Kids Cooking Club: Steaks and Mac-n-Cheese

If you love steak and macaroni and cheese (and who doesn’t?), you’ll be excited about these recipes. Not only does Chef Jerrett Joslin tell you how to make these taste good, he also gives you great cooking techniques.

Posted Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2011 | By June Naylor | Special to the Star-Telegram

Welcome to Week 5 in our summertime Star-Telegram Kids Cooking Club!

Each week for six weeks in the Thursday Your Life section, we’re presenting a local chef or food specialist working in the kitchen with kids, complete with recipes. Our goal is to have kids cook their way through the recipes (with some parental guidance), jot down a few notes and shoot a photo or two, if you like. At the end of the summer, club members will receive a certificate of completion. If you missed previous recipes, go to our Kids Cooking Club blog to catch up. The link is at the top of the page at www.star-telegram.com/living.

This week, we’re featuring a hearty menu from the Wild Mushroom, an upscale steakhouse in Weatherford.

Meet the cooks

Jerrett Joslin, owner-chef, The Wild Mushroom in Weatherford

With help from his son, Charlie, 8, and daughter, Layla, 2 1/2

In making the filet of beef with blackberry sauce, you’ll learn how to properly grill a steak to a particular temperature or “doneness,” and how to make a fancy fruit sauce for the steak. When making the mac with three kinds of cheese, you’ll learn how it’s done from scratch — and you’ll see why this is so much better than the kind from the box!

 

Filet of beef with blackberry sauce

  • 1 large shallot or small onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries, divided
  • 2 cups port wine (or white grape juice)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 cups beef stock (see note)
  • 4 beef tenderloin steaks, 4 to 6 ounces each, 1 inch thick
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch, if needed
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened

 

Directions:

  • In a saucepan, bring diced shallot, 3/4 cup blackberries, wine (or juice) and sugar to a boil. Boil gently over medium-low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes to reduce wine to 1/2 cup. Strain and set liquid aside.
  • Boil beef stock in a separate pan over medium-low heat to reduce by half. This will take approximately 15 minutes. Set aside. (Note: Beef stock is available at Central Market, Whole Foods, Market Street and other grocery stores.)
  • Grill steaks or pan-broil them over medium-high heat in skillet 6 minutes per side. Meanwhile, whisk blackberry reduction into reduced beef stock. If sauce is too thin, dissolve 1 teaspoon cornstarch in water, then stir into sauce and bring to a boil. Whisk in 1 tablespoon softened butter. Serve steaks with sauce and garnish with remaining blackberries.

 

 

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

  • 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 21/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups cream or milk
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 small package (8 ounces) golden velvet cheese (such as Velveeta)
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs, optional
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or cheddar, optional

 

Directions:

  • Cook macaroni according to the directions. Drain and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a white sauce called a roux. You may need to add more flour if the roux is too runny.
  • Add cream or milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly.
  • Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Butter a large casserole dish, transfer the macaroni to the dish, pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well. If you want, you can top with bread crumbs and extra cheese, then bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes until the top is melted and a little bit crunchy.

 

Tips/Guidelines

 

Meat temperature chart, using a meat thermometer

Rare: 120 to 125 degrees
Medium-rare: 130 to 135 degrees
Medium: 140 to 145 degrees
Medium-well: 150 to 155 degrees
Well-done: 160 degrees

Chef Joslin’s guidelines for kids in the kitchen

Younger children can help with preparing, measuring, mixing and pouring ingredients away from direct heat sources. Older children should be carefully supervised when cutting, grilling and/or pan broiling the steaks. Aprons and oven mitts should be worn by all.

Chef Joslin’s tips for cooking a great steak

1. Select the cut of meat you wish to cook and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, allowing the beef to come to room temperature. This helps you get a more tender steak when cooked, because cold beef will toughen a little when it hits a hot grill.

2. Trim off excess fat, as this will help prevent flame-ups during cooking.

3. Preheat grill. If using a gas grill, turn on high, or if you are using a charcoal grill, wait till coals are white ash and spread them out so that you have an even layer of coals.

4. Season the steaks on both sides with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Let the raw steaks rest for a few minutes with seasonings on top.

5. Place the steaks on the hot grill; you should hear the meat sizzle as you place the steaks on the grate.

6. Cook each side for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steaks. For the classic diamond grilled marks give the steaks a quarter-turn half way through cooking on each side.

7. Check steaks for doneness using a meat thermometer (see chart).

8. If needed, you can finish the steak in a 400-degree oven for the period of time needed to reach your desired meat temperature.

9. Transfer steaks to a plate and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before carving or serving.

 

View source: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/07/13/3216660/kids-cooking-club-steaks-and-mac.html

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