TOP CHEF Round 5

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TOP CHEF Round 5 is modeled after the TV show CHOPPED so this week the contestants must create a single dish or meal using all these ingredients.

BEEF CHUCK STEAK
SPINACH
KARO SYRUP

You have a full pantry you can use and you have till Monday May 11, 9 PM to post your recipes

Check back later to see who won immunity last week and who was eliminated.
 
TOP CHEF Round 5 is modeled after the TV show CHOPPED so this week the contestants must create a single dish or meal using all these ingredients.

BEEF CHUCK STEAK
SPINACH
KARO SYRUP

You have a full pantry you can use and you have till Monday May 11, 9 PM to post your recipes

Check back later to see who won immunity last week and who was eliminated.

W:eek2:W!!!
 
Can we use any portion of the chuck area (short ribs, pot roast etc.) or are we just using the the top blade steak?

Good question and to be fair I have to go with top blade since I said chuck steak not roast or rib. I will allow you to call it a Flat Iron Steak.

beef_topbladesteak.jpg
 
alrighty, creative challenge calls for me getting a lil creative

I'm gonna go with Flat Iron Steak Sliders w/ spinach pesto

To do these, we are going to need:

4 inch ciabatta rolls
Flat Iron Steak or (top blade Beef Chuck Steak)
4 strips of bacon
Provolone Cheese
4 tablespoons Karo Syrup
salt
cracked black pepper

For the spinach pesto, here's an easy recipe

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 cup grated parmasean cheese
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice

Add spinach, cheese, garlic, lemon and lime juice together and put in food processer. Pulse, and slowly add in olive oil until mixture becomes a pasty consistency.

For burgers, using a biscuit cutter or something similar, cut steak into cylinders. Gently brush on Karo Syrup and dust with salt and cracked pepper to taste. Place in hot skillet and cook to temp, about 3 minutes on each side depending on thickness of steak. (This is for med rare-medium which is how I like mine...adjust accordingly to your taste.) The Karo Syrup will help the steaks to brown up nicely. Remove Steaks from pan and add bacon in. Cook until crispy, remove bacon and crumble. Split Ciabatta rolls. Toast.

Assembly will be as follows:

Spread spinach pesto on both halves of Ciabatta rolls, place steak on bottom of roll. Add crumbled bacon and a slice of provolone cheese. Top with other piece of roll.

Enjoy!
 
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Nothing like a steak and spinach. This is actually something that I cook all the time I just had to figure out how to get the corn syrup in.

BRAISED CHUCK STEAK WITH STEAK HOUSE SPINACH


Braised Chuck Steak with Mushrooms

For Steak
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Karo syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound chuck steak, cut about one inch thick
2 portobello mushrooms, 4 ounces each
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine the vegetable oil, Karo syrup,lemon juice, bourbon, garlic, and pepper in a nonreactive bowl or pan just large enough to hold the steak. Stir well and add the steak. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours, turning at least once.

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and pat dry.

Cut the stems from the mushrooms. Trim away the bottoms of the stems, then cut the rest of the stems into a medium dice. You should have about 1/2 cup. Put the diced stems in a small saucepan, cover with the beef broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and keep warm over very low heat.

Heat a 10 inch cast iron pan over medium high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the steak and sear until nicely browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn the steak and sear the other side, about 4 minutes more. Pour in the beef broth with the mushroom stems. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer , and cover the pan. Braise the steak for 8 minutes, turn and braise 7 minutes more. The steak will be cooked through but still very moist.

Meanwhile cut the mushroom caps into a large dice. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan, add the diced mushroom caps, and saute over medium heat until just softened, about 5 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper, keep warm.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board. Strain the braising liquid, then return it to the pan. Reduce the liquid to 3/4 cup over high heat, 4 to 5 minutes.

While the steak is resting prepare the spinach.

Steak House Spinach

2 bunches or bags fresh spinach, about 20 ounces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

Wash and remove any large stems from the spinach. Place in a large saucepan and cook covered, over medium heat, in the water still clinging to the leaves, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Turn the spinach once with kitchen tongs during wilting. Transfer the spinach to a bowl with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain

Combine the onion, nutmeg, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt, broth and cream in a small saucepan. Boil uncovered over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 a cup, about 15 minutes.

Squeeze the spinach between your hands to remove excess liquid. Coarsley chop the spinach and add it to the sauce. Season with salt, to taste. Set aside.

Reheat the creamy spinach in a medium size saucepan or skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it is bubbling hot, about 4 minutes.

Serve a healthy size portion in the center of a warm plate.

Cut the steak into 1 inch thick slices. Lightly salt and pepper the meat if desired, and place a couple of slices on top of the creamed spinach, scatter the diced mushroom caps over the meat. Pass the remaining braising liquid around in a sauce boat.

Enjoy this hearty meal with your favorite bread.
 
We do this often and like others have pointed out, just had to find a way to work in the Kayro.

