What does a glutton do when placed in a room with a Michelin-star chef? Ask a ton of questions, devour as much of their delish creations as humanly possible AND snag a few of their expertly-developed recipes to take home (that is, if they’re willing to share). Being a huge fan of MasterChef, I had high hopes that Chef Graham Elliot would be a sharer when I arrived at the Blend Bar by Becel® event in Toronto. I’m happy to report that he certainly is: not only did he share expert cooking tips and his personal stories (the man oozes passion for food), but he also gave us a few of his recipes. Yeay!
But before I pass on the mouthwatering recipe, a little bit about the featured ingredient: the new Becel. Yup, it has changed. I love it when brands pay attention to consumers and make better products. Recognizing that Canadians want simpler ingredients, they’ve announced that the margarine you know and love is now free from artificial preservatives, flavours and colours. Becel also has no trans fat and has 80% less saturated fat than butter. The best part? It’s made from blends of plant and seed oils like sunflower oil and Canadian canola oil — hello omega-3s (the good fat)!
What is amaze about Becel is that it’s also super versatile and can replace butter 1:1. So you can swap it in for any of your cooking, frying, sautéing etc. Just like Chef Graham Elliot does in this delish recipe:
Garlic and Thyme Basted Strip Steak with Wild Mushrooms and Becel-Laced Whipped Potatoes
2 servings
Prep Time: 15 minute
Cook Time: 30 minutes (including rest time)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil, divided
1 NY strip steak (about 6 to 8 oz)
1/4 cup Becel® Original margarine, divided
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, and quartered
1 cup cleaned, whole mixed wild mushrooms
1 Tbsp. parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
For Steak: Preheat oven to 450°F. In a hot pan add 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil, right before it smokes add seasoned steak; sear. Turn steak on to edge with fat and render down. Flip steak onto unseared side and place in oven until just before medium rare, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place pan back on stove over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. Becel® Original margarine, garlic and thyme. Baste until medium rare to infuse flavours, then remove steak from pan and rest on a cooling rack.
For Potato/Mushroom: Place potatoes in medium pot with water and boil until tender. While boiling, sauté mushroom in remaining 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil until tender, then toss with parsley. Season with salt and pepper. When potatoes are soft, strain, and add remaining 2 Tbsp. margarine. Mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place mashed potatoes in the center of the plate, slice steak and place on top of the mashed potatoes, top with sautéed mushrooms. And voilà:
Hope you guys get a chance to try this recipe at home — I just did and it smells like heaven in my kitchen. Oh, and if you live in/near Toronto, head over to Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens to watch the Master Blender at work, learn about the blending process and – most importantly – taste fresh, homemade margarine blended on the spot. The Blend Bar by Becel® is open now until March 20th (Mon-Fri: 11 a.m.-7 p.m and Sat-Sun: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.) Happy cooking friends! Oh, and if you’re looking for more recipe inspo, head here.
This post was sponsored by Becel®. As always, all reviews and opinions are my own!
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