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Before Emeril Lagasse morphed into a bullfrog, he hosted my favorite tv show.
It was called "Emeril Live," and as a 9-year-old foodie, it was the best thing on television.
His cooking was magical.
Emeril brought Louisiana cooking to life in his own charismatic, over-the-top, sometimes dangerous style.
Creating traditional dishes right in front of the drooling, middle-aged women in his audience, who paid a king's ransom to sit at the chef's table in front of him.
"Make some friends," he'd say to the star-struck woman in the center, setting an extra-large bowl of steaming jambalaya in front of her.
As her table mates greedily converged, he'd introduce his next dish.
Peppered NY steak
Everything about Emeril’s cooking was memorable.
The mountains of shellfish, the brown roux, the prolific use of spices, and the "trinity" of green bell pepper, celery and onion that formed the base of flavor in his dishes.
But his sense of flair would often get out of hand, as he'd casually dust the rims of plates with cayenne pepper.
I thought it was a mistake, the first time I saw him do it.
"Emeril, you missed!" I yelled at the TV. "Spices go on the food - not the plate, you dim-witted Cajun!"
Chalk it up to being eccentric; everyone has a signature kitchen move.
It's not mine, though.
I'm an enthusiastic user of spices in cooking, and you'll taste them in my marinades, stews, sauces, meat and fish seasonings....
But never on the rim of a plate.
This week's SIMPL recipe stars one of my favorite spice blends that's usually buried somewhere in the back of the spice rack until around mid-October.
Pumpkin pie spice.
It's lightly toasted in a pan to bring out an extra dimension of flavor.
Then it's combined with butter, agave syrup and orange juice, and tossed with diced sweet potatoes, forming a sweet, rich glaze with an aroma that reminds me of spiced rum as it's roasting in the oven.
5 servings of New York steak are given a generous treatment of fresh-ground black pepper, then seared in a pan to medium-rare. Before plating, I like to slice the steak at a 45 degree angle, which makes it fan out nicely on a plate (or meal prep box).
Blanched haricots vert (French green beans) give the dish some bright green color and a healthy crunch.
With only 11 ingredients, this tasty, high-protein dish took me 90 minutes to cook, so the when I say it’s SIMPL, I mean it.
Here's the nutrition breakdown for 1 serving of this recipe:
Nutrition
Calories: 886
Protein: 53g
Carbs: 51g
Fat: 52g
Peppered NY steak
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Peppered New York steak with orange-glazed sweet potatoes, toasted pecans, and haricots vert
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Ingredients:
Juice of 2 oranges (order 2)
For the beef:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the steaks on both sides generously with salt and black pepper. In a heavy, preheated sauté pan, add the avocado oil. When it the oil is smoking hot, sear the steaks on one side until they're browned, about 2-3 minutes. Flip them over, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness. When they're cooked your liking, remove them from the pan and place on a cutting board to cool.
For the orange glaze:
In a saucepan on medium heat, add the pumpkin pie spice, tossing a few times. When the spices start to smoke (after 20-30 seconds) whisk in the butter and agave syrup. When it comes to a simmer, add 2 tsp salt, plus the orange juice, and remove from the heat.
For the sweet potatoes:
In a mixing bowl, add the diced sweet potatoes and toss with half of the glaze. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spread out the sweet potatoes on the pan. Roast them in the oven at 425 degrees until they're tender. While they're still hot, discard the aluminum foil, and toss them in a mixing bowl with the pecans and the rest of the orange glaze. Transfer them back to the sheet pan to cool.
For the haricots vert:
Fill a stockpot with water, add a large handful of salt, and bring it to a boil. Fill a mixing bowl with ice water, and set it aside. When the pot of water is boiling, blanch the green beans for 1 minute, or until cooked al denté. Strain them out, and chill them in the bowl of ice water. Once they're chilled, transfer them to a container lined with a towel to dry.
To finish:
When the steaks are cool, slice them thinly, against the grain, about 1/4 inch thick. Divide the sweet potatoes between 5 meal prep boxes. Top with the blanched green beans, and finish with the sliced steak. Seal the containers, and store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to reheat.
Peppered NY steak