Recently, when we were in Hot Springs, Ark., my husband, Bill, and I decided to go in Weldon's Meat Market on Central Avenue. They have the most wonderful selection of meats there, and they also smoke salmon.
They have a big variety of specialty sauces, rubs and marinades. I would recommend stopping by there when you are in town. The staff is friendly and extremely helpful.
We decided we wanted steak and lobster tail. I got a filet and Bill got a New York strip. The lobster tails were huge. We also picked up some "steak butter" that they make and sell. It's fabulous and so creamy.
We knew we didn't need much of a side dish with this meal, so we decided to have some mushrooms. I am going to share our recipe for the mushrooms. We created it ourselves.
We also picked up some salmon. It melts in your mouth. I asked what seasoning they use, and they were kind enough to share some with me. They make their own.
For the sides, we love having Brussels sprouts or spinach with salmon.
Cream Spinach
1 pound frozen chopped spinach or 2 pounds fresh
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block Philly) softened
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Frozen spinach: Thaw the spinach under running water (or try microwaving it for a few minutes to speed up the process), then squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can. Fresh spinach: Boil a pot of water. Add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute. Drain it and rinse it under cool water. Squeeze out excess water. Chop if desired.
In a medium saucepan, sauté the butter and onion over medium heat until it's lightly browned (about 5-7 minutes).
Reduce heat (I keep it on medium-low for this step, but you can increase heat as needed). Stir in the garlic, followed by the heavy cream, cream cheese, parmesan. It will take a few minutes for the cream cheese to melt in, especially if the cream cheese is cold. I break it up with my spoon/stir it continuously. The sauce should thicken up as it cooks.
Stir in the spinach and let it heat through. If you want more liquid, add in a splash more cream. If there's too much liquid, you may need to cook the spinach for a few more minutes to reduce the sauce to your liking.
Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am pretty generous with both).
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 pint Brussels sprouts (about a pound)
4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim bottom of Brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Roast, shaking pan every 5 minutes, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about 10 to 20 minutes.
Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.
Palmer Mushrooms
15 medium mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chives
Melt butter in a skillet, add olive oil. When hot, add mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms until done. Add garlic salt, pepper, cheese. When cheese melts, add chives.
Steak Butter (not the recipe from Weldon's)
½ pound salted butter, softened to room temperature (2 sticks, 1 cup)
1 tablespoon garlic passed, through a garlic press
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
Zest of half a lemon
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a wooden spoon.
Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and scrape out butter into a log.
Roll in the plastic, seal the ends and refrigerate for one hour.
Remove and roll the plastic to as perfect a round cylinder as possible.
Refrigerate or freeze until needed.
When ready to use, remove from the wrap and cut into thick coins and place on the freshly cooked steak.
