Make it at home: Texaz Grill's Chicken-Fried Steak

Sometimes you just need to give your diet the bird and splurge on a flavor filled calorie orgy.  When that moment strikes we recommend the Chicken Fried Steak at Texaz Grill in North Central Phoenix.  Can't make it out there but need to scratch the itch?

Here's the recipe!

Chicken-Fried Steak 
Servings: 4.
For the steak
11/2 pounds top round steak, cut into four pieces (or 4 cube steaks, 6 ounces each)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil, for frying
Pound beef with a meat tenderizer until flattened and almost doubled in size. (If using cube steak, make sure it has been cubed enough so as to be fork-tender. If not, tenderize until the steak is almost falling apart.)
Place flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place buttermilk in another bowl. Coat each piece of tenderized beef in flour, then soak it in buttermilk for 10 seconds and dip back into flour again. Fill a cast-iron skillet with enough oil to come halfway up the side. Heat oil over medium heat to 350 degrees (when a drop of water makes the oil sizzle, it’s ready for frying). Place one steak in the pan. When the red meat juice begins bubbling out of the top of the steak (about 3 to 4 minutes), use tongs to gently turn it over and cook it 5 more minutes. Use tongs to move the steak to a grate or roasting pan to drain. Place the cooked steaks in a warm oven while repeating the process for the remaining steaks. Serve the steaks topped with gravy.
For the gravy
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
11/2 cups milk
Chicken bouillon, to taste (paste, granules or cubes)
After cooking chicken-fried steaks, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. (If there are burned bits of flour in the skillet, completely drain and clean the pan and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil.) Add the 2 tablespoons flour to the oil in skillet and cook on low heat for several minutes, stirring constantly until the oil-and-flour mixture, or roux, begins to smell nutty. Do not allow the flour to brown. Add black and cayenne peppers and mix well. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly over medium heat until the gravy has thickened. Add bouillon to taste and stir well.
Per serving (includes gravy and assumes each steak absorbs about 1/4 cup frying oil): 1,161 calories, 81 g fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 48 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 468 mg sodium, 63 percent calories from fat.

Make it at home: The Osso Bucco & Spaetzle at Beckett's Table

Beckett's Table is one of the destination restaurants in the greater Arcadia Area.  Want the flavor but not the crowds?    This recipe is one of our favorites.

At Beckett's Table they use a 3" tall piece of center cut pork shank.  This cut of meat is perfect for cooking confit style until it is "fall off the bone" tender.  Before they confit the pork we brine it in a dry rub of sugar, salt, fresh thyme & bay leaves, spices, shallots & garlic overnight to add a very tasty flavor into the dish. This tender and flavorful piece of pork is perfect on top of spaetzel and sautéed veggies.

Spaetzle Recipe: (serves 4)

4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 pinch nutmeg
dash white pepper
oil for sauteing
butter to finish

mix together all the ingredients except the butter & oil
using a whisk, stir until the batter has a very thick pancake like consistency
let the batter sit in the fridge for up to an hour before cooking

to cook use a double boiler with a perforated pan on top
pour some of the batter onto the perforated pan & push it through with a flat  rubber spatula
once the batter has been pushed through, lift the perforated pan & gently stir the noodle like pieces in the boiling water
strain the noodles out & place into ice water
once cool through remove from water, drain well and place onto a cookie sheet or flat surface

place salad oil in saute pan
once oil starts to smoke, add in the spaetzle
stir around immediately so the spaetzle does not stick
once it starts to brown, flip the spaetzle
add some whole butter, herbs, salt & pepper & serve hot

Make it at home: The Churrasco of Beef Tenderloin at Deseo

Deseo is one of the premier destination resort restaurant and it features some of the best upscale Latin cuisine in town.  This recipe is one of our favorites.

Churrasco of Beef Tenderloin

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients for Churrasco of Beef Tenderloin

1 T garlic, minced
3 ea bay leaves
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 T chili powder
3 ea jalapenos, rough chopped
1/2 C Opal basil chiffonade
1 C basil chiffonade
3/4 C olive oil
2 ea shallots, minced
1 lb crab meat
1/2 ea red onion, small diced
1 ea red and yellow peppers,
small diced
2 T mayonnaise
3 T cilantro, minced
1 T chipolte adobe juice
2 T ketchup
1 T lemon juice
dash habanero sauce or hot sauce
6 ea 8 oz fillet mignons,
spiral cut (butterflied)

Method for Churrasco of Beef Tenderloin

• Puree the first 5 ingredients to form the base for the chimichurri, fold in the next 5 ingredients, season then pulse for 1 second with the immersion blender. Set aside for service.
• Combine the ingredients for the spicy crab salad and season.
• Set aside cold until service.
• Grill the steaks to the desired temperature.
• Plate and top with chimichurri and serve the crab salad as side along the steak.

Make it at home: Tarbell's Scotch Beef with Red Wine Gravy

Tarbell's is a long standing Biltmore cooridor staple with a reputation for fresh excellence.  This recipe is one of our favorites.

The Recipe: Tarbell's Scotch Beef with Red Wine Gravy

Beef and Veggies:

1 6-7 pound cross-rib or chuck roast

4 ounces vegetable oil

2 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

1 yellow onion

1 tsp chopped garlic

3 Roma tomatoes

2 cups red wine

1 quart water

Fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, and oregano

1. In heavy-bottomed pan, heat vegetable oil.
2. Season beef with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until dark brown. 
3. Remove to small roasting pan.
4. Sauté all vegetables in same heavy pan until light brown, and deglaze with red wine.
5. Add to beef.
6. Add water and aromatic herbs, cover, and cook at 350⁰ until fork tender, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Red Wine Gravy:

2 ounces flour

2 ounces melted butter

1 quart beef stock

1 quart veal stock

1/2 bottle dry red wine

2 sprigs fresh thyme

3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

1/2 a yellow onion.

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In small pan, combine flour and butter to make a roux.
2. Add liquids, thyme, garlic, and onion and simmer to reduce by half.
3. Strain, discarding solids.
4. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve Scotch Beef surrounded with sautéed, seasonal vegetables. Serves 4-6

Make it at home: The Citizen Public House Original Chopped Salad

This salad is the stuff of legend, complete with its own fanbase on Facebook. This plate of game changing greenery will have even the reddest of carnivores second guessing their diets.  The wait at Citizen Public House too long?  The recipe is available for home trial and consumption. 

Enjoy!

The recipe

1/2 cup smoked salmon
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn
2/3 cup chopped arugula
2/3 cup cooked Isreali couscous
Trail mix 1/4 cup black currants
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
3 Tbsp. ground aged asiago
1/2 cup diced Roma tomato tossed with 1 Tbsp. balsamic and 2 tsp. olive oil, one large basil leaf chiffonade, pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing
1 cup Best Foods mayo
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano
Juice of 1 lemon
12 basil leafs
1 tsp. minced garlic

Combine thoroughly in blender.