Coffee -Crusted Cowboy Porterhouse with Tobacco Fried Onions

Growing up Restaurant

Growing up with a restaurant in the living room of your home was unusual enough. By the time I was twelve my brother was gone off to college and my mother  had one of the most celebrated restaurant addresses in Central Vermont. Most all of my friends were arriving home after school to a much more tranquil setting.

It was probably very close to the same program each night at dinner for most of my friends and their families. Not I however, the living room of our home was filled nightly with the hustle and bustle of the movers and shakers of our small town and a queue of diners from all over New England who traveled to Vermont to ski. So while most of my friends were home watching Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best and Bonanza we were inundated with characters from all walks of life.

The dining room was filled with business men, politicians, clergy and of course an occasional wise guy. At an early age I meet all sorts of characters all bound together by a common desire, my mother's food, the camaraderie of the Italian Table and the ultimate, a visit to their table from Mama Lee or a special treat she might send out from the kitchen. It was fun and exciting to meet all these people, many became lifelong friendships for our family that otherwise would have never existed. I try to keep that flame burning today at Proctor Gas providing the same quintessential hospitality my mother extended to her guests.

I would give anything for just one more visit from her to our table.

Coffee -Crusted Cowboy Porterhouse with Tobacco Fried Onions

This steak is probably enough for the ladies to share - not the case for Mr. Tom!

Serves 4-6

4- 22 OZ choice porterhouse steaks or your favorite steak

The Rub

tablespoon of fresh ground dark roast coffee

teaspoon of light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons sea salt

teaspoon of fine chopped rosemary

teaspoon of course ground black pepper

virgin olive oil

Heat the grill on high heat and turn it back to a medium high for cooking with the lid closed. To add a smoky flavor you can soak some wood chips wrap in foil and poke holes in the foil. Put the chips on when you start the grill up on a direct heat.

Place all the rub mixture in a bowl and mix well. Rub the virgin olive oil on the steaks and then coat well with the rub. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for about an hour.

Make sure your grates are clean and grill the steaks on the medium high heat with the lid closed. About 4 minutes on each side for medium steaks a little less for medium rare. Once you remove the steaks let them rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut them.

For the onions

1 large or two small yellow onions sliced very thin

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne chili pepper

Frying oil

Mix the flour and the spices and dredge the onions in the flour and fry them to golden. You can do these ahead and just serve them as a garnish on the top of the steak warm.

www.proctorgas.com
http://mrstomgrills.blogspot.com/

Gracie Allen's Roast Beef

I was once asked by a food writer if I were stranded on an island, what one utensil would I want and what one spice? The answer rolled off my lips, it was my now 45 year old iron skillet passed down from my mother. The one spice although not a spice would be garlic. The best companion to your propane gas grill is the iron skillet. If you don't have one you're missing out.

My mother fried every veal cutlet in this pan for more than 20 years at her restaurant. It is perfectly seasoned. It is wonderful on the gas grill you can caramelize onions and peppers and alike, and achieve that wonderful smoky infusion unattainable on the stove top. You can get a great sear on anything you cook and you can fry a buttermilk chicken right on your ProctorGas propane grill with it.

Make sure you clean and season the skillet  correctly. I like to wash them with soapy water, wipe them dry and re-season. To re-season pour a little oil in the pan and put it in the oven upside down for about 30 minutes or you can put it right on the burner on your stove and heat it up. Many times I just wipe them out after using.

My mother was a creature of habit, she would only fry her veal in the skillet and she had this k-mart fork that had been purchased for about $1.50. It was a long handle, designed for the backyard grill. It had two prongs, it was in her kitchen for at least 15 years, until she passed. I believe she got her money's worth as she did with most things. Somewhere along the way we had to duck tape it together but it was the only fork she would use to turn the veal in that iron pan!

Use your new grill from Proctor Gas and skillet to make the best brunch combination you ever had. You have to plan for this when you have weekend guests.

Gracie Allen's Classic Recipe for Roast Beef

1 large Roast of beef
1 small Roast of beef
Take the two roasts and put them in the oven.
When the little one burns, the big one is done.

