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.

Ground Beef Stuffing Recipe

If you're Vietnamese, you've probably heard your mom say "tội chết" ("dreadfully sinful" in Vietnamese) in regards to wasting food. The lesson was definitely hammered into me, and now that I'm an adult, I intend to follow in my mom's footsteps and teach the same values to my girl.

I love Acme brand green onion slab bread. It's very flavorful, moist and delicious. I went a little over-board buying 4 loaves at Costco. I made panini sandwiches the day before and had one left-over on the kitchen counter. Today, my goal was to come up with a creative way to use it all. I made stuffing using the onion bread with ground beef, artichoke hearts, tomato paste and mozzarella cheese. I moistened the bread with beef stock I had stored in the freezer. It makes a wonderful one-dish meal once the little casserole dish is heated and broiled in the oven. And if the stale bread didn't have green onion in it, I could have made pain perdu (french toast) as well!

Roasted Lamb Shoulder Recipe

Too many people tend to stay away from lamb because of its strong taste. I think that’s a mistake. If marinated properly, lamb is so flavorful, tender and juicy without being overpowering. The key is to use lots and lots of garlic, and my go-to meat tenderizer, green papaya (I can't be thankful enough for Lulu's late grandma's secret).


This particular recipe calls for a large chunk of lamb shoulder. To ensure that the meat doesn't burn at the bottom of the cocotte ("Dutch oven" in French) while roasting, I place carrots and par-boiled potatoes underneath so they catch all the delicious flavors from the roasted meat. Just thinking about it makes me drool!

Lamb Meatball Recipe (Gluten Free Meatballs)

My favorite meat by far is lamb. When seasoned properly, it is so tender and tasty. I enjoy it both in whole pieces and in ground form. I recently made meatballs using ground lamb, which is something I haven’t tried before. The filling was flavored with fresh mint, cumin, smoked paprika, smoked pepper, smoked sea salt,  Worcestershire sauce, cayenne powder and lemon juice. I browned the meatballs in a non-stick pan and finished cooking them in marinara sauce. Usually I add bread to the meat but replaced it with quinoa to make the dish gluten-free. Simple and delicious!

I was introduced to Bourbon Barrel Foods products and used them when making these meatballs. I absolutely LOVE the unique flavors of their soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sea salts and spices. They are some of the most interesting and innovative ingredients I’ve used in a very long time. Annie from Bourbon Barrel Foods was kind enough to agree to give away a bottle of their Bourbon Barrel aged blue grass soy sauce, "the ONLY microbrewed Soy Sauce made in the U.S.", to three lucky Pham Fatale readers. Just submit your email to the Bourbon Barrel newsletter below before Monday, Oct 31^st, 2011 for a chance to win!

Bo Xao Xa Ot Recipe (Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef)

Bún thịt bò xào xả ớt (chile lemongrass beef noodles) is one of my favorite Vietnamese "casual" everyday meals. I like the way lemongrass is used to spice things up in this Vietnamese classic. Tender, boneless stir-fried beef is cooked with fresh lemongrass, freshly chopped chile peppers and onions. The meat is served in a bowl filled with cold vermicelli rice noodles, roasted peanuts, fresh vegetables (usually cucumber and pickled carrots), fresh Vietnamese herbs and soy bean sprouts. The entire dish is drizzled with mixed herbed fish sauce as seasoning.

The cooking time is very fast, and call me crazy but I love the sound of the sizzling pan. I stir-fried the beef, but on hotter days, you could also thread the meat into skewers and grill them.

Note: Glossary of relevant Vietnamese cooking terms.

Bún = noodles

Thịt bò = beef

Thịt = meat

Xào = stir fry

Xả = lemongrass

Ớt = chile