A 'tweener seasonal meal

 

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This week has been a roller coaster ride weather wise, with cool to high temperatures, high humidity, then rain on Thursday, the threat of rain yesterday, and today another cool morning and hot afternoon.  Since our micro climates can't make up their collective minds, I declare today fall and am cooking accordingly.

I am putting together some of the elements from today's projects and just a few more.  I am using my homemade butter in a compound topping for my steak and the mushroom confit for a sweet potato filling.  So, tonight's menu --

Bacon wrapped beef tenderloin topped with a jalapeno herb compound butter, baked sweet potato with mushroom confit and sweet and sour braised Savoy cabbage.

I didn't splurge, the tenderloin was on sale.  I wrapped the filets with thick-sliced bacon and seasoned them with sea salt and Worcestershire sauce,

then allowed them to marinate until grilling time.

I took some of the just-made butter and made my steak topping.

{I popped a sweet potato in the oven to bake while I was preparing the rest of the meal.}

JALAPENO HERB COMPOUND BUTTER

6T sweet butter

1/2 shallot, minced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, cored and minced

Leaves from 3 sprigs thyme

Leaves from 3 sprigs flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs basil, finely chopped

dash lime juice

Warm the butter over low flame; add the next 4 ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the lime juice, pour into a ramekin and chill in the refrigerator until needed.

For my vegetable, I slowly simmered a head of Savoy cabbage in stock with wine and herbs.

THE OTHER RECIPE

4 cups vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, grated

1T marjoram leaves

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1T granulated sugar

3T apple cider vinegar

3T Marsala wine

1 head Savoy cabbage cut into 1/2 inch strips, large ribs removed

Warm the stock in a 3quart sauce pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients up to the wine, stir, then add the cabbage.  Simmer over medium flame until the cabbage is tender, approximately 30 minutes.  Drain and serve as a hot side dish.

For the rest of the prep, I grilled the tenderloin to medium rare (120 degrees Fahrenheit), topped with the compound butter, fork split the sweet potato and filled with the mushroom confit (warmed) alongside the cabbage.