Goin for Gold...

Good thing the guys are Rangers' fans and not Devils' fans: While Mike Emrick is doing a bang-up job announcing Olympic hockey games, his 'feminine' language isn't sitting well with them. Not fond of 'twirling' at the blue line or 'pirouetting' around an opponent.

But that wasn't the only choreography of the day ... I had decided to honor the US and Canada with a variety of dinner nibbles with foods from both countries (Quit laughing! Remember, since I cook so much, I take inspiration where ever I can find it! Oh yeah, I'll sheepishly say: Our countries' foods are pretty much the same.) ... I had to dance through four dishes AND watch the men's gold medal hockey game. Good thing I CAN pirouette.

I sashayed my way through my GPS (see 'Is a butt a shoulder, or a shoulder a butt?') to get provisions for the week and tonight's dinner. I decided on variations on a theme of open-faced sandwich finger food and a kale caesar salad (thanks again Eno Terra for the inspiration!) because Dill asked for homemade croutons.

K, so I made three different sandwiches, or bruschetta-like whosimawhatzits, with three different creams or sauces using Greek-style yogurt as the base...
-Sliced steak with horseradish cream
-Sliced magret (duck breast) with stoneground mustard-thyme cream
-Smoked salmon and sauteed apple with maple-lemon cream
...and that Kale caesar with bacon/duck-fat caesar dressing. (Don't be squeamish, olive oil's a fat too.)

Details?
Here goes:

Steak
(I forgot to buy steak for this at the market (planned on a flank or a flat iron), but I did pick up a small rib eye that was on manager's special, so I used it.)
-Preheat oven to 425 and heat cast iron skillet to smokin, rub steak liberally with your favorite rub...(if you want ideas or to know what I used, lemme know), sear both sides and pop in oven for about six mins on one side and two mins on the other for a med rare.
-Let rest on cutting board.

Duck
-Slice two slices of applewood-smoked bacon into half-inch pieces, crisp in a pan, then remove pieces to a bowl for the salad, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
-Crosshatch the fat on the magret at about one and a half to two inch intervals, sear it in the bacon fat breast-side down first and sprinkled with salt and pepper, for about six minutes then sear the other side for another four for a med rare.
-Let rest on cutting board.

Salmon
(Hey! It comes pre-sliced in the package, but here's how I had John do the apples...)
-core, peel and halve (top to bottom) a fuji apple and slice thinly...about an eighth-inch thick...and saute in batches in butter until brown but not too soft.

Croutons
-Halve a large baguette, cube it (one-inch pieces) then toast it at 325 degrees for about 10 mins to dry it.
-Raise oven temp to 350; and melt 4T butter in microwave with a half-teaspoon each: salt, granulated garlic, smoked paprika and ground pepper. Toss on the toasted cubes and bake for 10 mins.

Creams
Put a half cup plain yogurt in each of three bowls and whisk in the following...
-To accompany the steak, add 1 T prepared horseradish, 1t worcestershire sauce and a half t lemon juice.
-To accompany the duck, add 1 T stoneground mustard, 1 and a half t fresh thyme leaves, pinch salt and a heavy grind of black pepper.
-To accompany the salmon, 1 t lemon zest, 1 and a half t lemon juice, pinch salt, double pinch ground white pepper and 1 T maple syrup.

Lastly, slice the remaining baguette and a half in half-inch or so pieces and toast in the 350-degree oven.

Salad
-Make the dressing in the serving bowl starting by mincing a garlic clove into a paste with a half t salt, 1 t lemon juice, 1 minced anchovy fillet, hefty dose cracked black pepper, 1 T sherry vinegar, 1 (scant) t stoneground mustard and 2 T grated parmesean.
-Whisk together, then slowly add the reserved fats from the bacon/duck pan...about a quarter cup...add about 8 oz fresh chopped kale, toss together, then pop in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to warm dressing and start the kale wilting.
-Add another T parm, the reserved bacon pieces and the croutons before serving.

I'm glad I was a wee bit distracted doing all this during the hockey game...of course I wonder: If I gave the game my undivided attention, would the outcome have been the same?
Ah, who cares, Eh?
They can ALL hold their heads up high! And they better too, or Cindy'll lay 'em out with a red-line body check.