My photo of Joan’s steak was rotten so here’s a picture of one of the things that made it so gorgeous.
Joan sure knows what she is doing on the steak front. Roquefort, mustard and butter on top. Oh yes, yes, yes. I didn’t have Roquefort but I had Stilton – I am sure if Joan could have got her hands on Stilton in 1939 she would have done so. Mmm. Basically per steak you need 1 tablespoon of Stilton, one tablespoon of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of mustard – I usually use grainy mustard. Mix it all up, cook your steak as you like it and just before it is done, pop this on top and stick it under a very hot grill until topping has melted. Divine.
I’ve had a fantastic week and one of the reasons why? Russian Revels.
Please note this lovely gentleman’s shorts…
My first ever supper club. AWESOME. I wish I knew how to do composite pictures but here’s a little selection. A precis. It was Russian New Year so much drinking and toasting was done.
It was in a banya (Russian sauna) but I’m not allowed to say where it was (a secret, exclusive banya!) But if you email me I’ll tell you…
I went alone. I made friends. Lots of lovely Russian friends.
I ate a LOT of crayfish (never eaten one in my life before). They were absolutely delicious!
It was an evening of extreme fun and lots of laughter. I loved every second of it. When’s the next one?! If only I’d known about them when they had their Cosmonaut Party!
The funniest bits? The word uttered with great style by the fabulous Russian woman at my table when she was surreptitiously given another helping of ice-cream – “Poblatu” – no idea how to spell it but it means, “I know people”. And when a toast was given by the lovely man from Nifty Noshing which involved three rhyming Russian words, my response was to offer a great British traditional toast, “Knickers, knackers, knockers.”
Joan, I am sure, would have been in her element.
I’ve never been to a supper club (I wonder if they’ve even made it to Wichita yet?) but I have been to a lovely Russian dinner hosted by the Russian-history professor when I was at university. Everything was delicious.
I now want to go to EVERY Russian Revels event. We are lucky here in London, the supper club movement is growing. There is even a book about how to host one – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Supper-Club-Recipes-underground-restaurant/dp/0007382995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350380368&sr=8-1 Lauren, I think you should do one!
Na Zdorovie!! It’s always a good time for toasting. I’m on the Polish potato vodka at the moment. The Canada Food Guide says 5-10 servings of vegetables a day and this is where the Poles come in.
Filet mignon with a blue cheese crust was one of my 2012 highlights. Stilton, bread cubes and butter. The filet has to get its taste from somehwere.
Cheers!
Na Zdorovie Lisa! Loving that Vodka counts as one of our five a day. I just had a cocktail accidentally using vodka instead of rum so I am one up!
Oooh the filet mignon with blue cheese crust sounds AMAZING. Is the recipe on your blog? Jx
It predated the blog but here is a version from one of our fine Canadians, Chef Michael Smith:
2 filet mignon
sea salt & fresh ground pepper
2 TBSP oil (I went with olive)
3 oz blue cheese (I went with Stilton)
1 slice wholegrain bread (I went with small, brown bread roll)
1/8 C butter
fresh thyme, rosemary or tarragon (I went with 2 sprigs rosemary)
puree cheese, bread, butter, herbs
rub filet with oil; season; sear 1 min each side; pack cheese mixture on top of filet; bake on rack for 15mins in 400F oven
(for bulk, I blended cheese & butter and added cubed bread & chopped herb; seared 3 mins; gave it 20 mins in oven)
Ooh yummy!