Hope some of my readers are old enough to remember Gracie

On Saturday night or a couple of nights before hand prepare the classic Prime Rib dinner. Cook the rib to 120 degrees. If you desire your rib cooked to a medium temperature remove it from the oven and let it rest before you cut off the end to reserve for the hash. Then simply finish it to your desired temperature. The best way to finish it would be on your propane gas grill on an indirect heat with the lid on your grill closed or use the oven.

Sunday Morning Hangover Prime Rib Hash

Serves four

Ingredients

3lb piece of cooked prime rib, trimmed of all the fat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow pepper chopped

1 medium Vidalia onion chopped

4 stems of scallions chopped

1 bulb of fennel fronds and stocks removed, cored and finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary

Two cloves fine chopped garlic

S&P to taste

4 large eggs (optional)

Hollandaise (optional)

Heat your propane gas grill to a medium heat, if you're using charcoal it's not worth building the fire for this. Just use a medium heat on your stove. Place your iron skillet on the grill to get hot.

In a bowl place the potatoes with two tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 the rosemary, all the garlic, half the parsley a little salt and pepper and toss to cover the ingredients.

Add the potatoes to the skillet and brown them turning them for about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onions, and fennel and let them begin to break down and caramelize about 5 minutes and then add the peppers and finish for 3 minutes.

Toss the rib with the remaining garlic, rosemary, parsley, S&P. Add the remaining oil to the pan and on a medium high heat add the rib. Toss for two minutes and then add your potatoes, peppers, and alike to the pan and stir for about 4 more minutes. Remember the rib is already cooked your just mixing it together and incorporating the vegetables.

Scoop it out of the pan and pile it up on the plate in a little mound.

Optional

If it is brunch I love to add a sunny side up egg or over easy if you must. and then drizzle a little hollandaise on top ...this is so good!

There are many hollandaise recipes using a blender is the easiest way but here is a traditional recipe in case you don't have the blender.

http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes-and-more/recipes/hollandaise-sauce

Have a Happy and Safe fourth of July from all of us at Proctor Gas (the propane people) "we'll keep the flame burning forya"

Eat well

Mrs. Tom

NY Strips

Mr. Tom's favorite grill menu

I don't think there was a man alive who enjoyed a great steak like Mr. Tom. Around the propane gas industry both local and national he was legendary for his leadership when it came to choosing a great steak house. He was always anointed with this task on behalf of the group when they traveled to both regional and national shows. It was on one of these journeys that he would acquire a nick name that lasted him the rest of his days. T-bone!

As the story goes Mr. Tom made reservations at Bern's Steak House in Tampa Fla. ... Bern's is reputed to be one of the best steak houses in the world. The experience there is legendary this included a million bottle wine cellar that stretches two full blocks under the restaurant. The evening always includes tours of the kitchen and cellar given by the servers. In order to have dessert you make the reservation during dinner and you are reserved a seat on the second floor, you are escorted up in the elevator by your server, dessert is not served at the dinner table. Rolling carts of after dinner cordials are brought table side and the over sized desserts were just the way t-bone liked them, spectacular. It was not unusual for the dessert tabs to run fifty dollars and up, dinner, well forget about it!

The servers at Bern's make 70 to 80 thousand a year and as you might imagine, once in as a server you go nowhere else. Getting in is another story. Bern's has their own farm and raises their own produce, beef and has two 15 foot tall round fish tanks in the kitchen where the fish are still swimming until you order them. The tanks have glass walls so the guests are able to view the swimming fish. The whole experience is like Disney for foodies and especially for steak lovers. As a rite of passage the waiters are required to work on the farm for one year before the go on the floor at the restaurant. Their product knowledge is second to none in the industry.

Once you have been seated and have ordered your favorite libation the attentive staff is at your beckon call. This is generally when the kitchen tour takes place, the server will find your order hanging in the kitchen while you journey through and point to where the butcher is cutting your steak. They are not cut until your order arrives in the kitchen.

