The New York Times always has something cool in store when it comes to food.  True to form, Mark Bittman shares his thoughts on creating the best-tasting steak in the oven (cuz if you live in NY right now, you ain’t gonna go on your balcony and grill a steak).

Recipe of the Day: Oven-Grilled Steak

Maybe you don’t have a grill, maybe it’s freezing outside, maybe you don’t want to eat dinner in the choking cloud of smoke that stove-top steak cookery unfailingly produces. Fear not: this is a minimalist preparation if ever there was one.

Oven-“Grilled” Steak

Yield 4 servings

Time 30 minutes

Summary

It’s certainly not necessary, but if you equip your oven with a pizza stone or ceramic cooking tiles, you can produce the kind of strong, even bottom heat that chefs gain by putting their skillets directly on the floor of their ovens.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds strip or rib-eye steaks (2 large steaks should do it)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• 1. Preheat the oven to its maximum, 500 degrees or more, for at least 20 minutes; if it is equipped with a pizza stone, so much the better. About 10 minutes before you’re ready to eat, put a cast-iron or other ovenproof heavy skillet large enough to hold the steaks (or use 2) over high heat. Wait 2 or 3 minutes, until the pan is beginning to smoke.
• 2. Add the steaks and let them sit on top of the stove as long as you can before the smoke becomes intolerable — probably no more than a minute. Immediately transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the steaks for about 4 minutes, or until nicely browned on the bottom, then turn and cook on the other side for another 3 or 4 minutes, until done. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Source: Mark Bittman’s “Bitten” blog for The New York Times

I do not condone burglary in any way shape or form, but you can see how this guy couldn’t help himself . . .

Burglar Breaks Into Home, Makes Himself a Steak

Monday, February 09, 2009

There were dirty dishes in the sink, a dirty skillet on the stove, and used paper towels on the counter. The steak was gone, and police believe the intruder had cooked and eaten it.

Story courtesy of FoxNews.com.

Our Valentine’s dinner started off with roses being delivered. Nice.

We placed the salmon in the oven for baking. It was already seasoned and marinated. Nice.

Then our neighbor called to rib us about something — and he ended up coming over to eat our steak and salmon.

Not nice.

So it wasn’t exactly the romantic spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp I had hoped it would be. But, really, with the kids in the other room watching Space Buddies on DVD, was it ever going on the list of most romantic dinners of all-time?

No. 

And after 11 years of marriage, we’ve come to expect the unexpected. I truly can’t remember the last meal we’ve had in our house where we weren’t interrupted.

It’s just usually done by someone under the age of 10.

All kidding aside, our neighbor brought laughter and frivolity to our dinner, along with his 6-year-old daughter who promptly went to watch the DVD in the other room. And we couldn’t have been more pleased to have them.

Here’s what we enjoyed . . .

A little garlic rice pilaf amazingly complemented this juicy Top Sirloin. 

And those salmon filets?

They were moist and tender — and very flavorful. What a treat to have surf AND turf!

We topped off our meal with a wonderful Lemon Charlotte Royale cake that had raspberry swirls in it. It was just right for Valentine’s Day. Who could ask for anything more?

And although it may seem like we had a very mature-sounding Valentine’s Day, don’t let us fool you. Our biggest topic of conversation was whether to Tivo “Bromance” on the living room TV or the bedroom TV.

Decisions, decisions.