A Delicious Meal for Two

Even with a busy college schedule I have always been able to, until this semester tore through my life, take the time to give myself the gift of cooking dinner. In the words of Rachel Ray, “you deserve to dedicate some time to yourself and there is no doubt that after a long day at work we should pamper ourselves with a home cooked meal”. But what happens when you really can’t take the time? What if all the time you can take for yourself is a forty-five minute cat nap, a five minute shower, a quick scan of you facebook, or simply a deep breath? Unfortunately this is the situation I have been enduring this semester and let me tell you I have never missed my dinners more. That is why I was so utterly enthralled when my Eating San Francisco class was canceled and we were given the assignment to cook and document a delicious meal and hopefully share it with someone else.
As I racked my brain for what I should prepare for my feast, my mouth began to salivate and a good old recipe that I adopted from Rachel Ray popped into mind. If I do recall correctly Rachel refers to this dish as an open-faced steak sandwich, however in my apartment we affectionately call it “our favorite meal”. We first encountered our favorite meal (my roommate Ryan and I) our first semester living off campus while watching Rachel Ray’s “30 minuet meals”.

To begin you will need the following
o A bag of Baby Spinach
o A cluster of Asparagus
o 4 cloves of garlic
o Fresh Rosemary
o 2 small Sirloin steaks (any cut of beef is okay so whatever fits your budget)
o Crumbled Blue Cheese
o Box of Frozen Puffed Pastry Dough
o Salt
o Pepper
o Olive Oil
o Balsamic Vinaigrette




Lets Get Started!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Then chop the 4 cloves of garlic with about 3 tablespoons of chopped rosemary and combine into large bowl with the steaks, a light drizzle of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of pepper, and half a tablespoon of salt and let sit while you get the other components into the oven.





3. Lay out the Puff Pastry dough and cut into 4 squares. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil.



4. Wash Asparagus and pat dry. Then snap the ends off with your hands and see where they break when you apply pressure this ensures that the toughest parts are removed.



5. Place Asparagus on oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and pepper.

6. Place both puff pastries and Asparagus in oven for 10min until pastry rises. Check ever 3 min to move Asparagus around.






7. Next heat a skillet with some olive oil in it and cook your takes to your desired level. For this dish I prefer medium rare.





8. By the time the steaks are finished your Asparagus and Puff Pastries should be ready , now its time to move onto the salad component.

9. Dice the Asparagus into about ½ inch long sections and add in a bowl with Spinach and a handful of blue cheese.




10. Now it is time to make the dressing. Combine 1 table spoon of Mayo, ¼ cup of Champagne dressing, and ½ tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.





11. Once you dress the salad, toss, and get ready to assemble our sandwich.


12. Place the Puff Pastry on the bottom, place enough salad on top to cover the pastry, then add strips of steak over the top.


13. Once assembled you can use the left over salad for a side dish.




Now all that’s left to do is enjoy the meal with someone and have a night of good conversation, good food, and a respite from a hectic day!