Walnut And Raspberry Steak With Garlic Shiitake Mushrooms

Besides lobster, there is something distinctive about serving steak for your loved ones, especially on special occasion, such as birthdays, Valentines Day, and Father’s Day.  Don’t you think?  If someone crave for a hearty meal, cooking up steak is probably on top of the list. The same goes with upscale restaurants.  Most of them  recommend steak and have it listed on their “romantic dinner” menu along with seafood items on Valentines Day.

Speaking of Valentines Day, it’s just around the corner.  What are you planning to do?  Are you planning to serve a romantic dinner at home or are you dinning out?

Planning a romantic dinner at home is a lot of work and a difficult task to some people, but it’s easier than you think.  I’ve done it  many times. You can plan ahead of time to prevent unpleasant surprises.   You can bring out your lovely china to make it classy, the best champagne you can afford to set the mood, and  light up some candles for luxurious, relaxing ambiance.  Oh, don’t forget the flowers. 🙂

To those who are dinning at home, here’s an original steak recipe of mine that you might be interested in serving.  It’s tender, juicy and flavorful.  A tenderloin marinated with walnut and raspberry dressing pan-grilled and topped with crumbled blue cheese and roasted walnuts (which I forgot to add) served with sauteed garlic Shiitake mushrooms on bed of romaine lettuce.  Delicious!

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For best results, grill the steak on a gas or charcoal grill.  However, if you prefer grilling it in a pan, no problem.  The only thing lacking is the infused smoke flavor, but it would still be delicious.

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Ingredients:

• 2 -6 oz. Rib Eye Steak or Tenderloin Steak
• 1/2 cup Ken’s Walnut and Raspberry Dressing plus more for the salad
• roasted walnuts and dried (or fresh, coarsely chopped) raspberries and cherries
• 3 cups dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly cut
• Italian parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine lettuce, cut in bite pieces
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sesame oil
• crumbled blue cheese and roasted walnuts for garnish

Preparation Methods:

Season the steak with salt and pepper.  For easy clean up, place steak in a Ziploc bag.  Add the Walnut and Raspberry dressing.  Marinate the steak at least 4 hours or overnight.  Lay it flat on the refrigerator shelf.   Let it stand for 15 minutes before grilling.  Grill it on a gas grill or a pan to desired doneness. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and walnuts.

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For the Shiitake Mushrooms,  drain and squeeze water out of the Shiitake mushrooms.  Set aside.  Saute garlic in Sesame and olive oil over medium heat until lightly brown.  Add the Shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms are tender.  Add the walnuts (I did add it here), dried raspberries,  dried cherries, and parsley.  Stir-fry until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

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If you want, you can add the romaine lettuce to make a Shiitake Mushroom Salad.   You can also add watercress and bean sprouts sauteed in Sesame oil until somewhat wilted.   Layer and arrange romaine lettuce, wilted watercress and bean sprouts, then sauteed Shiitake mushrooms.  Drizzle with Walnut and Raspberry dressing.   You can also add fresh raspberries if you prefer.   Take it from me, the salad was quite refreshing and so delicious!

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KIDS CORNER

If you have children and can’t find a babysitter  for them, well, let them join in and serve them the same thing.  However, you might need to make some changes to the ambiance.  Just improvise and unleash your creativity.

My children love their steak well-done and sliced.  I’ve read that well done meat is tough, dry and flavorless.  Well, not in our house.  Believe me, if you know how to flavor the steak and what kind or part of meat to serve, you will not end up with a dry, flavorless steak no matter what unless of course it’s burnt to a degree that it isn’t edible.  The steak was perfectly cooked just the way they like it;  flavorful, juicy, and very tender.  Served on bed of romaine lettuce and top with sauteed garlic Shiitake mushrooms with Walnut and Raspberry dressing on the side.  If your children have allergies to tree nuts, just omit the nuts.   What a superb dinner!  Don’t you agree?

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You can also cook the steak in a slow cooker using the walnut and raspberry dressing as the sauce to cook the meat.  Season with salt and pepper.  I am sure it would be delicious.  I’m going to try it next time and update this post with a picture.

Well, what’s a romantic dinner without dessert right?  I will show you next time what I recommend.  Thanks for following.  Have a blessed day!

Note:  If any of these recipes inspire you to use as a guide in creating your own, please be considerate and credit annascuisine.wordpress.com.  Thank you.

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