Tri-Color Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Ingredients

1 small head of green cabbage
1 small head of purple cabbage
5 large carrots, peeled
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Greek non-flavored yogurt or mayonnaise
1 tsp. celery seed.
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cup Blue cheese, Roquefort, or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut into wedges that will fit in the feeding tube of the food processor. Fit the food processor with a slicing blade, turn the machine on and slice the cabbage. Remove from food processor and place into a bowl, mix together, then measure out 10 cups of the cabbage and place in a large bowl. Reserve any extra cabbage for another use.

2. Change the slicing blade to a grating blade and grate the carrots, then add to the bowl with cabbage.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, sour cream, yogurt, celery seed, salt, and cheese.

4. Toss the cabbage mixture with dressing.

5. Top with toasted walnuts and serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can prepare vegetables & dressing ahead. Just assemble right before serving.

• Pull the dressing out of refrigerator 1 hour before serving to allow to warm up, then toss with slaw.

• To roast nuts: preheat oven 350º F. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully, they burn very quickly! Once cooled, the roasted nuts can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.

Perfect Grilled Steak with Bleu Cheese Butter

Ingredients

8 1½ inch thick New York Steaks
Salt & pepper

Butter:
8oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
4oz Bleu, Gorgonzola, or Roquefort Cheese, cut into pieces
2T chives, finely chopped
½ tsp. black pepper, ground
Salt

1.    Butter:  In the bowl of a food processor, add the butter, Bleu cheese. Pulse until combined.

2.    Add the chives and pepper. Pulse on and off until well combined.  Season with salt.

3.    Tear off a piece of plastic wrap, about 12x12 inches. Place the butter in the center of the wrap, fold the edge over, and shape into a log shape. Twist the ends closed. Place in the refrigerator until firm.

4.    Steak: Preheat your BBQ Grill for approximately 20 minutes.  

5.    Remove the meat from the packaging. Pat dry with a paper towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

6.    Season well with salt and pepper immediately prior to grilling. 

7.    Place steaks on a preheated grill. Leave the grill lid open and grill for about 6-7 minutes. Turn steaks over and grill for about another 4-5 minutes. Then check the internal temperature. Remove at 110-115º F for rare.

8.    Remove steaks from grill and place on platter. Top steaks with slices of Blue cheese butter. Loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Allow the meat to rest 5-10 minutes. This will allow the butter to melt and the meat will carry over cook an additional 10-15º making the finished cooking temperature 125ºF for a perfect-rare steak. 

9.    Spread the melted butter over the steaks.

10.  Serve the steak whole or slice into slices and serve on the platter. Serve immediately

TIPS & TRICKS

•    The Bleu cheese butter can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator a week. It also freezes beautifully.
•    I use a board scraper to help shape it into a log. 
•    You can serve the butter on top of fish or chicken too! It makes a quick delicious sauce.
•    Just like you preheat your oven, you need to preheat your grill! It is important to get the steel grill grates very hot in order to sear and char your steak. To achieve the fancy crosshatch pattern that steaks have in restaurants, place the steak at a 45-degree angle to the grill grates. Cook for about 4 minutes then rotate the steak 90 degrees for an additional 3 minutes. This will produce the seared crosshatch pattern. Turn steaks over and finish grilling. Serve with the pattern side up. 
•    Note: every grill is different and you must get to know your own grill’s temperature zones and settings. Each grill has a “hot spot” where the food will cook more quickly. It is important to learn where yours is. 
•    When you remove a piece of meat from cooking, it does not stop cooking immediately. It continues to “carry over cooking.” The internal temperature can rise 10-15º degrees, so you should remove the meat before it reaches its ideal temperature and allow the “carry over” to bring it up to its perfect doneness.
•    If you prefer your meat more medium-rare, cook till 120-125º F on the grill and allow it to carry over until it reaches 130-140º F.