Crab-Stuffed Filet Mignon with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce

Prep Time:
1 Hr

Cook Time:
30 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 30 Min

CRAB STUFFING:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced celery
• 1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons shrimp stock or water
• 1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning  

PEPPERCORN SAUCE

• 1 1/4 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 fluid ounce whiskey
• 1 cup heavy cream  

STEAKS:

• 4 (6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
• 4 slices bacon, cooked lightly
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 fluid ounce whiskey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Make Crab Stuffing: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion, green onion, garlic, celery, and green pepper until tender. Stir in shrimp stock, crab meat, bread crumbs, and Cajun seasoning. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Prepare Peppercorn Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine beef broth and cracked black pepper. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently. Add1 ounce whiskey and 1 cup cream. Continue simmering until reduced to 1 cup. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Prepare Steaks: Slice a pocket into the side of each steak, and stuff generously with crab stuffing. Wrap bacon around side, and secure with toothpicks. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and shallot for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, and saute until tender. Remove mushroom mixture, and set aside.
4. Place steaks in skillet, and cook to desired doneness. Remove from skillet, and keep warm. Deglaze skillet with 1 ounce whiskey. Reduce heat, and stir in peppercorn sauce and Dijon mustard. Add mushroom mixture, and reduce sauce until thickened. Remove toothpicks and bacon from steaks, and arrange steaks on a plate. Top with sauce.

Source

Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
4-6 oz. cooked pasta (fettuccine, spaghetti)
1 tbsp. butter
½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
¼-½ onion, diced
1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ – 1 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup half and half
salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

Directions:

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle liberally with Cajun seasoning. Sauté in pan 1 minute per side, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic to the skillet. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add the flour and stir to cook off its rawness. Add the half and half and stir, thickening. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired.) Toss with hot pasta and serve.

Fresh Caught Blue Gill, Creamy Pesto Asparagus and Baby Spinach and Red Pepper Rice.

I didn't make the fish so I can't take full credit for that. Though I did catch them! I believe it was a basic flour coating and fried--super delicious!

Creamy Pesto Asparagus
4oz toasted pine nuts
1 Package Knorr creamy pesto sauce
1 bundle of Asparagus

Toast the pine nuts until slightly browned. Set aside. Follow instructions on pesto package. Meanwhile, trim the ends of the asparagus and chop into 3 in sections. Boils the asparagus until tender. Drain and stir in pine nuts and sauce.


Baby Spinach and Red Pepper Rice
* 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 cup MAHATMA Extra Long Grain White Rice
* 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Italian six-cheese blend
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup jarred chopped roasted red bell peppers
* 3 cups firmly packed fresh baby spinach

Preparation

1. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes. Stir in rice, and microwave at HIGH 2 minutes.

2. Stir in 2 3/4 cups broth and 1/4 cup wine. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Do not vent.) Microwave at HIGH 9 minutes. Carefully swirl bowl without uncovering (to incorporate the mixture), and microwave at HIGH 8 minutes. Carefully remove and discard plastic wrap. Stir in cheese and 1/4 cup chicken broth, stirring 30 seconds to 1 minute or until creamy. Add up to 1/4 cup additional broth, 1 Tbsp. at a time, for desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir in red peppers and spinach, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until spinach is wilted.

Note: We tested with a 1,100-watt microwave oven and a 1 1/2-liter glass bowl. We found that press-and-seal plastic wrap will not work in this application.

 Source

Louisiana Chicken Pasta

For the chicken:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning

For the pasta:
8 oz. bowtie pasta
Kosher salt

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:
To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted. Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan. Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the half-and-half and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble. Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your tastes. Stir in the scallions. Serve immediately and top with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired.

http://annies-eats.net/2009/07/10/louisiana-chicken-pasta/

Spinach Artichoke Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup coarsely chopped canned artichoke hearts
4 cloves roasted garlic*, smashed
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. roasted red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, sour cream, mayonnaise, spinach, artichokes, roasted garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Mix well with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are evenly blended. Spread into a small baking dish (I used a gratin dish). Sprinkle additional grated Parmesan over the top if desired. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is slightly browned. Serve warm with baguette slices, pita chips, crackers, etc.

*To roast individual cloves of garlic, I just throw the unpeeled cloves into a baking dish or pan and bake at 350˚ F for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before squeezing the cloves from the peels.

http://annies-eats.net/2010/11/17/spinach-artichoke-dip/

Chicken Avocado Egg Rolls

 

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1/2 cup finely minced red onion
* 1/4 cup finely minced red bell peppers
* 2 tablespoons minced ginger
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
* 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
* 2 cups chopped chicken breast
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 cup julienned green cabbage
* 1/2 cup shredded carrots
* 4 cups rice bran oil or canola oil
* 12 egg roll wrappers
* 2 avocados, sliced into 24 pieces
* 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
* Jarred sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Directions

In a saute pan over high heat, add canola oil. Saute red onions and bell peppers until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, bamboo shoots, celery, chicken, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze pan with soy sauce. Cool mixture.

In large bowl combine cabbage, carrots and chicken mixture.

In medium saucepan, heat rice bran oil to 350 degrees F. Oil needs to be deep enough to keep egg roll from touching bottom of pan. Add more oil, if needed.

To roll egg rolls, layout egg roll skin with corner facing you, place approximately 1/12th of mixture on roll and place 2 pieces of avocado on top of mixture. Fold corner over mixture, and then fold outside corners over the mixture, making a roll, 4 to 5-inches wide. Roll firmly, being careful not to tear wrapper, and seal the final edge with egg wash. DO NOT ALLOW THE EGG ROLLS TO TOUCH AFTER THEY ARE WRAPPED. This will be disastrous and they will rip apart. Place the rolls on lightly floured parchment paper and place in the fridge until they are ready to go in the oil.

Dredge the egg roll in egg wash, allow excess to drain off and submerge egg roll in oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on sheet tray lined with a cooling rack.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Ingredients:
For the burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
...1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
Salt and pepper

For serving:
Pasta sauce
Mozzarella or provolone cheese (sliced or shredded)
Sautéed mushrooms (optional)
4 hamburger buns

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients for the burgers. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Form the mixture into 4 patties. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.

Preheat the broiler. Spray the broiler pan with cooking spray. (Alternatively, cook the burgers on an outdoor grill or grill pan.) Broil the burgers for 4-6 minutes on one side, then flip and broil for 4-6 more minutes on the other side until fully browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven, top each burger with pasta sauce and cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds until the cheese is melted. Top with sautéed mushrooms if desired, and serve on toasted hamburger buns.

http://annies-eats.com/2009/05/17/chicken-parmesan-burgers/