Michele's Spinach-stuffed Flat Iron Steak

Ingredients
1/4 cup dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
1 - flat iron steak (1 1/2lbs)
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup of Kayro syrup
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 fresh garlic clove - minced


Directions
1. In a small bowl soak dried tomatoes in enough hot water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain. Snip into small pieces.

2. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, parsley, cheese, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

3. Using a brush, evenly coat the steak with Kayro syrup. After this, score meat by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals in a diamond pattern on both sides. Place meat between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Working from center to edges, pound with flat side of a meat mallet into 12x8-inch rectangle. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle meat with the salt and pepper.

4. Cut several 12" pices of kitchen string twine; space evenly underneath steak. Spread spinach mixture down center of meat. Roll steak over mixture, pressing firmly to compact the filling as much as possible, tie twine to secure roll. Cut roll in half crosswise. Place halves, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Broil until browned, 8-10 minutes for medium-rare; let rest, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes. Remove string, and slice steak into 1/2"rounds.

4 servings
 
Black and Blue Spinach Salad:

The Steak
1 Large Chuck Steak
1/2 cup lite Kayro Syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dale's Steak sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon kitchen bouquet
1/4 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 teaspoon of freshly ground ginger

1 stick of melted butter
Mix all ingredients except butter well in a gallon zip lock bag. Make sure steak is well coated. Marinate steak 5-6 hours, over night is fine. Heat butter in large cast iron skillet on high, until you see light smoke coming from skillet. Toss in steak and heat each side for about 2-3 minutes each side. ( Make sure you have your hood vent on high,as this will generate much smoke.) Remove steak form heat and let it rest about 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain into strips.

The Salad:
2 Bags of Spinach Baby Spinach Leaves
1/2 Yellow Pepper Sliced
1/2 Green Pepper Sliced
1/2 Red Pepper Sliced
1/2 purple onion sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
15-20 cherry tomatoes ( as many as you want)
1 cup sliced cucumber
1 cup blue cheese
Balsamic Dressing

Toss all veggies together. Lightly coat with balsamic vinegar, toss in nuts and cranberries. Plate salad, place steak slices on top of each salad, and lightly cover with blue cheese.
 
This week gave me pause! Not because of the steak but because of the Karo syrup. Karo has a very distinct flavor to me and while very good it is NOT molasses or honey...it is Karo syrup and I want to be sure to give you a recipe it will go very well with. So, here goes!

Alan's Karo Syrup and Soy marinated Chuck Steak with Sauteed Pecan Spinach!

Ingredients:
4 Thinly Cut (about 1/2") Chuck Steaks (maybe 6 to 8 oz maximum each).
1/4 Cup Karo Syrup
1/4 Cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Water
4 Green Onion Stalks sliced thin using 90% of the green as well as all of the white. (set 1 sliced green onion aside for plating)
2 Tbsp fresh ginger root grated fine
2 Tbsp fresh garlic (can be used from the jar if need be)

Prep:
Add all ingredients except Steaks into a large zip lock bag and mix well. Add steaks and allow to marinate for no less than 2 or 3 hours...overnight is preferrable.

Sauteed Spinach Ingredients:
2 Lg Bag of pre-washed Spinach leaves from any supermarket.
1/8 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Dark Karo Syrup
2 Tbsp Vegatable Oil
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans

Cooking Instructions:
Remove Steaks from Seasoning bag and pat dry. Place on a grill pan or outside grill over medium high heat and cook for no more than 1 and 1/2 minutes per side. Chuck steaks have a tendency to be tough so it is important NOT to over cook them at this stage. Once they are returned to skillet and are in the sauce and covered it reduces the opportunity for them to remain tough. Also, I have them cut thin to further add to their tenderness.

Bring steaks back inside and place contents of seasoning back into a skillet and heat until a simmer...add steaks back into mixture and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes COVERED. It is likely that the mixture will thicken...simply add small amounts of water as needed but you are looking to keep a slightly loose pudding consistency. If the sauce does not tighten simply add another tbsp or two of Dark Karo to achieve correct consistency. As with all sauses it may not reach it's correct consistency for several minutes after the steaks have been added.

Cooking Spinach:
In a 10" high sided Sautee Pan add two tbsp's of Vegatable Oil. Allow oil to heat over medium heat until oil shimmers. Once the oil is ready add the spinach in bunches waiting until each handful or so reduces. As always spinach looks like a lot until you actually cook it. Once all spinach has been reduced add all ingredients except Pecans!

Cook spinach stirring often until you taste it and it has been infused with sause flavorings. This should take no more than 5 minutes or so. Once the spinach is cooked to your desire add Nuts and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

To Serve:
Remove Steaks from Sauce and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Take 4 plates (as this makes 4 servings). Cut each steak on the bias fairly thin (about 1/8" thick pieces) on cutting board.

Add a small amount of cooked spinach to each dish in a circle around the outside of the plate. Be sure to add sause and nuts when plating.