At Bern's Steak House you order your steak by the type of cut and whatever size you desire. There are minimums but no ceiling on how large, music to Mr. Tom's ears.. A typical order from Mr. Tom would sound something like this. "I'll have the king cut, just knock the horns off wipe its butt and put it on the plate". He liked it with the chill taken off! There were 8 propane gas men at the table and when the steaks arrived, the other 7 looked at Mr. Tom's Plate in amazement and asked the waiter "Lord how big is that steak". The waiter replied "that's not a steak that's a roast for a small family"! from that day forward he was T-bone.

Well the fourth of July is upon us, arguably one of the busiest grilling days of the year. Here is Mr. Toms favorite meal for the grill. Purchase a choice steak, a NY Strip would make Mr. Tom happy, 10 oz minimum, T-bone would say "14oz minimum". Mr. Tom loved a good dog with the same passion and if its dogs on the grill or a good kielbasa we suggest you stop by Big Lenny's Cart and purchase his savory relishes and mustard's to accompany your grilling. Oh and just to get into the spirit have a Big Lenny Treat while you're there. It's the thing I miss most about Rutland! Mr. Tom loved Lenny's kielbasa with the onion sauce and would always say" Lenny I'm not sure I liked that, better try another just to see".

Ingredients

4 12 oz NY Strips CAB or Choice

4 russet potatoes or good baking potato
1 bunch medium stock asparagus
2 large Vidalia onions if you can get them or white Spanish
1 stick unsalted butter/ room temp

Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons course cracked pepper
salt to taste

Place the oil, rosemary, garlic and pepper together in a bowl and whisk. Place the steaks on a flat plate and brush on the mixture and let them sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Do not salt until the steaks are on the grill or it draws the juices from the meat.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise and open up. With a sharp knife score the potatoes fairly deep in a crisscross pattern. Spread butter across and salt and pepper them, wrap them in foil.

Do the same with the onions. Make sure to peel the outside of the onion first.

Wash the asparagus and wrap them in foil with butter and S&P.

Heat the grill on high/ turn one side to medium heat

Place the potatoes cut side up on the grill so the butter will seep into the crevasses where the potato is scored. Leave them for about 15 minutes on the hot part of the grill, turn them over and move to the medium heat for another 20 minutes.

Place the onions on the grill in the same fashion they will take a little less time and come out with a wonderful caramelized texture.

Place the asparagus on last, turn it a few times and leave them on the medium heat for 10 minutes.

Remove the steaks from the plate and let the excess oil drain leaving as much of the herb mixture on the steak as possible. Place the steaks on the hot side of the grill. Depending on how hot your grill is about 7 minutes on each side for medium rare. The meat is expensive so to be sure I would always check with a meat thermometer. Brush the steaks with the remaining marinade as they cook. 120 TO 130 for medium rare.

Mrs. Toms Secret

Make sure to let your steaks rest for at least 10 minutes before you serve or cut them in order to let the juices recover and keep the meat nice and juicy. If you pay extra for Angus beef make sure it says CAB or Certified Angus Beef. Unless it does just purchase the choice cuts.

Gas Grilled Pizza

Pizza on the Grill

Our Mother Eleanora was the youngest of the family, a family of five children the descendents of the three Bove brothers who married three sisters. They sired 18 children, the last of which our Uncle Joe passed only a few weeks ago. Our grandparents were from Naples Italy. Naples is the home of Pizza. At least the story is that Pizza was created in Naples to honor Queen Margherita of Savoy. There are some that will tell you that the French invented the pizza but we are going to stay with the story of Queen Margherita. It is said the pizza depicted the Italian flag with its green, white and red colors.

Mrs. Tom's roots are Neapolitan and here she will share her secrets passed down from her mother and translate those secret recipes to her style of cooking on the outdoor gas grill. Making your pizza on the outdoor grill insures a crispy thin crust and adds a delicate smoked flavor to the dough.

