Tuesday 8 May 2012


Dreaming of Paris........


Beef with Harvest Vegetables En Croute


Beef with Harvest Vegetables En Croute

So far for me Paris has only been a dream. My husband and I were considering going to Paris back in 2003 but decided instead that our 4 year old daughter needed a sibling.With only so much money to go around, Paris would have to wait. Instead, we decided if we had a girl, her name would be Paris! We did have a little girl…who's name is Kaity LOL….lets just say there was a scandal around the same time with the aforementioned name and thought it would no longer be the romantic choice we had originally thought it would be LOL! 
We still have never found our way to France, yet I feel I have a sense of France. I often wonder where this sense came from?  Possibly movies or books, but in my heart I believe a certain attraction binds creative people to Paris.  Beauty is seen everywhere, in the art, the fashion and most certainly in the food. French food is beautiful! it's a proud part of French culture. It's something to be respected, admired and enjoyed. Food is an everyday indulgence, meant to tantalize the senses and enrich your life. Paris for me is fresh cut flowers on every corner, an old bike complete with a basket fastened to the front, filled with fresh cheese, a baguette and some produce from the market. It's tiny bistros scattered throughout the narrow streets that are alive with a joie de vivre that only the French have.
 I came up with this recipe one rainy Vancouver day, dreaming of an afternoon in Paris. Perhaps they were serving a dish just like this at one of those quaint bistros? Why not turn my dream of a Parisienne afternoon into a reality right here in my own home? Within a few minutes I created "Beef with Harvest Vegetables En Croute" and it's been a family favourite ever since! Maybe your family would like to escape to Paris too? Give it a try, it's quick and easy, yet still looks impressive. Not to mention a lot less expensive than a plane trip LOL!
 Enjoying the liquid sunshine in Vancouver,
                                                      Angela St. Cyr

INGREDIENTS

  • 500 grams Top sirloin steak (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp regular yellow mustard
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 tsp herbs de provence
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 red pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 1 onion (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 3 carrots (peeled and diced into bite sized pieces)
  • 2 medium sized white skinned potatoes (washed and diced into bite sized pieces)
  • 1/2 a container of Philadelphia roasted garlic cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 package of Phyllo dough (thawed)
  • 4 long pieces of green onion (to use like twine)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the steak is evenly coated.
  2. cover and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or as long as overnight.
  3. Remove from fridge. Add carrots and potatoes and brown in a large non-stick skillet.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Now stir in the Philadelphia roasted garlic cream cheese and milk.
  6. Re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.
  7. Set aside while you prepare the Phyllo.
  8. I'm lazy so I don't bother buttering between the layers of Phyllo but it you want to fuss with that feel free, but in my opinion it tastes just as good without all the extra fatty butter LOL!
  9. All I do is lay out 3 pieces of Phyllo and put about 1/4 of the of the steak mixture in the centre.
  10. Now take each corner of the Pyllo and gather to the centre (like a pouch)
  11. Tie off with a piece of green onion, cut off any excess Phyllo dough and artfully fluff up the remaining Phyllo top of the pouch
  12. Repeat until you've made 4 pouches.
  13. Place pouches on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
  14. Bake on the centre rack for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  15. Remove from oven and serve warm with a side salad.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Angela
    Ive just found this blog and I LOVE it I hope you will start blogging again :P
    I would like to know where I can buy a copy of your books from? as both my partner and I became huge fans of your cooking on the 100 mile challenge (I will be working my way through the recipes in this blog now):)
    Thanks Pamela

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