Take a Tbsp or two of steak sauce and add in the center of the plate pulling slightly toward edges (make a rectangle or semi-circle); Add cut steaks on top of sauce and spread evenly. Add enough sauce to steaks to lightly cover each leaving plenty of meat without sauce showing. Lightly sprinkle remaining uncooked green onion over each plate randomly.

Enjoy!
 
[FONT=&quot]Round 5: Flat Iron Steak, Spinach, Karo Syrup[/FONT]​
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]​
[FONT=&quot] First off, props to OysterMan, I was going to do something eerily similar, but you beat me to it. I am going to make some fancy tacos for my dish. Also please clean all produce before consuming or cooking. This should make 4 tacos so adjust accordingly. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Steak Tacos with Spinach-Jicama Slaw and Salsa Sauce[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tacos:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4 hard taco shells[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2 8 oz top blade flat iron steaks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ cup of crumbled Oaxaca cheese (Monterey jack will work as well)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tbs ancho chile powder[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp paprika[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp cayenne pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tbs brown sugar[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp salt[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp black pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tbs garlic powder[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp cumin[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Combine the dry ingredients and then rub them onto the steaks. Let the steaks sit for at least 25 minutes. Cook the steaks on the grill over medium-high heat for 3minutes and thirty seconds a side for medium. Then slice the steaks thin.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Slaw:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ cup of shredded spinach leaves[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]¼ cup of thinly sliced jicama[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]¼ cup thinly sliced red onion slivers not circles[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1/8 cup of shredded cilantro[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tbs salt[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1tbs black pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1.5 tbs honey[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1/4 cup of white wine vinegar[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2 tbs olive oil[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Combine all of the ingredients until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to use.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salsa Sauce: (you can use store bought salsa, but I prefer my own)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ Spanish onion finely shopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tomato finely chopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ of a green chile finely chopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ of a red bell pepper finely chopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4 cloves of garlic finely chopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 handful of cilantro finely chopped[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Juice of 1 lime[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salt and pepper to taste[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](Combine the above ingredients and let rest)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ cup of Karo syrup[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1/8 cup of chile paste (I prefer Santa Cruz)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In a medium sauce pot bring the salsa, Karo and chile paste to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer stirring frequently until it begins to thicken. Once it thickens let it cool and transfer to a serving container.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To prepare, fill each taco shell with some of the cheese. Then lay the strips of steak on the cheese. Cover the steak with the salsa sauce and lastly top with the slaw. Hope you enjoy.[/FONT]
 
The below should be enjoyed with smashed potatoes accompanied with skillet seared asparagus with slivers of almonds.

East Meets West Flat Iron Steak

Ingredients
2- 1 lb cuts of Flat Iron Steak

Marinade:
1/4 cup Karo, Light
2 TBS Veg Oil
2 TBS Lime Juice
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 TBS Grated Ginger
1 tsp Salt
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
4 Green Onions, finely chopped

Salsa:
1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
2 TBS Dark Rum
1/2 cup diced pineapple, w/ 1/4 cup of juice
1/2 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1/4 Karo, Light
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1 cup Fresh Chopped Spinach
Salt and pepper to taste


Combine all marinade ingredients in a large plastic freezer bag, mixing well until blended. Add steak and massage to coat and chill 8 hours or even overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling. Grill over medium-high heat (350-375) to desired degree of doneness. I recommend medium rare.
Allow to rest 5 Min.

Prepare Salsa: Combine all ingredients, except spinach, in sauce pan and marriage all flavors over low heat, careful to not allow the sugars of the syrup and pineapple to burn.
Toss in the chopped spinach and continue to heat until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and cover.

Slice steak thinly across the grain. Serve and top with warm Salsa .
 
May be a few minutes late, but the life of a doctor is a busy one....

Flat Iron Steak with Mojito Gastrique and Spinach Slaw

For the Gastrique:
½ cup Light Karo Syrup
½ cup White Rum
2 limes, zested & juiced
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro

Directions: Place all ingredients except the mint and cilantro in a small pot. Reduce by 1/3, finish with the herbs (Note - the gastrique may look thin, but as it cools for use, it will thicken. It should be used warm, not very hot)

For the Slaw:
3 Cups Spinach, julienne cut
1 large Avocado, very ripe, diced
½ medium Red Onion, julienned
1 roasted Red Pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely diced
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon mint, chopped
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl

For the steak

1 Flat Iron Steak
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 peeled garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Comgbine ingredients (with the exception of the steak, of course)in food processor and give a rough chop to combine. Marinate meat for at least an hour. Place on a hot grill and cook 4 minutes per side for medium rare steak. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes prior to cutting. Cut into 1/4 inch wide strips across the grain.

To serve, arrange slaw in the middle of plate. Spread gastrique around the plate. Place steak strips over slaw. Enjoy!

I apologize for the typo's but I'm rushing to get this one in.... :)
 
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