Steak w/ Bearnaise Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made this when my sister visited over the weekend, and it was a big hit with her and my roommate!
Menu:
Steak with Bearnaise sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spinach salad with strawberries

From Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good white wine
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 extra large egg yolks
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

6 (1 in thick) rib-eye steaks
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
For the sauce, put the champagne vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about five minutes, until the mixture is reduced to a few tablespoons. Cool slightly.

Place the cooled mixture with the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt in the jar of a blender and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender on, slowly pour the hot butter through the opening in the lid. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon leaves and blend only for a second. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of white wine to thin. Keep at room temperature while you cook the steaks.

Season the steaks liberally with salt and coarsely ground black pepper on both sides. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steaks on each side for 1 minute. reduce the heat to low and cook the steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve with the bearnaise sauce.
(You can make the sauce up to an hour in advance and allow it to sit in the blender. Before serving, add 1 tablespoon of the hottest tap water and blend for a few seconds.)

**Note: I halved this recipe and it still turned out great since there was only 3 of us and it serves 6.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or creme fraiche

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the garlic and oil to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly browned. Turn off the heat and set aside. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the water, reserving the cooking water, and remove the garlic from the oil, reserving the oil.

Process the potatoes and garlic through a food mill fitted with the medium disc. Add the reserved olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, the pepper, cream, and 3/4 cup of the cooking water to the potatoes and mix with a wooden spoon. Add more cooking water, if necessary, until the potatoes are creamy but still firm. Season to taste and serve hot.

Garlic Chicken and Moroccan Couscous

This is the last meal that I made for my family at home before returning to school. Both recipes are from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris

Menu:

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Moroccan Couscous

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
• 2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch o

ven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices

and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Moroccan Couscous

2 cups (2/3-inch) diced butternut squash

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)

1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced zucchini (2 medium)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or canned broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1 1/2 cups couscous (10 oz)

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the butternut squash, onions, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 teaspoon salt (depending on saltiness of the stock), 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the cumin, and saffron threads and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.

Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken stock over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve warm or at room temperature.