My Favorite Recipe

 

My favorite recipe of all time is Gaelic Steaks paired with cheesy Asparagus. A rustic meal that pairs well with any berry desert, and sweet red table wine, it is a perfect meal for a variety of different occasions, which made it my choice for this assignment.

Cheesy Asparagus

 

Steamed Asparagus (sex)

Sun-dried tomatoes (health, money, love, protection)

Crisp-crumbled bacon (fertility, prosperity, good luck)

Grated Italian five cheese blend

Heavy cream (love and spirituality)

Italian bread crumbs (love, money, protection, hope, security, hearth, home)

Butter (spirituality)

Caramelized onions (protection)

Rosemary (protection, love, healing, conscious mind)

Arrange all ingredients except bread crumbs and sun-dried tomatoes in casserole dish, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and add sun-dried tomatoes. Bake until bubbly.

 

Gaelic Steaks

2 TBSP butter (Spirituality)

2 TBSP Vegetable Oil

2 8oz steaks (passion)

2 cloves garlic (protect and health)

1 minced shallot (health)

4oz diced mushrooms (psychic awareness)

½ - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (protection, change)

1 tea honey (purification, health, love, sex, happiness, spirituality, and wisdom)

¾ cup heavy cream (love and spirituality)

¾ cup beef broth

2 TBSP Irish Whiskey

2 TBSP Irish Cream

Salt (to taste) (Stop psychic awareness, grounding, protection)

Pepper (to taste) (protection)

Heat butter and oil, add steak,  cook 3-4 minutes, set aside on plate, add garlic, shallot and mushrooms to pan, sauté 2-3 minutes, add honey and mustard, stir well, cook one minute, return steaks, cook 3-5 minutes, remove steaks again, add whiskey and broth, cook 3-5 minutes til reduces by half, whisk in cream, cook 3 minutes, add steaks, salt, and pepper. Cook three minutes. Serve hot.

 

This dish works as both comfort food and a cozy celebratory meal when paired with wine and dessert. In this case I choose raspberry white chocolate cream cheese pound cake. Fragrant, savory, there are several notes of protection cooked into the dish, several healing, several that promote spirituality, opening psychic awareness and delving deeper into the conscious mind. There is a rustic old timelessness  to the to the dish, both elements are creamy and tender, easy to consume, which makes it easy to focus on others around the table, the conversations and the emotions. Easy to relax and enjoy the mood and the fellowship. Several of these are also sun or mercury elements, and are represented by fire signs)

A meal that encourages taking time to listen, linger, savor, focus, share, flirt and laugh. It is also a recipe that connects me with my Irish heritage and I took great pride in seeking out real Irish butter, Irish whiskey and Irish Cream to use in it. In the past I have served it with Colcannon, especially in heavy winter months. There are also times when I will exchange out the wine for some beautiful cranberry and raspberry spiced teas. This is also a meal I plan to write into one of my upcoming books, including inserting the recipes in the back of the book for any readers who’d like to give them a try. In my head I can picture the scene, warm and cozy, with the three characters connecting and beginning to lean more about one another. I feel like, coupled with dialogue and imagery, this will produce a powerful scene.

 

Dessert ended up being Raspberry white chocolate cream cheese pound cake, which is simply box pound cake with melted white chocolate and cream cheese and raspberries added. Dinner was paired with cranberry 7-Up and Raspberry Blush Frisky Fox wine from a vineyard 20 minutes from my home. The Raspberry Blush is raspberries fermented with white grapes.

Husbands Comments: Food Comma. Damn. That’s some eating usually reserved for Thanksgiving.