Grass Fed Tenderloin of Beef/Kobe Beef Ribeye with 3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese, plus a great wine and a celebrity sighting

Grass Fed Tenderloin of Beef with 3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese

Kobe Beef Ribeye with 3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese

It's great to be back home from Las Vegas and the first thing I did (after sleeping for approximately 18 hours) was make a good home-cooked meal.

Today we went to this butcher in Costa Mesa, CA called The Meat House to pick up some steaks and the selection there was phenomenal. We got a Kobe beef ribeye steak and grass fed tenderloin of beef steaks. Both were excellent but the Kobe beef was my favorite. The Meat House currently has locations in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, and Texas.

The Meat House in Costa Mesa, California

Kobe beef ribeye, grass fed tenderloin of beef
with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

The steaks were super easy to prepare on the grill. They were incredibly tender, flavorful and the Kobe ribeye with its generous marbling just melted in my mouth.

Steaks:
Serves 3-4

Grill High Heat

Steaks:

1 10-ounce Kobe beef ribeye steak (about 3/4 inch thick)

2 6-ounce grass fed tenderloin of beef steaks (about 1 1/2 inches thick)

sea salt to taste (I used Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel)

fresh cracked pepper to taste

Let the steaks come to room temperature by letting them sit out on the counter for about an hour to take the chill off. This will keep them from seizing up when you put them on the hot grill. Salt and pepper them on both sides, then place them on the grill at high heat - about 550 degrees F.

I cooked the ribeye for 3 minutes per side for medium and the tenderloins for 6 minutes per side for medium (because they were much thicker). Remove from grill and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese

Gruyere Cheese, Maytag Blue Cheese, and Cheddar-like Cheese from Ireland

The 3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese was rich, creamy and a nice accompaniment to the buttery steaks.


3-Cheese Mac 'N Cheese:
Serves 6

Oven 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

8 ounces (about 1 3/4 cup, dry) elbow macaroni, prepared according to package directions

4 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cheese Sauce:

2 Tablespoons salted butter

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (regular iodized salt)

1/8 teaspoon of white pepper (or finely ground black pepper)

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (I used Emmi)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Kerrygold Red Leicester, which is similar to cheddar, but any cheddar will work)

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used Maytag)

Topping:

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

sprinkle of paprika (any kind)

To make the cheese sauce: In small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then add flour, salt, pepper, and ground mustard and stir to combine, making a roux or paste.

roux on left, white sauce on right

cheeses on left, cheese sauce on right

Next add milk and stir or whisk constantly until mixture is thick, bubbly and smooth. This is your béchamel or white sauce - the base for your cheese sauce. Remove from heat and immediately add the 3 cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted in and completely combined.

Place cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon in 9 x 11 baking dish (or similar size). Pour cheese sauce over and mix. Cover with additional shredded cheese and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in oven for 35 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

cheese sauce mixed in on left, with cheese on top in middle, baked on right

A Great Wine:
When I was in Las Vegas, we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Lavo in The Palazzo. The food was outstanding and the service was impeccable. Although I'm not a big wine drinker, I decided to sample what our host had ordered for the table. Turns out I really liked it and so I splurged on a bottle today to go with our dinner. It's from Orin Swift Cellars and it's called Papillon. I took a photo of the sign at BevMo where I bought it and it's a better description than I could articulate so here it is.

Great bottle of wine with the coolest label ever

Celebrity Sighting:
Last but not least - I had one celebrity sighting while in Las Vegas - Chazz Palminteri. He was arriving at Lavo as we were leaving so my friend snapped this photo.

Chazz Palminteri at Lavo