---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27095 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-23
• Released on: 2006-05-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781400097944
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Book Description
Drawing from the spirit of the menus at Morton’s original Chicago location and their eighty other restaurants around the country and the world, Morton's The Cookbook includes familiar and delicious American steakhouse fare accentuated by the flavors picked up as the restaurant has grown to span the globe.

The expert on steak, Morton’s shares its wealth of information on how to cook your steak to perfection in enticing recipes such as New York Strip Roast with Three Peppercorn Sauce and Bone-in Ribeye with Rancher’s Rub. Complete your meal at home with recipes for delicious appetizers and classic steakhouse sides, such as Five-Onion Soup, Maine Lobster and Avocado Salad, and Blue-Cheese French Fries. Tempting desserts round out this bold collection of delectable recipes.

Beautifully illustrated throughout with full-color photographs and featuring 100 tantalizing recipes, Morton’s The Cookbook brings Morton’s exceptional fare to your home every day.

From Morton's The Cookbook: Steak Florentine

These tasty steaks are served on a bed of spinach, which earns them their name. Both round and butt steaks are full of flavor, and they are so well appreciated all across America that we think of them as "American cuts." They are chewier than sirloin or tenderloin but full of great beef flavor. If you can find prime beef, buy it, but choice will do just fine here.

Ingredients

• Two 10-ounce round or butt steaks, each about 1 inch thick
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot (1 small shallot)
• 1 pound fresh spinach, stemmed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

(Serves 2)

Directions

1. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

3. In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and when hot, add the shallots and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, or until the spinach just wilts. Do not let it get too limp. Remove the pan from the heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

4. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat and cook the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to brown. Set aside.

5. Lightly sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper.

6. In another large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and when very hot, sear the steaks for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to a roasting pan and roast for 3 to 4 minutes or until barely medium-rare.

7. Remove the steaks from the oven and turn on the broiler.

8. Drain the liquid from the spinach and spread the spinach in a broiler pan. Set the steaks on top of the spinach and then top each steak with the garlic and butter. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese over each steak and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese melts and is lightly browned. Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Divide between 2 plates.

Wine recommendation

Pinotage wine from New Zealand has medium body with low tannin and high acidity, making it a good match for both the mildly bitter spinach and the Parmesan cheese. Try Te Awa Winery’s Pinotage from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Rosso di Montalcino is the little brother to Brunello di Montalcino and will complement this dish nicely. It is a fruity, low-tannin wine that balances the bitter spinach but does not overpower the lean meat. We recommend Banfi Rosso di Montalcino from Tuscany.

About the Author
Klaus Fritsch teamed up with Arnie Morton to found Morton’s in 1978. Trained as a professional chef, he currently serves as vice chairman to the company. Fritsch lives in Chicago. Visit mortons.com.

Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer, consultant, and cookbook editor who has worked on more than sixty books. She lives in Connecticut.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
BEEF FILET OSKAR

Without question, this is an indulgent way to serve steak. The filet
steaks (filets mignons) are served with lump crabmeat and our very own
Béarnaise Sauce. Look for large asparagus because they will best
support the crabmeat and look great on top of the filet. Just as you
look for the best meat, buy the best lump crabmeat you can. Everything
for this very special dish must be first-rate!

Wine recommendation: Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

--Six 8 to 9-ounce filets mignons, each about 2 inches thick

--Vegetable oil cooking spray

--Seasoned salt

--12 slices very thin white bread

--12 large asparagus spears

--12 ounces fresh lump crabmeat (2 loosely packed cups)

--2 and one-quarter (2.25) cups Béarnaise Sauce (recipe follows),
warmed


Béarnaise Sauce

-- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

-- 1 tablespoon dry white wine

-- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

-- Half (.5) teaspoon chopped shallots

-- 2 cups Hollandaise Sauce (recipe follows)

-- Salt


Hollandaise Sauce

-- 5 large egg yolks

-- 1 and one-half (1.5) cups Clarified Butter

-- 1 and one-half (1.5) teaspoons fresh lemon juice

-- Eighth of a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

-- Dash of Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

-- Quarter (.25) teaspoon salt

-- Eighth of a teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper


TO PREPARE

1. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them rest at room
temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill or preheat the broiler and position
a rack 4 inches from the heating element. Lightly spray the grill rack
with vegetable oil cooking spray. The coals should be medium-hot for
the charcoal grill. The burners should be on high for the gas grill.

4. Season the filets lightly on both sides with the seasoned salt.

5. Lay the bread slices on a work surface. Using a 3-inch-wide round
cookie cutter or water glass, cut out 12 rounds. Transfer the rounds
to a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until
the croutons are light golden brown and crisp. Watch them carefully;
they brown quickly around the edges. Cool on wire racks.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F.

