Pan steak and green peppercorn sauce

Ingredients:

8 oz steak

1 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper

Small shallot, minced fine 

1/2 c brandy

1/4 c cream

1/4 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp green peppercorns 

1/4 tsp thyme

Salt to taste

Put the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pt steaks dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Put steak in pan and cook without moving/touching for 4 mins per side. (Rare. For medium do 5-6 mins.) move steak to plate to rest. 

Add shallot to pan the steak was just in until browned. Add the brandy and milk, until simmering, stirring constantly to get up all the browned steak-bits. Reduce heat to simmer, add in vinegar, any drippings from the resting steak, peppercorns, and thyme. Stir until sauce coats the back of the spoon. Add to steak and enjoy. 

Chevre Cheesecake

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1.5 hours

I've always loved chevre. It's a goat cheese that is softer and sweeter than feta and is wonderful either as a butter substitute or mixed with berries. It makes a fantastic change from regular-old-cheesecake and doesn't require as much sugar because of its natural sweetness.

Crust ingredients:
2/3 c graham cracker crumbs
2/3 c Nilla Wafer crumbs
1 tsp honey
5 tbsp melted butter

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the Nilla Wafer crumbs with the honey and the melted butter in a mixer. This will form a doughy like mixture. Press into a 8" spring form. (If you don't have a spring form, line a round cake pan with tin foil. This will let you lift the cheesecake out of the cake pan.)

Bake in a preheated oven at 325 for 13 minutes.

Filling ingredients:
8oz cream cheese
1 lb chevre goat cheese
1/2 c sugar
1/16 tsp salt
1/3 c sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 egg

Mix chevre and cream cheese in a standing mixer until softened and combined. Add the sugar and salt slowly, making sure to scrape down the sides. Add the sour cream, vanilla and almond extracts and lemon juice. Slowly add the egg and yolks. Mix for another 5 minutes or so until completely smooth.

Bake in a preheated oven at the following temperatures for the following times.
375 -- 15 mins
325 -- 30 mins
200 -- 30 mins

Cool to room temperature and then chill for 2 hours before serving. Use strawberries as garnish if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

This recipe was adapted from one found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from 25 September 2008. You can find the original here.