The Gift of Meat

I can't believe it. On Thursday our little Boy Who Was Once the Bean will be three months old. It's amazing how time flies. And how incredibly precious it truly is when you feel like you have so little of it. I feel like time is slipping by me faster every day as our chunker grows and hits new milestones. All of this speeding around had me thinking that we needed a bit of time to do something special and slow down to appreciate all of the blessings we have in our lives. Obviously, that meant food.

E's Father's Day gift was a bunch of doodads for our new Weber and the glorious gift of meat. The grilling issue of Bon Appetit arrived a few weeks ago and I dog-eared just about every page. Many of the recipes are too time consuming for me to make right now, but these two were quick and decadent enough to make for a very special meal. I never buy steaks this pricey, but they were perfect and totally worth it. Thank you, Bon Appetit, for making our first Father's Day so deliciously memorable.

Salt and Pepper Bone in Rib Eyes with Celery Apple Slaw

from Bon Appetit's Grilling Issue 2011

Ingredients:

1 1/2 inch thick bone in rib eye steaks

Coarse sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation: 

Put steak on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt pers side. Chill uncovered for up to 3 hours. Remove steak from refrigerator 1 hour before grilling and let come to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels. Season again with 1/2 tsp. salt; press in 1/2 tsp. pepper per side so pieces adhere.

Build a two-zone fire in a charcoal grill for direct (medium-high coals) and indirect (medium-low coals) heat. Alternatively, heat a gas grill to high just before cooking, leaving one burner on low. Sear steak over direct heat, flipping once, until nicely charred, 3-4 minutes per side. (If a flare-up occurs, use tongs to gently slide the steak to a cooler part of the grill.) Move steak to indirect heat and continue grilling, flipping once, 3-4 minutes per side. Using tongs, lift steak and sear both edges (the bone side and the fat-cap side) for 1-2 minutes per side to render out some of the fat. Grill steak to desired temperature, 14-18 minutes total or until an instant-read thermometer registers 120° for rare (steak will carry over to 125°, or medium-rare, as it rests).

Transfer steak to a carving board; let rest for 10 minutes. Slice across the grain, season with coarse sea salt, and serve.

For the slaw:

3 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbls. chopped fresh tarragon

3 celery stalks sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly, plus 1 Tbls fennel fronds chopped

1 green apple, julienned

salt and pepper

Preparation: 

Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add celery and celery leaves, thinly sliced fennel and chopped fennel fronds, and apple; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Obligatory baby boy update photo :)