Ring in 2010 with Mark Bittman’s tasty meal

The best-selling author shares recipes for steak a poivre, shrimp and more

Video: Quick and easy New Year’s recipes

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>>> this morning on "how to cook everything today," tasty ways to ring in the new year. whether you're planning a night for two or an all-night bash with friends, mark bittman is a "new york times" columnist and author of "how to cook everything." happy new year.

>> happy new year, matt.

>> are you entertaining or going somewhere ?

>> i'm staying home and i suspect some people will stop by, so i'm practicing here with some of these things now.

>> and what you're preparing today is really simple, because a, you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. if you want to have fun, you want to be with your guests. you're starting with the simplest and best shrimp dish ever.

>> i can't do any better in terms of time spent versus payoff. this is really it. you cook garlic sort of slowly until it's lightly brown. we're going to speed it up a tiny bit here. then you just add shrimp, cumin and paprika, and you cook it slowly so the juices of the shrimp stay in the sauce and you get this nice moist, really, really delicious olive oil sauce.

>> all right. before we go any further, there's so many different ways to buy shrimp, vein them, you know, not vein them. how do you do this?

>> i look for wild shrimp because they're almost always guaranteed to be better.

>> okay.

>> fresh, if possible, but it's often not.

>> you can also do frozen?

>> and i don't devein because there's flavor in that vein.

>> you can serve this over rice, over pasta, in tacos --

>> with bread.

>> okay, just raw, just tear off bread?

>> with toothpicks.

>> so you've got something to dip it in. there's the appetizer.

>> that's great.

>> for the traditional dish --

>> quite traditional, strip steaks here. just cooked in a little bit of butter and shallot and you take the peppercorns, which you can buy them this way or grind them and press that in there and you get that gorgeous coating on there. and then the sauce that i do, that i like to do is, again, butter and shallots and red wine . you're going to be drinking red wine anyway, so --

>> so it goes well. i've also seen it in served fresh bistros. it's a creamier sauce.

>> well, it's a similar sauce, but it has cream in it. but this is really, really creamy.

>> you're serving it with a simple salad and baked potato . doesn't get any easier than that. and save that for me, guys. i'll have that in a second.

>> be back in a minute.

>> for dessert, this is the simplest thing you've ever made on the show. you've got store-bought ice cream and tell me about the chocolate sauce .

>> this is bittersweet chocolate . very nice high-quality bittersweet chocolate melted with butter and sugar. so, it's basically improved chocolate.

>> right.

>> it's a real chocolate sauce . i mean, it's chocolate made into a sauce.

>> and again, you can do this, basically, keep it just a little warm on the stove so you're not spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

>> you can also do it three days in advance, keep it in the refrigerator and microwave it when you're ready.

>> weren't you the one that did a little balsamic vinegar on ice cream ?

>> i think so.

>> that was fantastic. mark, you've got three dishes we'll all be digging into in a second.

>> you're going to eat the ice cream before the steak.

>> i always start with dessert. happy new year to you.

>> happy new year.

>> see you a lot next year.

>> next week, in fact.

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 12/30/2009 9:34:26 AM ET

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Planning a festive feast for New Year’s Eve? Looking for simple dishes that everyone will enjoy while they wait to ring in 2010? Try these fresh, fast and flavorful recipes for shrimp, steak a poivre and ice cream with warm chocolate sauce from Mark Bittman, chef, best-selling author and New York Times columnist.

Recipe: The simplest and best shrimp dish (on this page) Recipe: Steak a poivre (Pan-seared steak with black pepper and red wine) (on this page)

Recipe: Ice cream with warm chocolate sauce (on this page)

Recipe: The simplest and best shrimp dish

Mark Bittman

This spin on a Spanish tapa is my favorite, and everyone I serve it to loves it. The shrimp juices infuse the oil, and the sum is beyond delicious. It's good over rice, tossed with pasta, or stuffed into tacos. But for a fancier New Year’s Eve gathering, I serve it with lots of good bread for dipping in individual ramekins. Or if the celebration is romantic, cut the recipe in half, put the shrimp and sauce in one dish, and share it. You can also use similar-sized scallops (or larger, though they'll take longer to cook).

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
3 or 4 big cloves garlic, cut into slivers
About 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, 20 to 30 per pound, peeled, rinsed, and dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Preparation

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, broad ovenproof skillet or heatproof baking pan over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; don't skimp. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.

2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, the cumin, and the paprika. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish and serve immediately.

Serving Size

Makes 4 servings; Time: About 30 minutes

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Recipe: Steak a poivre (Pan-seared steak with black pepper and red wine)

Mark Bittman

Elegance in a hurry. For a little extra flavor, coat the steaks with the peppercorns an hour or so before cooking and let them sit at room temperature. Use a decent wine here (I like Zinfandel or something equally fruity). And make sure your skillet will hold the steaks comfortably, without either crowding them (which will cause them to steam rather than brown) or leaving too much room, which will allow the butter to burn. This recipe is easily varied; use any spice rub or ground Sichuan peppercorns in place of the black peppercorns. You could also use the same technique and seasonings with lamb chops or veal chops. Serve the steaks with baked or mashed potatoes and caesar salad.

Ingredients

4 tenderloin (filets mignons or tournedos), strip, or rib-eye steaks, 4 to 6 ounces each
Freshly ground black pepper or a mixture of black pepper and crushed (see Step 2) allspice berries
3 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
3/4 cup Zinfandel or other good red wine
2 sprigs fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, plus fresh sprigs for garnish (optional)
Salt

Preparation

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes; turn the oven to 200° F.

2. Sprinkle the steaks liberally with pepper. If you want genuine steak au poivre, coarsely grind about 1 tablespoon of pepper and press it into the meat; about 1 part ground allspice berries to 3 parts pepper lends another interesting dimension.

3. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter into the skillet; when the foam subsides, turn the heat up to medium-high and put in the steaks. Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare meat, a bit longer if you like it medium to well done. Undercook them a bit as they will continue to cook in the oven. Transfer the steaks to an ovenproof platter and put the platter in the oven. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter to the pan, along with the shallot. Stir until the shallot softens, about 1 minute.

4. Add the wine and tarragon, raise the heat to high, and let most of the liquid bubble away. Pour any juices that have accumulated around the steaks into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve, garnished with additional tarragon if you like.

Serving Size

Makes 4 servings; Time: 15 minutes

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Recipe: Ice cream with warm chocolate sauce

Mark Bittman

This is a rich chocolate sauce, more substantial than syrup. Have the ingredients ready in the pot — and move the store-bought ice cream to the fridge if you like it a little soft — so all you have to do after dinner is heat the sauce and serve. Or you can even make it days ahead and warm it at the last minute.

Ingredients

Store-bought ice cream
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Combine the chocolate, butter, sugar, salt and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over very low heat. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

2. Add the vanilla and serve immediately, keep warm over hot water until ready to serve, or refrigerate for up to a week and re-warm before.