Butter Steak Recipe (Alain Ducasse)

If you're a regular reader, you know that I often tend toward the exotic or indulgent in my recipes. But at heart, I'm a steak and mashed potatoes kind of girl. I had an organic, grass fed, La Cense Beef ribeye steak that was just begging to be cooked, and today was as good a day as any to treat myself to a juicy steak.

I used French chef Alain Ducasse's method of basting the meat with a generous amount of butter and cloves of fresh garlic. The beef is served in style with a sauce chasseur (mushroom wine sauce), as if I were eating at Alain Ducasse's restaurant. It's a pretty simple meal, and since the meat is of such high quality, why mess with the flavors too much?


What with diaper changing, baths for my baby daughter and a little work out in between I've been exhausted, so I thought this delicious steak was well-deserved. Don't you agree? Now if I could only get all the vegetarians in our household (namely my husband Lulu), to give it a try. They don't know what they're missing out on!

And don't forget to enter our La Cense Beef Giveaway. Entering is easy — just leave your email address below! I’ll be choosing one winner at random. You have one more day (until this Friday, January 27th at 12pm PT) to enter. Good luck everyone! Plus, La Cense is offering a special deal to Pham Fatale readers. You can get $20 off 8 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks, plus 1 lb of free meatballs, all with free shipping ($157.48)! If that's too much meat for you, La Cense is also offering $10 off 4 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks ($71.24). La Cense Beef is 100% grass fed, with no hormones or antibiotics.

Ginger Citrus Rib-Eye Steak Soft Tacos (Steak Taco Recipe)

My husband Lulu is a huge 49ers fan. Being French, I've had to start from scratch and learn a lot about American football. I've actually started enjoying watching the games, though I wish they wouldn't hit each other so hard! We watched the incredible playoff game last weekend and Lulu was screaming for joy when Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis for the winning touchdown. The 49ers face the New York Giants in the NFC Championship this weekend, and Lulu is looking forward to watching the Niners advance to the Super Bowl.

We're having some people over to watch the game, so I created a meal that would fit the party, but with my own personal touch. For the main course, I made small plates of rib-eye steak soft tacos. To start, I seared the steaks after applying a ginger citrus rub. Once the steaks have a good crust, I glazed the meat with a spicy peach chutney. The soft tacos itself is layered with peach chutney, pickled mushrooms, sliced beef steak, shrimp and sour cream. The flavors were amazing and making this dish gave me plenty of ideas for what to serve for the Super Bowl when Lulu has all his buddies (and wives) over. I'll share some of the dishes I come up with over the next couple of weeks.

I used La Cense Beef in this dish, and if you want to recreate it for your own Super Bowl party, La Cense is offering a special deal to Pham Fatale readers. You can get $20 off 8 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks, plus 1 lb of free meatballs, all with free shipping ($157.48)! If that's too much meat for you, La Cense is also offering $10 off 4 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks ($71.24). La Cense Beef is 100% grass fed, with no hormones or antibiotics. I've had the privilege of trying their Prime Rib Roast as well as the Ribeye, and the flavor is out of this world. It's truly nothing like the beef you get from your local supermarket. So if you're planning to do something special for the Super Bowl, or if you just want to have a really nice steak dinner, definitely take advantage of this deal.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed Steak Recipe

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m sure many of you have turkey on the brain. For those of you who don’t really much care for turkey meat, here’s a steak recipe that still manages to capture some of the flavors of the season. Specifically, I made a cranberry-flavored cream cheese that I stuffed into the steaks. I was inspired by a chicken recipe I recently made with a filling of Granny Smith apples. The only difference is beef doesn't need to marinate overnight. Allow beef to marinate for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. I used my usual meat tenderizer (green papaya paste).

After stuffing the steaks with cranberry cheese filling, I sealed them with twine. I gave them a quick searing and then transferred the steaks to the oven to bring them to a perfect medium-rare. The cranberries bring a hint of tartness to the beef in addition to fitting perfectly on your (non-traditional) Thanksgiving table.

Rolled Stuffed Steak Recipe

Today I tested a rolled stuffed steak recipe for my Labor Day menu. I grilled the steak on the barbecue. First, I made a red olive tapenade and used it as the spread for the steaks. I selected boneless beef round as it's a leaner cut of meat.

The marinade I prepared served both as the meat tenderizer and the sauce. It was a simple mix of olive oil and lemon juice. I used California Olive Ranch olive oil, which I just received in the mail. The extra virgin olive oil is fragrant with bold, fruity notes. It imparted a very distinct and pleasant flavor to the beef, and I would definitely use it again.

I enjoyed the olive oil so much that I asked Kirsten from California Olive Ranch if we could give away a bottle to Pham Fatale readers. Kirsten very kindly agreed, and has generously offered not one, but three bottles! We’re planning on selecting three winners at random this week, with the first giveaway starting today.

For a chance to win the first bottle, all you need to do is complete the form below the description. It should take about 30 seconds. Please use a VALID email address because this is how we will contact you if you win! The 30^th of August is the deadline; any entries after that date will be not qualify for the giveaway. I will randomly pick the first winner and announce the name on Wednesday, August 31^st.

And for those of you who can't wait to try California Olive Ranch olive oil, head over to their online store, enter coupon code BLOGFRIENDS, and enjoy a 10% discount (for Pham Fatale readers)!

California Olive Ranch Giveaway Entry Form:

Pham Fatale Giveaway Terms and Conditions: No purchase necessary. All prizes are generously donated by the company featured. Pham Fatale does not accept money or gifts in exchange for these items. The companies featured in Pham Fatale Giveaways did not pay to participate in the Giveaways. Winners will be chosen at random, and odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Pham Fatale is not responsible for late, lost, stolen, illegible or incomplete entries which will be disqualified. Pham Fatale will not give your  information to the prize-giving company for future marketing. US Residents only please. Only one entry per person per giveaway. Prizes are not refundable or returnable. Giveaway terms subject to change.

Vietnamese-Style Beef Salad Recipe

Though I live in a house full of vegetarians, once in a while, I enjoy a tender and juicy steak. I’ve been getting the urge lately, so I bought a sirloin steak to satisfy my cravings. This time around I marinated it in an Asian-inspired sweet and savory sauce. I combined sugar, coriander, chiles, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice; the ingredients are very common in Vietnamese cuisine.

The meat doesn't require a long marinating time, which I love. A quick sear and you’ll have a perfectly juicy steak. I let the meat cool to temperature, then slice it into long strips against the grain, so the meat remains tender. The beef is scattered over a bed of mixed Vietnamese mint, cilantro and lettuce leaves, along with a bowl of rice vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, shredded cucumber and pickled carrots and daikon. My condiment of choice though: nước mắm (Vietnamese fish sauce). It may not be on your list, but it’s one of my favorites. No matter what you serve with this steak though, you will have a delicious meal!