Foie Gras Poele with Granny Smith Apples

I love foie gras. I don't get to have it as much since moving to the States, but I received some from my  very kind friend Steve over at The Milk Pail Market. And if you like this French delicacy, you will love what I accompanied it with. I sautéed diced Granny Smith apples in the rendered fat from the foie gras. It's a very simple dish but for sure will wow your Valentine if s/he likes refined French cuisine. My foie gras poêlé aux pommes Granny Smith is a delight.

The best part is that there are not a lot of ingredients involved in this dish. I simply used foie gras, Granny Smith apples, freshly pressed apple juice, apple cider vinegar and a little chicken stock. For a contrast of crunch you could add coarsely chopped hazelnuts with a drizzle of hazelnut oil as garnish. Toasted gingerbread would also make a great addition.

Red Hummus with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My husband Lulu is still heartbroken that the Giants beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last weekend, but our party for the Super Bowl is still on. At least I think it is. I'm planning on serving a lot of finger foods and this red hummus will be part of our tasty feast.

Though it's bursting with flavor, hummus can look a little dull, so I spiced it up with chile oil and sun dried tomatoes. The preparation is fairly simple and doesn't require more than a few ingredients, such as garbanzo beans, lemons, oil and of course sun dried tomatoes. Roasted or pickled garlic would be great here as well, but since we're going to be entertaining, I decided to omit it.

What are your plans for the Superbowl?

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.

Baileys and Hot Chocolate Tiramisu

Please welcome Jacklyn, of A BitterSweet Wife, a delicious food blog I discovered a few months ago. Jacklyn is a NYC fashion designer turned food writer with an incredible sense of design and very creative recipes. I'm especially fond of Jacklyn's desserts. Tiramisu is our family’s favorite dessert, so it’s a special treat to be sharing Jacklyn’s Baileys hot cocoa tiramisu recipe. Please visit Jacklyn's A Bitter Sweet Wife for more delicious dessert recipes!

This year is turning out just as wonderfully as I had predicted. I know it's a little soon to judge the entire year, but three weeks in, I'm very satisfied with the outlook. One of the very exciting opportunities that has presented itself to me this year is that I was asked by Jackie of PhamFatale.com to create a guest post for her blog! Seeing as though my blog is still a baby at six months old this month, it was an unexpected but great surprise that she reached out to me a few weeks ago asking me if I would be interested in creating a dessert post for her blog. Of course I said yes and began brainstorming for something that would be unique, but easy and delicious for my recipe. I am beyond pleased with my decision and the outcome of the dessert. It is a for sure crowd pleaser in anyone's kitchen.

It's a twist on a timeless classic that will have you dreaming of nights in front of the fireplace as you watch the snow fall outside your window.

Who doesn’t like to cuddle up with a nice mug of hot cocoa on a cold winters night? Add a little splash of Baileys and your sitting pretty. Well I decided that for my first attempt at tiramisu I was going to mix things up a little bit and do my own take on this Italian classic. (Hence were my opening statement about the Baileys spiked hot chocolate comes in to play.) I decided to swap out the coffee and brandy liquor for hot chocolate and Baileys, hoping that the taste would be reminiscent of the popular winters night beverage. And I have to say I think I was extremely successful. The taste of Baileys soaked cake hits you first, and then you get the sweetness from the chocolate powder mixed with the creamy tartness of the mascarpone mixture. It’s quite a divine combination.