7. In a large skillet filled about halfway with boiling water and set
over medium-high heat, blanch the asparagus spears for 2 to 3 minutes,
or until fork-tender. Cut each asparagus spear in half crosswise and
then split each half lengthwise. Lay the split spears in a single
layer around the perimeter of an 11 x 17-inch baking pan. Place the
crabmeat in the center of the pan. Heat the asparagus and crabmeat in
the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the
oven and cover to keep warm.

8. Meanwhile, if using a charcoal grill, grill the steaks for about 5
minutes. Turn, using tongs, and grill the other side for about 5
minutes for medium-rare, or until the desired degree of doneness. If
using a gas grill, grill for about 5 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and
grill the other side for about 5 minutes for medium-rare, or until the
desired degree of doneness. If using the broiler, broil 4 inches from
the heat source for 8 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and broil the other
side for 7 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, or until the desired degree
of doneness.

9. Cut each filet in half against the grain and put each portion, cut
side up, on a crouton. Put two croutons on each serving plate. Put
four asparagus pieces (two with tips) on top of each filet half to
form a squared crosshatch (#) design. Divide the crab evenly among the
plates, resting it on the asparagus. Spoon Béarnaise Sauce over each
serving and pass any extra sauce on the side.


Béarnaise Sauce

Although it may seem like overkill, if you want to embellish the
already extravagant Hollandaise Sauce, turn it into Béarnaise with the
addition of shallots and tarragon, white wine, and white wine vinegar.
Delicious! We particularly like it with swordfish, and of course it’s
a natural with filet mignon and prime rib.

Makes about 2 cups

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, wine,
tarragon, and shallots. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until enough
liquid evaporates so that it barely coats the bottom of the pan.

2. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the
Hollandaise Sauce, whisking to keep it from separating. Add the
vinegar-shallot mixture and continue whisking. Season to taste with a
little salt.


Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise is a lovely, rich, slightly tangy sauce that complements
beef as well as vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes. While
it's not an everyday accompaniment, it can be the pièce de résistance
of a special meal. Some home cooks fear making hollandaise because it
has the tendency to break (curdle). Our method is as close to
foolproof as you can get. Make the sauce shortly before serving; it
does not hold well.

Makes about 2 cups

1. In the bottom half of a double boiler, bring about 2 inches of
water to a boil over high heat. The water should not touch the bottom
of the top portion of the double boiler. Reduce the heat to medium so
that the water is simmering.

2. Put the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of water in the top of the
double boiler and set over the simmering water. Whisk the eggs
continuously for 2 to 2.5 minutes, or until the eggs are thick and
foamy and their color lightens. Watch the eggs carefully; they must
not scramble and cook. Remove the top of the double boiler from the
heat.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Very
gradually add half of the warm butter to the eggs, whisking
constantly. Add 1 tablespoon of water and continue to whisk as you add
the rest of the melted butter and the sauce emulsifies.

4. Stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, salt,
and pepper. Return the top of the double boiler to the heat over the
simmering water (add more water to the bottom of the double boiler if
necessary). Cook gently until the sauce registers 110° to 120°F. on an
instant-read thermometer. Serve warm.

---

Customer Reviews

Morton's Steak Bible this is NOT!
A more apt name would have been: "Morton's recipes for home cooks".

This book completely leaves out the 3 biggest secrets that make Morton's steaks so legendary:

1) their spice blend
2) their aging process, (dry, wet, etc)
3) type of beef (Grass-fed or grain-fed? Kobe or Angus? etc)

I would have loved to have made their spice blend at home or learn how to do a home aging process Mortons way.

They also (surprisingly) don't cover how to cook on a infrared burner or cast iron skillet which, personally, I've found have given me the closets "steakhouse" results.

Sure, that is probably above most casual cooks heads, but for a steak enthusiast and wannabe steak chief (like myself) something that touts itself as "Morton's steak bible" comes up short.

Unfortunately, the steak recipes and cooking procedures are basic and very simple. If you've spent more then 10 mins looking up how to cook steaks on the internet, this book isn't going to teach you anything new.

However, if you want to learn how to cook some of Morton's non-steak items some of these are actually quite good.

a phenom of a book!!
this cook book had it all. from describing different cuts of meat, tenderizing, spices, oven temperatures, grilling methods, marinading... there were sections on drinks, salads, appetizers, main courses, salad dressings and, of course, steaks. Being a lover of Mortons method of preparing steaks, I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Great for Morton's fans who want to try matching it at home
This is a cookbook - there's really not much "lore from the legendary steakhouse". However, if you're a fan of Morton's and would like to try their recipes at home, this is the book from you. The book has the recipe for every single item on Morton's menu plus a number of others that I haven't tried yet but look really good (particularly some of the German specialties.) They also have a number of excellent drink recipes and good instructions on how steaks should be cooked (hint: it's not the way most people do it at home.) If you think you'd be interested, go for it...you won't be disappointed.