Coffee Rubbed Beef Tenderloin

Dinner this past weekend was an exceptionally large feast in honor of a good friend of mine. Despite the plethora of menu options this was a very easy meal to put together and serve. All of the individual parts are easy to prepare. The easiest and most impressive item on this menu is the Coffee Rubbed Beef Tenderloin.

This recipe, though detailed for beef tenderloin can be used on just about any cut of meat. I have used the rub for bison as well as beef on any cut that uses a dry cooking method: Strip, Skirt, Tenderloin, Sirloin etc

What I love about this dish: COFFEE

I don't drink coffee. I don't even enjoy coffee ice cream. However, the brown sugar adds a depth to the flavors beyond the sweetness of mere granulated sugar. The soy sauce substitutes out the need for salt. The bitterness of the coffee flavor is softened by the proteins of the meat. When seared correctly, the coffee and brown sugar create a crust on the meat. It contrasts beautifully with the rareness of the interior and the softness of the cippolini onions. 

 

Turtle Roadkill

Happy Soon-To-Be-Valentine's Day!

This holiday, revered by few and loathed by many, holds for me a wonderful tradition: Pizza and a movie on my couch. This, of course, should be accompanied by enormous quantities of that fabulous aphrodisiac and comfort food: CHOCOLATE.

And so I present for your intense scrutiny: Turtle Roadkill.

I know this is unexpected for those of you that have tried my truffles (but don't worry, I will post them too). Turtle Roadkill is not pretty, but it is YUMMY and very, very easy.

You will need two things: Small pretzels (\AKA Tiny Twists) and a bag of Rolos. That's right! I said Rolos.

Lay out all the pretzels in neat lines on a baking sheet.  

As you can see here, I also found Tree Pretzels which are great for Christmas, Earth Day or what you will.

Place a Rolo on top of each pretzel.

Put them in the oven on the lowest heat possible. My oven's lowest temperature is 170. At that temperature the Rolos need 8 minutes to get soft enough. At 200 degrees you only need 5 minutes.

Once you have taken the tray out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to press the Rolos into their pretzels.

These are good warm or cool.