Balancing Act

First , with great joy, enthusiasm and surprise, I must tell you something. I located a "Food Photography" setting on my camera! I hope I'll be able to find it again!  What will they think of next?  Ha - it only took me a  year to find it; imagine what other wonders await my discovery.

One of the premises of this new way of eating is that the ratio of fat to protein should be more or less equal. In some cases, such as fish and lean meats, this can be a challenge. Tonight I am preparing Beef Tenderloins which are quite lean and as a result, sometimes lacking in the flavor department since fat = flavor. The same thing is true of other cuts such as sirloin, although sirloin certainly has more flavor than tenderloin.

To try to balance it out, I am making a compound butter to be used as a garnish on the steak which will increase the fat content and add a ton of flavor. Compound butters can be used on anything really: meats, fish, eggs, even vegetables. You can flavor the butter with anything you like, herbs, aromatics (garlic, shallots) cheese, spices, citrus zest, the possibilities are endless. I like the combination of beef and blue cheese so that's what I'm doing, with a touch of fresh parsley for brightness. As always, buy the best ingredients you can afford. All butters are not created equal! Maytag is my favorite domestic Blue, and yes, it's the same family who makes the appliances. My store was out of it so I just picked another medium blue, not too much bite.

You can use the food processor for this, or soften the butter at room temperature and mix it by hand. I opted for the processor. Before you begin, wash and chop some parsley.  I used 1 stick butter, about 2.5 ounces blue cheese, 1/3 c chopped flat leaf parsley and about a teaspoon of freshly grated pepper.
Mix it up! 

When done, spread the mixture into a log shape on plastic wrap and roll it up in a tube. This will keep in the fridge for a week or so. Cut the desired amount and allow to come to room temperature before using.

When your steak or fish or whatever target is ready, plop a generous Tablespoon of the butter on top and let it melt as the meat rests.  If you've never tried this, I highly recommend it. It can add a whole new profile to an old favorite and maybe dress up a dish that has become so familiar, you don't want to eat it anymore.

Nutritional Info for the butter is approximate because I'm sure different types of Bleu or Blue cheese vary. But here goes: Total 71 g Fat, 13g Protein, 2 g Carb 1 G Fiber and that is for 10 generous servings of a heaping Tblsp. each.  Per serving: 7.1g Fat, 1.3g Protein, .1 Net carb.

I served the steaks with Aparagus spears which had been roasted in the oven at 400 for about 10 min, they were pretty thick.

See you soon!