Recipe: My Perfect Steak

So everyone and their father has their perfect steak and are the master of the BBQ, it is a thing of pride with a man to cook the perfect steak. The problem is that not everyone's father was actually that great at BBQing, hence here are my tips and thoughts on the perfect grilled steak. Steak is probably one of the meals I have been trying to perfect the longest, as it was a high-school and university tradition to pick up a steak on a Friday night before heading to the bars. I would love to hear any feedback if you think you have ideas to improve the steak.

Recipe: My Perfect Steak

1 pd, 1 inch thick Rib Roast (Bone-in Ribeye)
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (you can use the real thing, but I found this is better for flavour and application)
1/2 cayenne powder
1 tbsp olive oil

The recipe and technique can easily be used for a strip loin, porterhouse / t-bone and some sirloins. As you get into the tougher cuts like flank, this marinade and preparation will not break done the meat enough, hence I would not recommend it.

Start by removing the steak from the fridge about 1-2 hours before you plan on grilling. This is so the meat is at room temperature when you are ready to cook so that the steak cooks evenly throughout. About 20 minutes before grilling apply half the sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and olive to each side and rub in well. A couple of points, although salt adds great flavour, it can also draw out a lot of moisture, hence marinating the steak for too long can actually dry the meat out. Along the same lines, meat actually absorbs oil thus mixing the rub with the oil helps the flavour penetrate past the skin.

Turn on the BBQ to high and let heat while the steak quickly marinades. I like my BBQ to be about 500F-600F. Place the steak at a 45 degree angle on the grill and slightly turn down the flame to minimize flare ups. It is a fine balance between having the BBQ as hot as possible, but avoiding flames. If you do get flare ups, I like to use a turkey baster and a glass of water. The Ribeye should take about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. To get that steakhouse look, turn the Ribeye 90 degrees half way through grilling each side (this is another reason your grill need to be hot when you put the steak on). Once done, remove the Ribeye from the grill and let sit about 10 minutes for the meat to re-absorb the juices. Grab your favourite California Cabernet Sauvignon, Australian Shiraz or beer and enjoy!
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Recipe: Baileys Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found the base of this recipes online back when I was in fresh out of university(dont remember where or I would give them some credit), although I had a decent job, I couldn't bare wasting the white of an egg, hence I substituted Bailey's for the egg yolk and the rest is history! Enjoy

Recipe:Bailey's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups spelt flour (add more flour until the dough is not sticky)
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar (you can use a little less if you want for both white and brown sugar)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 Tbsp Baileys (substitute with an egg yolk if you do not want to use baileys)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325F. I love using clay cookie sheets or silpat as if keeps the bottoms from burning and keeps the cookie chewy. if you need to use a cookie sheet, watch the bottoms very close, so they do not burn, their is a lot of sugar in these and they burn easily. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. eat in the vanilla, egg, and baileys until light and creamy. Sift in the the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the sifted ingredients until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. I like to do very small cookies, about a tablespoon each, but you can change the size, just adjust cooking time accordingly. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
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Recipe: Triple Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Anything that includes cheese, butter and bread is going to be great, but a few simple tips and techniques can take a great sandwich to the perfect grilled cheese!

Recipe:Perfect Grilled Cheese

2 Pieces of French or Italian loaf (substitute your favorite bread if desired).
3 Slices of Mozzarella
2 Slices of Cheddar
2 Slices of Gouda
2 Slices of Swiss
Butter

Preheat a pan to med-low heat. Add cheese to one side of the bread and cover with the other piece. Butter the outside of the piece of bread on top. Place in pan butter side down, you should not have any smoke or your pan is too hot, turn it down if you do. Butter the outside of the piece of bread now on top. Cover with a lid to ensure the cheese melts and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. After about 2 minutes check the bottom to determine colour. Once the bread has a nice golden brown crust flip the sandwich. Careful as the cheese may not be melted at this point, hence the sandwich may fall apart. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes covered, checking the bottom to determine when it is ready. Again it should have a nice golden brown colour to it. Dip in ketchup and Enjoy!!
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