Steaks and pickled carrots

I bought some steaks, Alberta AAA, grass fed rib eyes; those are my fave, because I love the fat bits.  The salty, crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, it's a party for my taste buds.  I don't eat steaks a lot, mainly because here in Ontario, most beef is corn fed, AA+.  Even many restaurants, decent ones, serve corn fed beef.  It's so disappointing.  The odd time we get steaks, cause James likes them, he BBQs them, with some sauce.  They never taste like a proper good steak you order out, because there is no searing to lock in moisture and flavour.  I had a yummy rib eye this summer in Edmonton.  We saw loads of cattle grazing the grass fields, it was lovely.

I wanted to make these steaks taste amazing, so I googled and read some sites and tips.  I came across one, which had rave reviews.  So I gave a it a go.
http://sffoodie.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/how-to-make-the-perfect-steak/

The steaks, which were about 1" thick, came out tasty, but too well done for my liking, even though I followed the steps.  James liked that his was well done, but said he prefers grilled to pan fried.  James is a snappy dresser and overall a sweetie, but when it comes to matters of the palate, we don't agree on much, which is sometimes frustrating.  For next time, I will cut the time for my steak, but aside from it being well done, it did have a nice caramelized outside, and was juicy on the inside.  The high temperature did seal well.  One of the reviewers mentioned smoke.  It should be mentioned in the main article, because there was loads of it, and my smoke detector is very sensitive.  I had the stove fan on high, and the window in the kitchen open, as well as the back and front doors, to create a draft and get rid of the smoke and smell.  It was annoying, but worth the hassle.

I took a picture of before, but then forgot to take pictures of after.  You'll find that a lot of my photos are of partially eaten food.  It's because I remember before it's ready, but once it's done and I can eat, I totally forget.  At least sometimes, I catch myself half way through, which was not the case with these steaks.  I didn't use any marinades, just s&p, which I premixed in a bowl, and then rubbed into the steaks.  I didn't want meat juices on my salt bottle and pepper mill.

I was going to make sweet potato fries, but opted for the mashed skin potatoes with lardons, and this time I added a bit of fresh thyme.  Instead of making a veg side, I served pickled carrots.  I made these myself a few weeks ago.  They are delicious, sweet, tart, crunchy, with a hint of bay leaf and fennel.

Don't mind the ED Smith jar, I used whatever jars I had around.  The carrots were from James' parents' backyard, they have a decent vegetable garden each year, and we're lucky enough to get all kinds of goodies.  I grew tomatoes and cucumbers this year, as well as herbs.  I had a few other things, but the rabbits ate the new growth before it had a chance to mature and fruit.  I'll need to think of a way to keep them out.  One thing that worked this summer were hanging baskets.  Rabbits can't fly or climb walls  :)

I made 2 jars of the carrots, it was an experiment.  I used the bigger carrots and sliced them, and the smaller ones I kept whole.  They will look nicer served to guests as edible garnishes.

The carrots were quite easy to make.  I used water, apple cider vinegar, some sugar, fennel seeds, fresh garlic, salt, and bay leaf.  Boil some salted water, and drop the carrots in for about 1 minute, you want the crispness.  Dump it all into a colander, and run under cold water to prevent further cooking.  Then use the same pot and add all above ingredients, bring to boil, and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Take off heat, add carrots, and let cool to room temp.  Put into jars and stick in the fridge.  You should give the carrots at least one day before eating so that the flavours have a chance to get absorbed.

I bet they would be tasty with dill, instead of fennel, having both might be too much.  Also, any cider vinegar would do, I happened to have apple on hand, because I use it to make my own salad dressing.  I'll write about that another time.