London Broil and Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce with fresh steamed green beans

How long have I had I had this blog and not one salivation on it?  Well, that stops today.  Here is one of my favorite combos.  The fresh herbs rubbed over any meat is delicious and the sour cream jalapeno sauce is a perfect complement to many dishes.  I prefer it with beef.  Here are the ingredients and recipes.  I'll give an illustrated, step by step instruction below.

Jalapeno and Sour Cream Sauce

London Broil and fresh herb rub

Creme Fraiche 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream 3/4 cup Sour Cream *this can and should be prepared ahead of time.  I recommend doing it in a cold glass bowl.  Mix the whipping cream into the sour cream gradually until you have a nice thick mixture.  It shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.  Store in fridge. Ingredients: 1 or 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped (it's your call here but more than two will probably make it too hot) 1 to 3 cloves of garlic (again, your call, I use a lot) olive oil (a couple teaspoons, use your eye) optional: butter (about a half tablespoon) salt and pepper to taste Saute garlic and jalapeno until tender, add butter, stir in Creme Fraiche, salt and pepper to taste

*measurements are approximate.  Use whatever amount you need to cover meat 1/4 cup Fresh Basil 1/4 cup Fresh Rosemary 4 cloves Fresh Garlic Insert into chopper with a little Olive Oil.  Rub on London Broil. Grill over medium heat 4 to 8 minutes to a side.

Now the first thing you want to do is fire up the grill.  Then make your Creme' Fraiche'

Put your sour cream in a bowl then gradually add the heavy whipping cream as you stir. You should get a nice looking thick mixture like what you see in the picture. Set it aside, preferably in the fridge.

Then it's time to chop up the herbs.

 

It's all pretty simple but time consuming.  Put the basil, rosemary, and garlic in the chopper.  I have a puny little chopper so I do a little pre-chopping.

NOW, it's time to chop.  Make sure you add a little olive oil before chopping.

After chopping it all up, this is what you will end up with.

I like to rub the meet with a little olive oil and salt before coating it with the herbs. I always thinks it's a good idea to rub some coarse salt over beef before grilling. Here is a good pic of what it might look like. I was a little over ambitious with the herbs as you can see. Make sure you rub it all over the meat. It doesn't need to be this much as a little herb dan go a long way but this much doesn't hurt and it sure looks nice when you're finished.

Then go ahead and throw it on the grill. I aim for six minutes a side but you know how how your grill is. The important thing with London Broil, just like steaks, is that you don't overcook them. They don't have a lot of fat within the meat. Make sure you keep an eye on it but it is time to prepare the ingredients for the the sauce.

Chop up the garlic and seed and chop the jalapeno(s). The sauce only takes about 5 minutes to make. You can actually wait to do it until you pull the meat off the grill as the meat should rest for about 5 minutes before you touch it, anyway. After I turn the meat, I'll start the vegetable side if there is one. It takes me about six minutes to steam frozen green beans and about 8 to 10 for fresh in a steamer basket on the stove.

Here is the london broil resting.

Once your ready to make the sauce, put some olive oil in a sauce pan or small skillet and heat it up for a few seconds then add the garlic and jalapeno(s).  Cook them over low to medium heat.  You don't want to brown or overcook the garlic.  A little brown is okay but too much will take a way from the sauce.

After they've cooked for a couple minutes, I'll toss in a little butter for flavor.  With butter, like herbs, a little bit can go a long way so you don't need a lot.  I have about 1/4 tablespoon in there.  With the heavy whipping cream, it's almost unnecessary.  Call it an indulgence or a guilty pleasure.

After the jalapenos are tender, turn off the burner.  Slowly add the Creme' Fraiche' while stirring gently.  The sauce can be warmed up if necessary but if you time it right you'll be able to add it right to the plate.  It does not need to be terribly warm.  It tastes its best if it is luke warm.

Now you're ready to slice the meat. London Broil should be sliced along the grain at a 45 degree angle.

Select a few slices to place on your plate.

Then add your vegetable.  I chose fresh green beans from the garden.

And then add your sauce.  I attempted to get fancy  by putting it all around the plate and pretty much failed as it looks a little sloppy.  The sauce is good with just about anything.  It has a nice bite to it but the dairy balances it out beautifully.  And then when you add the flavor of the meat with the rosemary and the basil and garlic, it is quite a treat.

The only thing left to do now is eat and enjoy.

Inspiration Round 2

I like finding inspiration where it doesn't mean to be.  Do some people really live their lives simply to inspire others?  If so, I think that is a little self-involved or at least, a little self-righteous.  I would like to think that there are things I've done in my life that have inspired or would inspire others.  I don't know what those things are though.  That's not why I would have done them.  I think that is the way it should be.  People aren't running back to me saying "you inspired me".  I've received my share of appreciation over the years for what I've done but I wouldn't call that inspiring people.  I like it when I see people challenging the odds.  Following their dreams in spite of the obstacles. 

But I also get inspired when I see people doing things that I want to be doing.  Writing is at the top of that list.  Mostly because I just simply don't do it enough.  There was a time when I did it every day.  A lot of it was crappy.  I know this because I've been going back and reading a lot of it lately.  But some of that crappiness turned into some stuff that I was pretty proud of.  That's what writing is all about.  Writing something and working on it until it's good.  I've been getting back to it lately.  And I'm producing a lot of crap.  The good thing about that though, is that I know I'll make some of it pretty good if I stay with it.  That's the trick.  If you want to be a good writer, you have to do it all the time.  You live with your writing and it lives with you.  I am at my social weirdest when I am writing all the time.  Something someone will do will remind me of something I've written or they will do something that I will want to write about and I immediately start thinking of the words in my head.  It can be difficult to have a conversation with me when I get like that.  But I digress.

My real point here is that writing is a lonely venture for the most part.  It can be very discouraging because so much of the early drafts can be so terrible.  There is a need for writers to draw inspiration from other writers.  Kurt Vonnegut and James Baldwin are two that pop into my head immediately.  But two others are friends of mine.  When I realize I haven't written for a while or simply when I'm struggling with my own stuff, I look to their blogs.  They help me realize that there are no rules when it comes to writing except to write what you are thinking and then just let it go from there.

Jen Lile gets the first kudos.  Jen is is determined to have one adventure for every week of the year (or something like that).  That is an inspirational idea in itself.  If you think about it, we all experience at least one adventure a week or could if we wanted to.  Jen takes it one step further and challenges herself to do something new, something she has never done before.  If you can't find inspiration in that, then you are dead.  Much of Jen's posts are standard, informative, and typically, yes, they are inspirational reads.  If I were to use baseball metaphors, then I would say most of her posts are base hits (as opposed to outs, strike outs, or walks) but every once in a while she hits a home run like this one:

Creating Life's Report Card (click to read)

And then there is Mick Parsons.  Mick is a great American voice (IMO).  His writing brings out slices of life of real American characters who have confidence but are still struggling to find their way in a capitalistic world.  His characters are human, imperfect like each of us, and they are not bashful at sharing their insights on the world around them nor do they hesitate to share the intimate workings of their own minds.  His reads are delightful whether the plot is present or not and whether you're a cynic or not, though they are probably more entertaining if you are at least a little cynical.  Here is a good taste, not his best, but good nonetheless:

Excerpts From In Season: "Nada" (click to read)

The bottom line is this: they write.  They see themselves as part of a larger world.  They share; meaning they write wanting to be read.  And for me, the simple fact that they write to be read is inspirational.