The perfect filet mignon

Yes, I think I have only made steak for a handful of times in my life. I always feel like it's tricky to cook meat than vegetables. But this recipe proves me wrong! A perfect steak can just be quick and easy. 

It's actually a very random coincidence, as I strolled along my favorite French Market and stumbled upon two pieces of aged angus filet mignon. They were $8 each!! It's too hard to miss this chance to try on a steak recipe. 

So I bought these beauties home and found this recipe to hone my cooking skills. I always believe freshness of ingredients is key to success, this is definitely true when it comes to steak.

Ingredients:
Filet Mignon fillet (2)
pinch of sea salt and pepper for seasoning

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F 
2. Allow the meat sit in room temperature. Generously season the steak with sea salt and pepper on both sides, gently press/massage the seasoning into the meat. Sit the meat for about 15 minutes
   
3. Heat the pan in high and add oil/butter. Once the pan is hot enough, sear your mignon on the side for 3-4 minutes, depending on thickness. 
4. Turn the steak over and allow to sear for another 3-4 minutes
5. For the last minute, melt butter and add your favorite herb (rosemary/thyme goes very well)
6. Baste the steak with the herb butter 
7. If you like the steak very rare, you can take it off now and skip the steps below
8. For more well done steaks, slide them into the oven. Every 1-2 minute moves up the scale of doneness so time your cooking precisely. (I did 2 minutes for medium rare and 3 minutes for medium well)
   
9. Remove from oven, and put it on a plate cover a foil for 5 minutes before serving. This helps the steak to rest and the juice to settle
10. Prepare your side dishes/pasta and pour the jus on top of the filet. Enjoy!
    

Tips:
*  Use the feel technique to test the welldoness of the steak. NEVER cut the steal to test. The steak is continue cooking even off the oven and cutting open a steak will get it more cooked and less juicy
* Never let your steak sit in the over for more than 7-8 minutes

Lemon Curd Recipe

This basic recipe is based on  Joy of Baking and it had been a very useful jam for many uses.
Lemon curd is fantastic for scones, cupcakes, spread on toast, cake filling, fruits, you name it!

I doubled the recipe to make sure I have enough for my lemon cupcakes. But here's the original one yields 1 1/2 cup (can last for about 2-3 weeks if refridgerated):

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest (freshly ground at room temperature)

      

1. Whisk together eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Place mixing bowl over a saucepan of shimmering water (low heat)
   
2. Cook and stir mixture to prevent it from curdling. Cook until mixture is thick and creamy (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C)
3. Use your finger and scrape the spatula to test. The mixture should not be runny and stays on the surface
   
4. Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps
5. Add butter and lemon zest. Whisk into the mixture until blended
6. Cover the container immediately so a skin doesn't for. Fridge for at least 1-2 hours or until it becomes more firm. Enjoy!

Japanese Chiffon Lemon Cheesecake

This is used to be my go-to cheesecake recipe back when I was in high school. Back then, Japanese cheesecakes used to be a big hit in Hong Kong. I have to admit, once you had a taste of it, you will never go back to the American style cheesecake! (sorry, I am a bit bias here, don't hate me all cheesecake fans). The ingredients are very basic, but the steps can be quite tricky. The humidity in the oven and the way you fold the egg whites are key factors that determine the success of the cake. Good Luck!

Ingredients: (yield as much as two 8" cake pans or two pound cake pans)

• 250ml milk
• 250 gm cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
• 60 gm butter, softened at room temperature
• 6 egg yolks
• 20 g corn starch flour
• 55 g all-purpose flour
• 1 lemon zest
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
• 130 g caster sugar (I will add more sugar since the eggs will dilute the sweetness) 

1. Preheat oven to 150C (302F).
2. Place the bowl over simmering water. Add cream cheese and milk, stir occasionally, until completely dissolved and the mixture turns smooth. Stir in butter, till dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool down a bit, then add the egg yolks and combine well. (Note: Make sure the mixture is not too hot, as you don’t want to cook the egg yolks at this stage.)
   
3. Combine all-purpose flour and corn flour. Sift in the flours into the cream cheese mixture, mix in 1/3 amount at a time. Mix well between every addition, and make sure there aren’t any flour lumps. Stir in freshly grated zest. Set aside.
   
4. Place egg whites in a separate clean bowl. (Note: Make sure there’s no oil or water in the bowl at all.) Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites for about 3 minutes, then add cream of tartar (optional) and blend again. Pour all the sugar in the egg whites and blend until very stiff peaks form
   
5. Fold-in the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture gently with a rubber spatula just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not stir or beat. For a better result, fold in 1/3 of egg whites to the mixture and pour in the rest to incorporate
6. Pour the mixture into baking pans. Place the pans into another larger baking tray. Add hot water in the tray up to half way. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a needle or skewer that comes out clean
7. Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the pans. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Chill in a fridge for about 3 hours before serving

 Tips

1. Beat egg whites: make sure you beat to a point that the egg whites won't fall when you flip the bowl upside down
2. Fold-in egg whites: make sure you fold from bottom to top and turn the bowl as you fold the mixture into the egg whites. Keep your motion fast while thorough so you don't break the air bubbles inside the whites
3. Make sure you mix the egg whites from bottom to top, so that the egg yolk batter doesn't sink to the bottom. Uneven batter will cause a heavy/stiff bottom after the cake is baked
4. Water bath baking: if your baking pan has a loose bottom, make sure you double wrap the bottom with aluminium foil before you place it in the water 
5. Water: make sure you add enough water so as it bakes, the surface of the cake remains smooth without cracks
6. Chill the cake before serve will help stabilize the cake and makes it more smooth and creamy. It's easier to cut through the cake as well