Dining In: Happy Labor Day

This post is dedicated to home cooking equipped with meat, dessert, and drink. My meat portion is Asian rubbed flank steak.  This recipe is inspired from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine but I have since the lost actual recipe so I’ve had to improvise.

8 parts brown sugar
2 parts Kosher salt
2 parts garlic powder
1 -2 part(s) cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you want it
1 part black pepper
1 part ginger powder
Sesame oil
Optional sesame seeds and green onion to top after cooking

Mix the ingredients except oil and optional toppers in order to make a dry rub. Coat flank steak with oil then with dry rub. Place in a pan at least an inch deep and bake in oven at 375 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees for medium, slightly pink on the inside. When you take the steak out, there should be some au jus that bakes off the meat, pour out then set aside. Allow the meat the rest before slicing. Cut steak against the grain, and then place the slices back in the au jus so it absorbs more flavor. Top with sesame seeds and green onion.  Sadly I forgot the green onion but the steak itself it still awesome and your guests will rave.

For a simple dessert, slice up butter pound cake and top with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. This was inspired by Costco and their sample hour. Obviously I got the pound cake from Costco, but be warned the packages come in a set of three cakes. I love this because it’s so easy, and everyone will love it.

For drinks, or more specifically for the lightweights in your family, I recommend Framboise Raspberry Beer. You can find it at Trader Joe’s or BevMo. This was my first fruit beer and I love it. I don’t feel like I get that bloated feeling and it tastes great. There’s not a lot of alcohol content but you’ll get the edge taken off.  Happy home cooking!