INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes and olive oil in medium bowl to coat; season generously with salt and pepper and toss again to blend. 2. Place potatoes flesh side down, in a single layer, on shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook. While potatoes roast, mince garlic cloves; sprinkle with salt and mash with flat side of chef's knife blade until paste forms (see illustration below). Transfer garlic paste to large bowl; set aside. After about 20 minutes of cooking potatoes remove foil; roast until side of potato touching pan is crusty golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove pan from oven and carefully turn potatoes over using metal spatula. (Press spatula against metal as it slides under potatoes to protect crusts.) Return pan to oven and roast until side of potato now touching pan is crusty golden brown and skins have raisin-like wrinkles, 5 to 10 minutes more. In EASY AND ELEGANTsprinkle rosemary evenly over potatoes. Remove from oven, last 3 minutes of roasting time, FILET MIGNON transfer potatoes to bowl with garlic (again, using metal spatula and extra care not to rip crusts); toss to distribute, and serve warm. Published August 1, 2004. Elegant dining doesnt need to be hard. Our Pan-Seared Filet Mignon, Roast Potatoes, and Sauted Mushrooms come together quickly without
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list of recipes
-Sauted Mushrooms with Shallots -Thyme Roast Potatoes with Garlic And Rosemary -Classic Panna Cotta -Pan-Seared Filet Mignon

SAUTED MUSHROOMS WITH SHALLOT AND THYME

Serves 4. Sauted mushrooms are a classic accompaniment to steak. When shopping, look for plump mushrooms with no bruising or wrinkles.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 shallot, minced RECIPE TESTING 1 1/2 pounds white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms (or a combination of both), halved if small, quartered if large 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Roasting Potatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the shallot and cook until the shallot is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Midway through cooking, remove the foil cover from the pan so the potatoes brown. serves 4.

Flip the potatoes so both ROAST POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY cut sides come into contact with the hot pan.

To roast more than two pounds of potatoes at once, use a second pan rather than crowding the first. If your potatoes are small, like new potatoes, cut them in halves instead of wedges and turn them cut-side up during the final ten minutes of roasting.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Red Bliss potatoesor other low-starch potatoes, scrubbed clean, dried, halved, and cut into 3/4-inch wedges 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium cloves garlic 1/8 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1. Once the garlic has been minced, sprinkle it lightly -with salt. 2. Drag the flat side of a chef's knife over the garlic salt mixture to form a paste.

CLASSIC PANNA COTTA

Serves 8. Serve panna cotta very cold with strawberry or raspberry sauce or lightly sweetened berries. Though traditionally unmolded, panna cotta may be chilled and served in wine glasses and sauced on top. If you would like to make the panna cotta a day ahead, decrease the gelatin to 2 5/8 teaspoons (2 teaspoons plus 1/8 teaspoon), and chill the filled wine glasses or ramekins for 18 to 24 hours.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole milk 2 3/4 teaspoons gelatin 3 cups heavy cream 2 inch piece vanilla bean, slit lengthwise with paring knife (or substitute 2 teaspoons extract) 6 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch table salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour milk into medium saucepan; sprinkle surface evenly with gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate gelatin. Meanwhile, turn contents of two ice cube trays (about 32 cubes) into large bowl; add 4 cups cold water. Measure cream into large measuring cup or pitcher. With paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds into cream; place pod in cream along with seeds and set mixture aside. Set eight wine glasses or 4-ounce ramekins on baking sheet.

2. Heat milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture registers 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 minutes. Off heat, add sugar and salt; stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. 3. Stirring constantly, slowly pour cream with vanilla into saucepan containing milk, then transfer mixture to medium bowl and set bowl over ice water bath. Stir frequently until thickened to the consistency of eggnog and mixture registers 50 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Strain mixture into large measuring cup or pitcher, then distribute evenly among wine glasses or ramekins. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure that plastic does not mar surface of cream; refrigerate until just set (mixture should wobble when shaken gently), 4 hours.

4. Serve panna cotta in wine glasses, or, following illustrations 1 through 4, unmold panna cotta from ramekins and serve immediately.

STEP-BYSTEP the Garlic Paste Creating

STEP-BYSTEP Unmolding the Panna Cotta

1. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a small bowl, dip a remekin into the water, count to three, and lift the ramekin out of the water.

2. With a moistened finger, press lightly around the periphery of the cream to loosen the edges. Dip the ramekin back into the water for another three-count.

3. Invert the ramekin over your palm and loosen the cream by cupping your fingers between the cream and the edges of the ramekin.

4. Gently lower the cream onto the plate.

PAN-SEARED FILET MIGNON

Serves 4.
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Determining when the meat is cooked to your liking is key, so pay close attention to the visual cues in step 3, or follow our suggestions below. If you choose to serve the steaks with one of the linked sauces , have all the sauce ingredients ready before searing the steaks. Begin the sauce while the steaks are in the oven. To cook six steaks instead of four, switch to a 12-inch pan and use 6 teaspoons of olive oil.
INGREDIENTS
4 center-cut filets mignons, 1 1/2 inches thick, 7 to 8 ounces each, dried thoroughly with paper towels 4 teaspoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. When oven reaches 450 degrees, heat 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (not nonstick) over high heat on stovetop until very hot, about 3 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, rub each side of steaks with 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place steaks in skillet and cook, without moving steaks, until well-browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes. Turn steaks with tongs and cook until well-browned

and a nice crust has formed on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat, and use tongs to transfer steaks to hot baking sheet in oven. 3. Roast 2 to 4 minutes for very rare (center of steaks will appear cherry red and feel very soft and loose when cut with tip of paring knife), 4 to 6 minutes for rare (centers will appear red and soft), 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare (centers will appear pink and feel firm but juicy), or 8 to 10 minutes for medium (centers will appear light pink and feel firm and compact). (After transferring steaks to oven, proceed with pan sauce of your choice.) Transfer steaks to large plate; loosely tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
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TECHNIQUE

Steak: When Is It Done? A great steak starts at the supermarket and ends with proper timing in the kitchen. Chefs who cook hundreds of steaks a week seem to know when a steak is done almost by intuition. Here are some of the more intriguing methods of determining doneness and our assessment of their practicality for home cooks.