Pavés du Mail (Pan-Fried Steaks with Mustard Cream Sauce)

The crispy bits and juices left in a skillet after frying steaks make a delicious base for a creamy, cognac-laced pan sauce. We based this recipe on one in Daniel Young's The Bistros,

4 8–10-oz. flat iron steaks, cut
horizontally without the connective
tissue
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. canola oil
5 tbsp. cognac or brandy
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
1 1⁄2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add
steaks and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked to desired temperature, about 6 minutes for medium
rare. Remove pan from heat. Transfer steaks to 4 warm plates and pour off and discard all but 1 tbsp. fat.

2. Add 4 1⁄2 tbsp. cognac to pan and stir, scraping browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Return
pan to medium-high heat and cook for 20 seconds. Add cream and mustard, season with salt and pepper, and
cook, stirring vigorously, until sauce just comes together. Stir in remaining cognac and pour sauce over steaks.
Serve steaks garnished with parsley and black pepper.


SERVES 4

Pumpkin Walnut Spice Cake

From Saveur

FOR THE CAKE:
3⁄4 cup softened butter, plus additional for greasing pan
2 1⁄2 cups flour, plus additional for dusting pan
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger
1 pinch ground allspice
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh cooked pumpkin
3⁄4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped Candied Orange Slices

FOR THE GARNISH:
1⁄4 cup walnut halves
1 tsp. butter
2 tbsp. sugar
1⁄2 cup Candied-Orange Syrup
Candied Orange Slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 7 1⁄4" (7-cup) angel food cake pan. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, then beat in eggs, one at a time, and fold in pumpkin. Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just until smooth. Stir in walnuts and chopped candied oranges.

2. Spoon batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

3. Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in butter, remove from heat, and toss with sugar. Transfer cake to a platter, drizzle with syrup, arrange walnuts on top, and garnish with orange slices.

Candied Orange Slices

2 tbsp. whole black peppercorns
10 whole allspice berries
3 cups sugar
2 seedless oranges (such as valencias), thinly sliced

1. Place peppercorns and allspice in a piece of cheesecloth, tie into a bundle, then place in a medium saucepan with sugar and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and add oranges. To keep slices submerged, place the lid of a smaller saucepan in pan over orange slices. Simmer until rinds become very soft and syrup begins to foam, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

2. Remove orange slices from syrup and set aside to cool on wax paper. Discard spices and reserve syrup. (Orange slices can be stored in syrup in refrigerator for up to 1 month.)

Beef Stroganoff

from Saveur

1 1⁄2 lbs. filet of beef
6 tbsp. butter
Olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped green onions, white and
green parts
1⁄4 cup white wine or vermouth
A.1. sauce or worcestershire sauce
1 1⁄2 cups sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
Cooked egg noodles

1. Cut the beef into very thin slices, or, as Beard recommends, ask your butcher to do it for you.

2. Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in the pan and get it as hot as you can without burning; if you add just a bit of olive oil to the butter it helps prevent it from turning brown. Sauté the beef slices in the hot fat very quickly. When they are delicately browned on both sides and done (this takes only a minute or two), remove them to a hot platter. Add remaining butter and the chopped green onions and cook for a minute. Then add white wine or vermouth and a dash or two of A.1. sauce or worcestershire sauce and the sour cream. Stir well and heat through, but do not boil, or the sour cream will curdle. Salt to taste and pour the sauce over the beef. Top with a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper and chopped parsley. Serve atop egg noodles.

SERVES 6 – 8

Shepherd’s-Style Rigatoni with Ricotta and Sausage

from Saveur

Kosher salt, to taste
1 lb. rigatoni
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. cows' milk or sheep's milk ricotta
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. roughly chopped parsley
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese, to garnish

1. Bring 5 quarts lightly salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain and reserve pasta.

2. Meanwhile, break the sausage into small, olive-size chunks. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Discard grease and set sausage aside in skillet.

3. Put the ricotta into a large bowl. Add pepper, to taste. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water into the ricotta to make it creamy and saucy. Over high heat, add the pasta to the skillet with the sausage and 1/2 cup pasta water; stir vigorously to combine. Transfer the pasta and sausage to the bowl with the ricotta and mix well, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Stir in parsley and basil. Spoon the pasta into bowls and sprinkle with the pecorino and black pepper.

SERVES 4 – 6