A Budget Steak Meal From A Steak Master

Chef Michael Lomonaco Returns To Our Kitchen With A Steak Dinner

(CBS) 

Home-Made French Fries

3 pounds Idaho or russet potatoes, well washed and scrubbed
Canola, peanut or vegetable oil, for filling a fryer.
If you dare, add 50% beef lard or suet to the oil for more robust flavor

Preheat the oil to 245°F.

Either by hand or using a French-fry cutter, cut even fries that are ¼-inch-square and 5- or 6-inches long, gathering them in a bowl of cold water as you work.

When the fryer is hot and ready to cook, drain the fries of all water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. This is critical: Water and salt are the enemies of frying oil. The fries can sit on paper towels for a few minutes, in a single layer, to air dry if you're not sure you've gotten all the water out. Once dry, add just enough fries to the fryer basket to fill it halfway. This will insure even cooking without allowing the frying oil temperature to drop too much, which results in greasy fries.

This first fry is also called blanching since it's not meant to add any color. The fries will only be par-cooked and their color will only change from raw white to slightly creamier color. The batch of fries is done when they appear to be a more yellow-white than raw-white color, approximately 5 minutes. Remove each batch, drain of all oil, and spread out on paper towels to cool.

After all fries have been blanched, they will hold for several hours. Refrigerate them, covered, if you like, but do not freeze them.

When ready to serve: Bring a fryer to 365° to 385°F. (It can be the same oil, but only reuse it once.) Cook the fries in batches. Do not overload the fryer, each batch should fill the basket halfway. Fry each batch to a rich, golden-brown color. Time will vary from 2 to 3 depending on the fryer and the speed with which it reheats. For crispier fries, fry a bit longer. Drain and salt each batch as soon as it's done, and keep them covered and warm while you fry the remaining batches.

Serve the fries piping hot alongside the dish of your choice, or on their own.

Serves 4


Pear And Cranberry Cobbler

1 pound ripe pears peeled, seeded and cut into eighths
¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar plus more for dusting the pastry before baking
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus melted butter for brushing cobbler
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Put the fruit in a bowl with 1 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch. Gently stir together, and then pour into a 3- to 4-quart casserole or soufflé dish.

Put the flour, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir together until thoroughly mixed. Add the cream and combine. Add the cold butter quickly; combining only briefly, to leave the mixture as lumpy as possible, which helps make a flaky crust.

Lightly flour a work surface and dump the lumpy pastry out onto it. Flatten gently with your hands or a rolling pin into a shape approximately 1-inch thick and just large enough to cover the top of the fruit in the dish completely. I like to cut the pastry into 2-inch circles or squares using all the pastry. Top the fruit with the pastry, brush with melted butter, dust the top with sugar, and bake in the oven until the pastry top is nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm pear cobbler dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Serves 4