Steakhouse Dinner In the Comfort of Home

I spent this past lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon watching hours of Food Network which resulted in 1) me being veryy hungry and 2) motivated to cook a lavish dinner.  Since the freezer is packed with steaks/meat from Omaha Steaks, I decided to plan a steak dinner worthy of the best steakhouses around. Yeah, you Bourbon and BLT ;)

I marinated beef tenderloins and let set for most of the day, covered and in the fridge. Also on the menu was shrimp scampi, garlic roasted potatoes, corn on the cob with herb butter, popovers using BLT Steak's recipe and a hot fudge brownie sundae. Below are helpful recipes for the perfect dinner for two.

Shrimp Scampi:
6 frozen shrimp, deviened and tail off
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil and butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and saute until curled and pink. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to not overcook the shrimp. Top with fresh parsley.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes:
2 large russet potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place potatoes on a non-stick baking sheet in single layer. Roast for 45-50 minutes.

Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter:
2 ears of corn
4 tbsp butter, softened, separated
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Place cobs in the water with 2 tbsp of butter and liberally add salt.  Mix the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and parsley in a small bowl and place in the fridge to harden up a bit. Boil corn for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with herb butter.

Popovers: (BLT Steak's recipe)
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 tsp of salt
1/4 c of gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place popover/muffin pan in oven while it heats.  Warm milk gently in small saucepan. Meanwhile, beat eggs until frothy. Slowly stir in the milk, be careful not to add to quickly which will scramble the eggs. Add the flour and salt and mix until well blended. Take the pan out of the oven and spray with non-stick spray.  Fill each cup 3/4 full and top with grated gruyere cheese. Bake 15 minutes then turn the pan a quarter of a turn. Bake another 35 minutes until each have puffed up and turned golden brown. Serve immediately.

Beef Tenderloins:
2 6 oz beef tenderloins
1/4 c of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c of Asiago and Parmesan dressing (Kraft)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine marinade and steaks. Let sit, covered in the fridge for 3-5 hours. Preheat grill. Place each steak on grill and cook 5 minutes per side for the perfect medium rare steak. Baste each side with leftover marinade after each turn and also before plating. Once cooked, place steaks in an aluminum tent to rest for another few minutes. This helps to redistribute the juices inside.

Brownies with Hot Fudge Sauce and Ice Cream:
1 package of brownie mix
1/4 c of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c of heavy cream
Vanilla bean ice cream

Prepare brownies according to package.  Make a double boiler with saucepan and glass bowl. Boil water in saucepan. Make sure when the bowl is placed on the saucepan, the bottom does not touch the water. This will cause the chocolate to burn.  Add the chocolate chips and cream. Stir until melted. Serve with brownie, scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle the fudge on top.

This menu was the perfect steakhouse dinner that can be done at home! I also paired this meal with a great Virginia Merlot from Prince Michel. It was a great hit and allowed for a more intimate experience. Although, we will still have dinners out, this was a good alternative especially on a not so pretty Sunday.