4 six ounce beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, softened and cubed
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Lay on hot skillet. Sear all sides then transfer to the oven to finish cooking to desired temperature.
4. Remove steaks from the oven and allow to rest while preparing Bearnaise.
5. Bring vinegar, wine and shallot to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to about a tablespoon of liquid.
6. Cool vinegar mixture and combine with tarragon and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler.
7. Slowly whisk in the butter to the vinegar and eggs until you have a smooth sauce.
8. Serve steaks with the prepared sauce.

Makes 4 servings

6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Gruyere or Swiss, grated
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Rinse potato slices and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange one layer of potato slices in a buttered casserole dish.
3. Slowly bring cream to a boil with garlic in a small saucepan. Pour 3/4 over the potato slices and season with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange the remaining potato slices in the casserole dish. Dot with butter and bake, uncovered until golden brown, about 1-1/2 hours.
5. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes and return to the oven until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons butter
1 small red cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a few minutes until bright purple.
2. Add the vinegar and wine and bring to a boil. Stir in the brown sugar and reduce heat, simmering until tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Wow, I ate out for nearly 1/3 of the month for November. No wonder I don't have any money. Today was my first time buying beef since moving here. At least, an actual quality piece of meat and not something thrown into a stew or stirfry. I went to my favorite butcher and asked for two thick chunks of beef tenderloin. He cut off two little pieces from the very end of a finished bit of tenderloin and threw them tip away! On the bright side, the steaks were really cheap, but I really wanted a nice hunk of meat to sear and have for dinner. I was going to make steak tartare, but since the meat didn't seem like exceptional quality and I didn't think Shannon would eat it, I made Steak Bearnaise.

The steaks were definitely not as good as something we would've bought back in Alberta. This could be simply because the beef in Alberta truly is better or because I simply got the tail end of the tenderloin before it was discarded in the garbage. It was still very tender though and made a decent entree. I'm not so sure about the Bearnaise, though I did not make it very well (it separated a bit). I've never actually had Bearnaise before, but it tasted a little bit too much like Hollandaise to me. Hollandaise with wine. Is that all Bearnaise is? It seems like a strange condiment to a steak.

As any man knows the ultimate side dish to meat is, of course, potatoes. I tried my hand at Potatoes Dauphinoise, which is basically scalloped potatoes (I hope I don't get slapped by a chef for that.) I even shelled out the extra couple dollars for Gruyere to seal the deal. I'd never had Gruyere before, but it's really good! It's like Swiss or Emmenthal cheese without the holes and bitter bite to it. It was made with unpasteurized raw milk, which I've read is supposed to make the flavor that much better. Since I have nothing to compare it to, I guess I'll just have to assume that's correct. Apparently it's illegal to sell raw milk cheeses in the United States. If there is in fact a huge difference, you can come up here and eat with me if you like. I'm not usually a big fan of dishes this rich (unless they've incorporated goat cheese) but for scalloped potatoes, this is probably as good as it gets. Even the cream sort of turns to cheese and there's a beautiful crust on the potatoes that would make a baked lasagna jealous. The only downside is it takes several hours to cook, but most of my favorite foods do!

I often forget how dense a head of cabbage is and the ridiculous amount it yields when grated. I made a huge pot of Sweet and Sour Cabbage and now I haven't a clue what to do with the leftovers. I love this as a side dish. It's a nice little palette cleanser and it just has a nice pickled flavor. There aren't enough purple foods either! Vive le pourpre! As an additional vegetable I simply boiled a few small, peeled carrots and served with some sautéed leeks.