This time of year, home cooks are looking for efficiency, economy and flavor in the kitchen, and an eye-of-round roast is an exceptional means to an end. This is the cut of meat from which rosy roast beef derives, that centerpiece of Sunday suppers. But it's more than that. Except for maybe ground beef, eye of round is one of the most convertible cuts around, slipping easily from roast beef one night into fajitas, beef stroganoff, salads, pasta dishes, soups or wraps the next. Here's what you do: Buy a three-and-a half pound eye of round roast, dust it with the herbs and spices of your choice, and brown it quickly on all sides, no flour required. Roast it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and let it rest for 20. Here's an exceptional recipe http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/coriander-dusted-roast-beef by one of my favorite recipe developers, Food and Wine's Grace Parisi. Keep in mind that you can buy small amounts of spices to doozy up your eye-of-round for, literally, pennies. Locally owned stores Red Stick Spice Company and Our Daily Bread both sell spices to order by the ounce, as does Whole Foods Market.
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How to master the fish fillet
Step-by-step instructions for filleting fresh fish, which is a particularly useful culinary skill for those of us fortunate enough to live in southeast Louisiana.
Social media style
With our cover story featuring 25 must-follow Twitter accounts in Baton Rouge, and examining the growing social media site's impact on the local community, we wondered what Twitter might look like in the flesh—living, breathing, fashionable flesh. Prices are approximate, and price and availability are subject to change. (Styling: Erin Mehta)
Bad Guys, Good Eats! Pop-Up Dinner at Restaurant IPO
Chef and 225 contributor Jay D. Ducote and Chef Chris Wadsworth hosted the Bad Guys, Good Eats! dinner at Restaurant IPO Wednesday night. The dinner was themed around famous movie villains, pairing cocktails and ales with plates of food resembling famous baddies like The Joker, Lord Voldemort, Hannibal Lector, and many others. The highlights of the night were the three middle courses—a black bean soup laced with blood sausage to signify Lord Voldemort, a brace of coneys on black eyed peas resembling Sauron, and lamb medallions atop a fava bean puree to pay homage to the famous favorite of Hannibal Lector.
Summer Crush
Elizabeth Arkley Hammett, a local nursing student and Fur Ball co-coordinator, and her husband Grey Hammett III, who works in commercial real estate, will take you through our summer guide. And they'll look good while doing it, too. Where noted, their clothes and accessories are available from local retailers.
