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| The Cracked Peppercorn Chronicle - February Newsletter |
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| Tuesday, 02 February 2010 00:00 |
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February 2010 Volume 2 "When those waiters ask me if I want some fresh ground pepper, I ask if they have any aged pepper!" - Andy Rooney A Great start to 2010January turned out to be a great month at The Cracked Peppercorn Steak Lounge. We saw lots of familiar faces and we were able to welcome many new-comers. We thank you for your patronage and enjoy having you in our dining room. There are two attachments to this month's Newsletter:1) You may not know that we are open for lunch - I have attached a copy of our Lunch menu with a lunch voucher on the bottom, print off the attachment and bring it in between 11am and 3pm weekdays and receive a discount on your lunch. 2) Our Valentines Day Menu - make your reservations today! - Our Chef has created a Special Table D'hote Menu that may be combined with Wine Pairing for Valentines Day. Our regular menu will also be available. January PrizesThe January Prize Promotion was well received. We saw a lot of our December guests collecting their prizes which was great. The BIG prize, however, did not get claimed.We still have the 2010 Prize Promotion on until March 31, 2010 - Check your purses, check your cars, drawers and inside coat pockets - you may be carrying around a $100.00 Gift Certificate or maybe 50% off of your meal at The Cracked Peppercorn. Remember the Prizes for our 2010 Prize Promotion range from 10%-50% off of your meal, FREE Desserts, FREE Appetizers, FREE Brunch or $25, $50 and $100 Gift Certificates!!!! Our CommunityHelp us help local charities:1 - We offer a Brunch every Sunday from 10am to 2pm at The Cracked Peppercorn. $1.00 from each Brunch sold is donated to The Big Brothers and Big Sisters Organization of Medicine Hat. 2 - Help Expand Our Thankful Tuesday Program: Through the thankful Tuesday program, local charities can reserve The Cracked Peppercorn’s dining room, in whole or a portion (our dining room can accomodate up to 200 guests), on a Tuesday evening to hold a fund-raising event. The Cracked Peppercorn will donate the use of our facility and also make a cash contribution equal to 15% of all food and beverage purchases by the organization’s guests that evening. There is NO charge for the space, we set up, we tear down and we match what you raise up to 15% (from your guests' purchases at our restaurant). For more information on these programs or if you have a suggestion for how The Cracked Peppercorn can get involved in our community, please call Amy Berning at 403-526-0829. Group Bookings and PartiesThe Cracked Peppercorn also does off-site Catering and can accomodate your group event in our dining room. Our dining room is huge - it can seat up to 200 guests. Our Chef can tailor a unique menu specific to your group - we can provide a Buffet, a set Table D'hote Menu or we can accomodate large groups ordering straight from our menu. - Please call Amy Berning at 403-526-0829 to discuss your next Function.Remember there is no charge to have our sideroom or our dining room for your event. "Once, during prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water." ~ W.C. Fields Anyone for trying some New Wines?The Cracked Peppercorn has introduced a new Wine List this month with a Unique feel. Come down and try some Fat Bastard Shiraz or a Blasted Church Chardonnay or maybe a Chocolate Block Cabernet from South Africa. On the more humorous side you may fancy some Red Neck Merlot. Honestly, these are great wines with some memorable names!!Message from The ChefIf you received our Newsletter last month you will now know how to pick out the perfect steak to fit you budget and preference. Now it's time to talk about how to cook the steak:Red meat prepares best when the meat is at room temperature at the start of the cooking process. To do this, simply place the steak on a plate, cover with plastice wrap and leave on the counter for 30 min flipping the steak once half way through. If you plan on using your favourite BBQ sauce, add it at this point, giving the meat a chance to absorb the flavour as it comes to room temperature. If seasoning your steak with salt and pepper or any spice mix containing salt I would recommend waiting until just before you start to cook as the salt will pull some of the natural juiceiness out of the meat. For the under-experienced cook, an instant read digital meat therometer is a must. This will tell you exactly when to pull your steak off of the cooking surface. Simply insert the thermometer into the side of the steak as far as you can without coming out the other side ensuring you pass through the middle. Steak Tempature Guide
BBQPre- heat BBQ to med-high heat Aprox 350-375 F. Oil your grill with either a clean rag soaked in Canola oil (I don't recomend using olive oil as it smokes and burns at a lower heat causing a bad taste). Add Salt and pepper to your room temperature steak and place on the grill. Close Lid. As cooking time for your steak is directly related to the thickness of your steak, giving you exact cook times is impossible. Although a general guide line for an average steak thickness of 1/2" -3/4" cooked to medium rare you will want to leave it for about 2 min. After 2 min turn the steak 1/4 turn without flipping it and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 min more. Flip the steak add more BBQ sauce if desired and repeat the process. DO NOT FLIP MORE THAN ONCE! DO NOT KEEP PRESSING ON IT. THIS PRODUCES A DRY STEAK. Don't be affraid of burning it. Don't keep checking it every few seconds. Trust me and just let the heat to it's job. Pull the steak off when you you believe it is almost done. You want the steak to sit , covered, for 4-5 minutes before cutting into it. This allows the meat fibres to relax and re-absorb the juices that are now going crazy inside your steak. If you cut into it too soon all the flavourful juices will drain out all over your plate. Keep in mind that while your steak is "resting" it will continue to cook. That is why you should pull it off when it is almost done. Your steak while rise in temperature approximately 10 F during your resting time. This is also true of roasts, they cook slower but rest longer. Frying PanThis method is similar to the BBQ in many ways. Pre-heat to the same temperature (350-375 F) add enough canola oil to just cover the pan and a sprinkle of coarse salt. This salt not only seasons your steak but also helps prevent it from sticking. Add steak and cook for aproximatly 4 mins a side for medium rare. Do not let oil smoke--it leaves a bad taste. The nice thing about this cooking method is the left over flavour in the pan. Although you won't get that nice smokey charred taste like the BBQ gives you are left with the beginning of a great, and simple sauce. Thicker steaks may need to be finished in a 375 F oven so the outside doesn't burn before the inside has reached the correct doneness. Will Steak is resting, lets make a Red Wine Pan Jus, (I know I promised a Demi Glaze but trust me you will love this and we can do a Demi in the future.) Simply drain off the left over oil, and add to the pan Add:
Thursday's at The Cracked PeppercornEnjoy the music of Local Celebrity, ROB HUDEC. Rob Hudec is a local acoustic guitar player. Check out his website at www.robhudec.com for more information. Rob plays everything from Jazz, to The Tragically Hip to Eric Clapton and much more including his own Music - He is FANTASTIC!!! I promise.MARCHNow what do you put on your Steak: mmmm...How about: A "Perfect" sauce that will impress with very little effort! We need Potatoes with our Steak.... St Patrick's Day "If we are not supposed to eat animals then why are they made out of meat?" ~ Jo Brand Check out our menu and other media on medicinehatmenus.com We look forward to serving you. The Cracked Peppercorn Steak Lounge In The Coast Hotel 3216 13th Ave SE Medicine Hat AB 403-526-0829 |