Mrs. Tom will admit that there are days when she is so busy that she will resort to a store purchased dough or better yet one from a local pizza house or bakery. There are also good options on the store shelves if you don't have the time or inclination to make your own sauce. Here Mrs. Tom will share one of her favorite dough's and just how to grill them.

Gas grilled Pizza...John Henry's blackened Filet Mignon, Blue Cheese and Sweet Red Onions

The dough

Think of the dough as an artist canvas where there are no rules and almost everything goes. It was Wolfgang Puck at his Beverly Hills Spago Restaurant in the very early 1980's that began to change how we thought about pizza. He began to use classic dinner items and brunch items on his pizza. My brother tells me he flew out just for the pizza and with reservations in place a month ahead of time for two nights he rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, dined one night from the dinner menu and night two was pizza and champagne. Pizza was never the same again.

This is the dough that has become standard in our family since my brother's trip to Spago in 1980. Wolfgang would approve.
 

Makes 4-8 inch or two 14 inch dough

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon of olive oil

3/4 cup cool water

1 package fresh or dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cups of grits or polenta(for forming the dough)

1/4 cup of flour for dusting the rolling surface (while kneading)

·       Place the flour in a food processor
·       combine the salt, honey, olive oil and a 3/4 cup of cool water in a small bowl

·       Dissolve the yeast in a 1/4 cup of warm water and let it proof for about 10 minutes

·       with the motor running, slowly pour the salt and honey liquid through the feed tube. Then pour in the tempered yeast.

·       process until the dough forms on the blade of the processor if it becomes too sticky add a bit of flour.

·       transfer the dough to a lightly flour dusted surface... knead the dough until it is smooth. Place in a buttered bowl and allow the dough to rest covered for 30 minutes.

·       divide the dough into 2 or 4 equal size balls roll the dough until smooth and place in a bowl...refrigerate and cover with a damp towel

·       1 hour before using the dough remove from the refrigerator and let it stand for at least 1 hour until it comes to room temp

·       sprinkle the work surface with grits or polenta and form your dough
 

Handy tools for making the pizza

·       pizza peel or baking sheet

·       tongs

·       rolling pin optional

·       pizza wheel
·       cold beer or good bottle of wine to sip while tending the grill
 

Heat your grill on high for 15 minutes with the lid down

·       turn your grill to medium heat

·       brush the pizza both sides with oil

·       put the pizza on the grill for about 3 or 4 minutes on medium heat with the cover down don't peek, turn the pizza over using spatula and tongs. Turn off one set of burners so you can create indirect heat and place the pizza over the burners that have been turned off. Rotate the pizza a few times if the crust closest to the open flame begins to char.

Toppings

·       for the 14 inch size

·       two 7oz filets sliced thin (or any good cut of steak that you like)

·       two cups fresh graded mozzarella

·       1/1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese

·       1 medium red onion sliced thin

·       tomato sauce...homemade or purchased

·       John Henry's blackening rub seasoning sold at the Proctor Gas outdoor grilling showroom

·       3 table spoons olive oil

·       suggested seasonings, fresh oregano, basil at the end just a couple of minutes before the pie is done

·       Once you turn the pizza and place on the indirect heat you are ready for the toppings. Mr Tom probably could have used the sole of an old shoe as long as you put a good steak on it. So we are starting our grilled pizza with a classic steak, blue cheese and red onion.

·       In a small bowl place the steak and toss with John Henry's blackening seasoning rub. In a sauce pan place the olive oil and just sear the steak for 30 seconds on each side.

·       Now place the ingredients on the pizza, first spread your sauce, then the mozzarella, then the steak, blue cheese and shaved red onions on the top. Leave on the heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling away. Finish with fresh herbs.

Mrs Tom's secret
For a two burner grill turn off the one side when you turn the pizza, for a 3 burner turn off the middle and for a 4 burner turn off the two middle burners. Place the pie over the off burners and rotate if necessary to keep the crust evenly cooked. Check out the line of John Henry's rubs for the upcoming grilling season at the Proctor Gas showroom, good for fish, poultry, pork and beef.