I am extremely analytical and often make "resolutions" throughout the year changing the way I approach challenges, my perspective on life, and my eating/exercising habits. I've come to realize the more extreme or nonnative changes I try to make most often don't work, and I am better off staying true to myself and sticking to the classics. I think this mantra is also very true to food, and as much as I like experimenting with cooking techniques and trying new foods, some things will never disappoint. Steak au Poivre is one of those classic dishes; whether made at home or ordered at a restaurant, it never disappoints. For those of you who are endeavoring (as I constantly am) to eat healthier, this recipe from Cooking Light will allow you to have a classic without wrecking your resolution (read: diet).

Balsamic Steak Au Poivre

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light
Yield:  3 servings (3.5 ounces of steak)
Nutrition: 245 calories; 13 grams of fat; 5 grams of saturated fat; 25 grams of protein

Ingredients: 

• 1 10 ounce dry aged porterhouse steak (if it is bone-in, you'll need to get one that is about 1.25 pounds because the fat and bone will count for a large portion of the weight--I found this to be fact by using my new kitchen scale, which I will say is a must have for anyone who cooks or fancies herself/himself a chef)
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup of fat free, lower sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Coarsely crush the peppercorns, leaving some whole (I placed them in a ziplock bag, and crushed them using the butt of my chef's knife). Then pour the soy sauce and salt over your steak, and press the peppercorns into both sides of the steak. Let it rest for 15-30 minutes.

What a beauty.

2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steak, flipping only once so as to preserve the peppercorns in the steak. 

3. While the steak is cooking, dice shallots. 

4. When steak is done cooking, keep it warm while you cook the sauce. Add shallots to pan and saute for about a minute, until tender. There should be residue and peppercorns in the pan.

5. Add balsamic vinegar and beef stock and bring to a boil and scrape off browned bits from pan (they will mix into the liquids easily. 

6. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until reduced by half. Then remove from heat and add in butter (it is easier to stir in if you chop the butter into small pieces).

7. Cut steak into 1/2 inch strips and serve with sauce. ( You could do a more traditional square cut of meat, but I liked letting the sauce soak into each strip for a minute while I assembled my salad).

I served mine with a Caesar salad (using Walden Farms dressing) and had a fabulous dinner, cooked in less than 20 minutes, and for less than 500 calories!

Cheers to the classics and 2014!

xoxo

*K