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Seared Steak with Mushroom Marsala Sauce

I live near-ish Kennett Square, PA, the “mushroom capital of the world.” For the last 28 years, Kennett Square has hosted an amazing Mushroom Festival the first weekend following Labor Day. I love this festival. There are cooking demonstrations, contests, farm tours, and of course, a ton of mushroom filled dishes. But honestly the best part of the festival is the ability to stock up on all different kinds of mushrooms.

So for the week following the Mushroom Festival each year, I gorge myself on all things mushroom. You may have noticed that each year this blog gets very fungi-filled in September. (Past posts: Mushroom Risotto, Mushroom Green Bean and Farro Salad with a Poached Egg and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, and Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon).

Beef and Mushrooms are really wonderful together, which is why you see them paired so often. To get the most flavor out of these ingredients, I wanted to sear steak (I used filet tail), cook the mushrooms in the same pan, and then make a sauce with some of the browned bits left in the pan.

I made this one-pot dish in a new offering from Calphalon and Williams-Sonoma: the Elite Nonstick line of pans. I received a 3-piece set which includes a 10″ Fry Pan and a 3 quart Saute Pan with a lid. These are some snaz-zy pans. I literally swooned when I opened them up. There are a bunch of great qualities to these pans that make them perfect for this recipe. The Elite Nonstick line of cookware has a textured sear nonstick surface, which seals in flavor when browning or searing. The pans are metal-utensil safe, so you can use your metal whisk or spatula without scratching the cookware. The cookware is also dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze.

Elite Nonstick just launched on Williams-Sonoma.com on September 12 and will be available in Williams-Sonoma Stores on September 27. The cookware is sold as an 11-piece set, or as individual pieces. But I am excited to announce that Calphalon is giving one I Can Cook That reader a 10″ Elite Fry Pan, valued at $150! I’ll have more on the giveaway at the end of this post.

So let’s see what these awesome pans can do! I used the 3 quart saute pan for this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 8-oz steaks (I used filet tails)
2 shallots, chopped
2 cups assorted mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup beef stock
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
fresh chives, sliced, for garnish

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Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

I have somehow never even attempted Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon. I must have skipped over that week during JC100. This dish is easily adapted for a slow cooker because it is a stew recipe that takes quite a long time to cook. This Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French comfort food, which cooks chunks of beef in a red wine-beef broth with garlic, onions, and carrots. The recipe I used is adapted from a new cookbook called The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes (100% Gluten-Free) by Judith Finlayson. I personally do not follow a Gluten-Free or Paleo diet (something that is probably glaringly apparent with my dairy and gluten filled posts) but have friends that do for various reasons. I wanted to learn more about Paleo and what exactly it entails so that I can hopefully post some Paleo friendly and Gluten-free recipes in the future. So what is Paleo? The general idea behind it is to eat like hunter-gatherers from the Paleolithic Age,or basically eat things in their natural state. So it is a protein-rich diet that limits carbs that are low in starch (fruits, veggies). Grains, legumes, refined sugars, and other processed foods are all not consumed on the Paelo diet. The diet also favors organic foods and meats that have been grass fed. Boeuf Bourguignon is honestly mostly Paelo to begin with. Only a few minimal changes have to be made (no traditional butter, sorry Julia). And instead of serving the stew with pasta, potatoes, or rice, the dish is just enjoyed as is. I kept to the recipe in the cookbook for the most part but did edit it ever so slightly to include the lovely mushrooms I picked up at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival this weekend. I also substituted in Herbes de Provence because I couldn’t find my thyme anywhere. Ingredients (Serves 4):

1 tbsp clarified butter (Ghee) – make sure its organic and comes from grass fed cows (or olive oil to make dairy free)
4 slices uncured bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 lbs grass fed beef, cubed
1 lb assorted mushrooms (I used beech, oyster, and trumpet)
2 white onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
2 cups organic dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock (make sure there is no sugar added)
parsley, chopped, for garnish

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Blueberry Mushroom Risotto

Blueberry Mushroom Risotto. Hear me out. I know you read the title of this post and probably thought I’ve officially lost it. But I promise you this is amazing. I first heard about this bizarre combo in a book called The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook. This book is fantastic. It lists pairings, common and strange, to help make your cooking a bit more adventurous. I page through it all the time, and have learned some yummy pairings. But the one that has stuck out to me the most is the mushroom and blueberry combination.

Apparently northern Italy cooking commonly pairs fruit with mushrooms according to the book. Who knew? My fellow Philadelphian (and internationally known chef) Marc Vetri also has a porcini and blueberry lasagna in one of his cookbooks: Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey.

So when I found myself the proud recipient of a bunch of mushrooms from To-Jo Mushrooms, I knew it was finally time to try it out. It has been a really crummy, rainy day so I was craving comfort food. Risotto is a perfect rainy day food: hearty, creamy, and absolutely delicious! I’m a huge fan of mushroom risotto so I was excited to try this spin on it. In the past, I’ve made a traditional Mushroom Risotto, as well as a Wild Mushroom Farro Risotto.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup shallots, sliced
3 slider mushrooms, sliced (or 2 large portobello mushrooms)
1/4 cup assorted dry mushrooms, optional (I used a mixture of morel, chanterelle, and trumpet mushrooms)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups beef stock
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

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Mushroom Risotto

This past weekend, Kennett Square held it’s annual Mushroom Festival. I unfortunately didn’t get to go this year, but my parents dropped off a variety of mushrooms for me. When I have a lot of different types of mushrooms, my go to recipe is a mushroom risotto.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced (I used oyster, shiitake, portobello & trumpet)
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

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