Herb Crusted Petite Sirloin

So easy and so good...

You can do this method with any cut of steak; rib eye, filet mignon, sirloin...whatever you have.

Heat some butter and olive oil over high heat.

Swirl it together and keep cooking until butter starts to brown and oil starts to smoke.

Carefully toss in some finely minced garlic.

Keep swirling and stirring so it doesn't burn!

While your oil and garlic is cooling, combine your herbs.

Toss your herb mixture into the garlic and oil.

Stir everything together.

Pour mixture over steaks in a Ziploc or shallow bowl. Make sure every inch gets coated!

Add steaks to a super-hot pan when you're ready to cook.

Flip after about five minutes (or however you like them done).

Let 'em rest for a few minutes.

Dig in....

Herb Crusted Petite Sirloin

Serves 4

4 petite sirloins, about 1 1/2 inches thick

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat olive oil in a small fry pan. Just before it begins to smoke, add garlic; stir constantly and cook 1-2 minutes until garlic starts to brown. Remove pan from heat  and allow to cool. Add herbs and stir.

Place steaks into a shallow dish. Pour herb mixture over and turn steaks to coat. You can also do this in a Ziploc bag. Let marinate for 1-4 hours in refrigerator.

Preheat dry pan over high heat. Remove steaks, shake off excess oil. Place in hot pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side. Remove from heat and serve.

French Braised Oxtails

Remember that recipe contest that I mentioned I entered?

I created a total of five recipes and forced Papa Bear, Drama Queen, Little Lawyer, and our fantastic friends Steven, Kristina and Vinka to taste test them and rate them so I could decide which one out of the five was the one I should submit.  I ended up submitting Butternut Soup Muffins, but you can read about the other recipes that were kicked around like Shrimp Chowder Quesadillas, Old Fashioned Potato Soup Gnocchi or Creamy Tomato Roasted Mushrooms.

I really want to point out again (and again and again...) how much I appreciate Papa Bear and Steven for helping me with this project.  They took some fantastic shots of the food, and provided a ton of insight. I don't know what I'd do without them. Thanks guys....I love you!


I am a firm believer that oxtail is an underrated meat. It is not very expensive (at least not where I shop) and is on sale quite often. It is so rich and flavorful that you don't (or can't) eat a ton of it, so a little does go a long way.  I love the flavor of oxtail in stews and braises so much that I actually have several recipes for oxtail.  I make a country-style oxtail stew (much like a pot roast type of dish) that Drama Queen even requests for special occasion dinners.

If you like red meat, please don't overlook oxtail. You won't be sorry!!

Season oxtail with salt.

Place oxtail in ziploc and pour soup over to coat.

Marinate in fridge overnight.

Measure out cloves and allspice.

Tie them up in a cheesecloth for later.

In a large dutch oven, heat some oil and brown those tails in batches on all sides. Let them rest on a plate while you work the rest of the magic...

Saute springs of thyme, garlic, carrots, leeks and celery until softened.

Pile that meat right on top of the veggies.

Add enough wine and marinade (soup) to cover.

Add your cheesecloth-wrapped spices and bury them in the liquid. Cover & cook for one hour.

Have some diced pepper, diced tomato and shiitake ready to add to the pot. Cover and put back in the oven for 30 minutes or so.

Serve right out of the pot! You could also serve over rice or pasta.

French Braised Oxtails

4-5 pounds oxtails
1 can Wolfgang Puck French Onion Soup
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium leeks (white parts only), chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped

red wine

1 1/2 teaspoon cloves, whole
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice, whole
2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups any color peppers, chopped
10 ounces fresh or dried whole shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, re-hydrated if dried
Salt
Finely chopped scallions for garnish

Combine oxtails and soup. Marinade overnight. Take oxtails out of marinade and reserve onion soup.

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown both sides of meat in batches in olive oil. Lower heat to med-low and add a little more oil and butter; saute springs of thyme, garlic, carrots, leeks and celery until softened.

Return oxtails to pot and add wine and enough water to cover the oxtails. Bring to a simmer. Put cloves and allspice into a sachet or tie in a cheesecloth; submerge in liquid. Season with salt, cover, and put into a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Then add tomatoes, mushrooms and pepper. Stir and return pot to the oven for half an hour or until oxtails are tender. Check to see if additional water is needed during braising process. Seasoning with more salt if needed.  Garnish with scallions.

Steven made this even better...by adding a pinch more salt, sugar and thickening up the sauce, which tightened up the flavor and intensity quite a bit.
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