Ingredients to Serve 2
2 ounces blue cheese
1 Bundle of asparagus
12-16 ounces of steak
2-3 Lemons
Parmesan
Grape Tomatoes
Grits
Chicken Stock
Oil and butter
1) Season the cherry tomatoes and on half of the asparagus with olive oil salt and pepper and then roast at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, until tomatoes are ready to burst in your mouth. Season tomatoes and put them in freezer or fridge to chill. (Depending on how fast you plan to work.) Set asparagus aside.
2) Squeeze the juice of two lemons and add about one part water to one part lemon juice. Add ice and then shave the other half of the asparagus into the acidulated ice bath. Put in fridge.
3) Season steak with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Let warm to room temperature.
4) Grate Parmesan.
5) Boil one cup water and one cup chicken stock to a rolling boil and reduce to low heat. Slowly stir in one half cup of grits. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
6)While grits are cooking, get your pan smoking hot for steak. Add canola oil and cook steak to desired temperature (medium rare unless you're a heathen:-)
7) Drain shaved asparagus combine with cherry tomatoes, season to taste..
8) Remove the asparagus from oven. It should cook 12-16 minutes, again depending on how you like it cooked. Season it with lemon juice, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Slice on a bias into three sections.
9) Rest steak. Remove grits from heat, add blue cheese, salt and black pepper to grits. They should be loose but not watery, run across the plate like a good risotto.
10) Put it on the plate. I like the grits in the middle fanned into a little circle, the sliced steak on top and the asparagus preparations on opposite sides of the meat.
I like the contrast of temperatures with the cool acidic salad and the creamy rich grits. Beef and Blue cheese go well together, Tomatoes and Blue cheese are a classic, asparagus and beef are also a classic pairing. Cook time is probably about 30-45 minutes.
