Karmel - Steak and Cake: More Than 100 Recipes to make any meal a smash hit

Elizabeth Karmel

Photographs by Stephen Hamilton

Workman Publishing * New York

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the bakers I grew up with and their cakes that have stood the test of time: my Grandmother Odom, my mother, Marylin, and my sister Mary Patall of whom firmly believe that you should eat dessert first!

And to all the steak lovers who believe that cake is an after-dinner treatmost notably my father, Big Lou. This book has something for all of us!

contents

with WhisKey butter

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with Perfect Crust

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with Orange Marmalade and Grand Marnier Glaze

with Bloody Mary Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette

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with Avocado and Tomato Salad

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with Dark Chocolate Bourbon Dipping Sauce

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with Hazelnut Glaze

with Barbuto-Inspired Roasted Potatoes

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with Cocoa-Frangelico Frosting

with Beefsteak Tomatoes and Sizzling thick Bacon and Onions

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with Red Wine Butter and Spinach Artichoke Casserole

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with a Fluffy White Chocolate Buttercream

with Twice-Baked Potatoes

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with a Sweet Mascarpone Center

with Low-and-Slow Cabbage and Old-Fashioned Garlic Bread

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with White Anchovy and Truffle Butter and Grilled Lemons

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with Steakhouse Spinach and Wild Mushroom Saute

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with Nduja Butter and Easy Mushroom Tarts

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with Blue Cheese and Pecan Butter

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with Cre ` me Frache

with Bacon, Shallots, and Mushrooms

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with French Onion Croutons

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with Lemon and Orange Options

Lobster with Homemade Pastis Cream and Steak

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with Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad

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with Garlic Cheese Grits and Redeye Gravy Glaze

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with Decadent Horseradish Cream and Yorkshire Pudding

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with Pecan Crust

with a Green Peppercorn and Thyme Sauce

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with McVities Crust

with Chimichurri Potatoes

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and a German Chocolate Variation

with Charred Red Onions

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with Chocolate Guinness Glaze

with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine and Burrata Cheese

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with Rosemary and Orange and a Clementine Salad

with Chile-Lime Rub and Crunchy Jicama Slaw

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with Salsa Verde

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with 1-2-3 Guacamole, Carrot-Jalapeo Relish, and Chipotle Crema

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with Strawberry Pave

Smothered in Caramelized Onions

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with Dijon Bearnaise

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with Sauteed Apples and Calvados Whipped Cream

with Garlic Smashed Potatoes

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with Roasted Shallot and Bacon Marmalade

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Perfect side dishes that complement the wide variety of steaks created for this book.

What you need to know about choosing, buying, and cooking a steak. Plus a complete Steak Grid to help identify steak cuts.

Cake-baking basics, including information on cake pans, measuring tips, and Classic Cake Recipes.

LET THEM EAT CAKEAND STEAK!

W ho doesnt love steak and cake?! After all, its everyones favorite Saturday night menu choice. And it has a certain ring to it. Id be willing to bet that it is the universal favorite meal for friends, family, the bossand, of course, a birthday. It really doesnt matter what day of the week it is. Steak and cake turn any day, and any occasion, into a special one.

Thats what I thought when I created the title and menu for my Saturday night class more than a decade ago at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). I filled the menu with a variety of steaks and a selection of my favorite cakes, and because it was a festive Saturday night, I paired the dishes with a few of my favorite wines.

Students flocked to my Steak and Cake classes, resulting in a very long waiting list. When I stopped teaching the class a few years ago, I decided that the subject matter would make a fun cookbook. A main-course steak and a slice of cakeas my editor, Suzanne Rafer, says, Whats not to love?

Why I Wrote This Book

People who know me know that there are two things that I almost never order in a restaurantone is steak and the other is cake. This is because I can always make a better steak at home and I can always bake a better cake. Every time I break my rule and order either one out, I am sorely disappointed. Often the steak is flavorless and tastes like warm water, and inevitably the cake is dry.

So, the two reasons that I wrote this book:

To give people the basic tools needed to choose and cook steak and to bake luscious cakes. (It always surprised me how many of my students had never purchased, much less cooked, a steak, mostly because they didnt know what kind of steak to buy at the store. Nor had they baked a cake, because they thought that it was so much harder than it really is.)

To empower people to create their favorite restaurant-style meals in their own home.

Dinner Party Solved!

Once youve mastered how to buy and cook steak at home, and how to make a simple cake for dessert, youve got the restaurant versions beat and a dinner party at the ready. And the secret is that it is much easier than most people think.

Though I offer pairings of steak, sides, and cake, I urge you to use them loosely and put together your own favorite combinations. I want Steak and Cake to be fun for everyone. This is a book made for celebrations, and it should be more about the occasion than the mealso dont be rigid, and make your own rules. Including drinking what you want with what you make! If you like white wine, drink it with your steaksdont feel pressured to drink red. I often drink Champagne from appetizers to steak to cake.

Years of teaching my class at ICE showed me the cakes that people loved to bake and eat. Further anecdotal testing was at my restaurants in New York City and Washington, DC, where I created both the savory (meats and sides) and sweet (dessert) menu. I used that flavor research when I chose the steak and cake recipes that I wanted to include in the book because I wanted the book to be full of crowd-pleasers, not esoteric or trendy recipes.

This book ended up being a delicious collection of my favorite flavors and an homage to both my Southern heritage and the recipes of my family. In that way, this is the most personal book that I have ever written. It is akin to publishing my personal recipe box. You now have all the steak and cake, sauce, and side recipes that I make for my friends and family when they come to my house for dinner. I hope that your friends and family enjoy them as much as mine do!

Warm wishes,

ABOUT THIS BOOK

F or me, it was recipes first things first. Once I had the essential steaks and cakes, I paired them as I would if I were having you over to my house for dinner. The pairings, highlighted by beautiful color photography taken by my friend Steve Hamilton and his team, make up the heart of the book. In fact, what you see on the pages was our lunch, snacks, dinner, and even breakfast for the ten days of the photo shoot. Very little went to waste as we happily devoured it all.