Around the time it first started to (finally) get warm, I decided it was time to grill something from the cookbook, and I decided Memorial Day weekend would be the perfect opportunity. I narrowed down the choices to a salmon recipe and Jame's Coffee-Marinated Skirt Steak (p. 52) and went to the store, figuring I would pick up whichever was more reasonably priced.
The salmon was not on sale and I couldn't find any skirt steak at the first store I visited, so I went home, recouped, and went back out to another. There the salmon was even more expensive and still no skirt steak! Rather than pay the extra money for salmon, I decided to drive back to the first store, and, once there... found the skirt steak! I was so excited to have found that darn cut of meat that I immediately bought it even though it was the only steak not on sale for the holiday. Also, using what I learned previously about shallots (in that I now know what they are), I successfully purchased some without hassle. I'll call this a tie, Supermarkets!
This recipe results in an impressive dish, and doesn't require too much work. First you whisk together most of the ingredients, pour half over your skirt steak, and retain the other half for basting. Then you set the steak on the counter top (covered to protect it from your cat) for the next half hour while you either set to work making more food (as I did), or play with the kids (as my husband did). Afterwards, I handed the steak over to my husband to grill while I finished the rest of the dinner.
On a whim I had decided to make Howard's Apple-Strawberry-Peanut Salad (p. 12), initially thinking that by "salad" he meant a lettuce-based salad. I was wrong; this is a salad of apples, strawberries, celery and peanuts, all held together with a mayonnaise based dressing. In what appears to be a miracle, honey and mayonnaise is combined into a dressing that is translucent and not reminiscent of mayonnaise at all. I was delighted but still hesitated in pouring it all over the apples and strawberries. What if I was ruining all that fruit for my son and me (like me, he likes his fruit raw and unadorned)?
I needn't have worried. Not only did my son love it, so did my daughter, me, and my friend who came over for dinner! My husband didn't try it (sorry, Howard, he saw me take a jar of mayonnaise to it, which he does not like, plus fruit doesn't tempt him at all). I couldn't believe that my daughter ate as much of it as she did. Of course she also loved the steak, along with me, my friend, and my husband. My frugivore son ate the steak begrudgingly only so that he could get more Apple-Strawberry-Peanut Salad.
It was a very good dinner, and a great way to kick off the summer. Thanks for the recipes, James and Howard!
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