Yes, we have. The last time the Giants and Patriots played in the Super Bowl the Patriots were HUGE favorites, and the Giants won in the final minute, just like I said they would. Don’t believe me? Click here. (Shameless plug)
Blogging is fun; I should do it more often. Picking a team this year was as easy as ever; go Giants. (To New England fans: This is all meant in good fun; please disregard any statements I may make saying that the Patriots are evil and are coached by Satan.) Since New York is my team I’m picking a New York dish, and if it turns out well then the Giants win. Got it?
There are many dishes that are claimed to have been invented in New York. But for my Super Bowl prediction I need a dish I’ve never made before. I did a great deal of research in this area (I looked on Wikipedia), and there it was. Steak Diane. I’d heard of Steak Diane from (of all people) Gordon Ramsay on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Usually made table side, this dish has a sauce that includes brandy cooked flambé-style. Beef filet plus the chance to burn the house down equals blog gold, people. I may be out of practice but you don’t forget the basics. Let’s get to it, shall we?
GAME PREPARATION: The Giants bring in a suprise guest for the pep talk.
Now, I know Emeril isn’t from New York. He’s from New Orleans, but so is Eli Manning, so give me a break. Emeril’s recipe from Delmonico looked very good, and it’s on the Food Network’s website, so you can go look at it by clicking here.
SUPER BOWL WEEK: Media day stinks, but in a good way.
I took the time to read the whole recipe before I began (I know!), so I noticed it called for some veal stock. Karen was making beef vegetable soup this weekend anyway, so she also used Emeril’s recipe from the same page to make the stock. The first step is always my favorite: roasting the beef bones.
If nothing else, this step makes your house smell AWESOME.
GAME TIME! Nothing interesting happens in the first half.
This could also mean “The Patriots go up by three.” Since we all want them to lose, this is drudgery. The next steps are pretty boring, right? Yada yada yada, trim the meat, slice into steaks, yada yada.
I know what you’re thinking, “Skip to the fire!” I’m going as fast as I can, but I must include pictures for every step, it’s the law.
HALF TIME! A surprise guest makes an appearance at the half time show. It’s actually great, but it runs longer than planned.
Who’s the half time performer this year? Madonna? I’m predicting that someone good shows up and upstages her. Why, you ask? Because while we were prepping everything for dinner a very dear friend of ours showed up for the Super Bowl party. A week early. I have the best friends ever. The house was a nightmare, truly horrific, but they came in and we had a ball while we finished the prep work. I also had time to dice up some red potatoes, toss them with some herbs and olive oil, and throw them in the oven.
THIRD QUARTER: Finally, the Giants offense starts scoring points.
Sear the meat on both sides in butter. Chill out, this was dinner for four and I used a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of cream. This is health food. Anyway, the steaks are doing nicely.
THIRD QUARTER: New York scores points in bunches.
Maybe a touchdown followed by a kickoff-fumble? Sounds good to me. I added the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. I’m starting to get very happy right now, but still apprehensive about what is to come.
FOURTH QUARTER: With a lead, the Giants’ defense puts the pressure on Tom Brady, but it doesn’t work.
I knew the pan wasn’t hot enough. I tried increasing the heat a little early, but the steaks were just right, the mushrooms were just right, and it was time to burn the house down. I took all the necessary precautions. I moved the pan to the kitchen table, away from the microwave above the range and the flammable wallpaper behind the stove (remember the burgers?). I then added the brandy…
And lit the fire.
Not exactly the WHOOOM I was looking for. I had Karen taking pictures for me, in case I needed to get the fire extinguisher (and for evidence to send to Allstate). I try mixing things together and I’m able to manage this:
FOURTH QUARTER: The Giants pressure Brady again and it works.
Interception for a touchdown? In the Super Bowl? Tom Brady? I can only dream.
Here’s what happened: The alcohol all burned off (or so I thought) so I put the pan back on the heat.
THAT, people, is flambé. Apparently there’s a good deal of alcohol in brandy. I’m screaming “TAKE A PICTURE!” and Karen is screaming “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” So we have a bit of an action photo sequence.
Zoom!
Wisk!
You’re welcome.
FINAL TWO MINUTES: The Giants’ defense puts the game away.
After all that, I added the steaks back in to baste and finish cooking just a bit.
Served with herb roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli (I know, it’s boring, shut up), dinner was a smash hit. Jonathan asked for seconds and then thirds, ensuring a big win for the G-Men.
FINAL MINUTE: The refs blow a big call, for the Giants. But the game’s outcome isn’t affected.
Here’s the problem. The final step just before serving is to add some chopped parsley to the sauce. I bought the parsley, I washed the parsley, I chopped the parsley. I even put it in a nice blue bowl for ease of use when adding it to the pan. I just forgot.
Would it have been nice? Yes. Oh well. Dinner was great. I predict that the largest margin of victory inflicted by the Patriots this year will be visited on them. Final score Giants 55 Patriots 20.
People Laughing at Dinner