New Year's Eve gives us one more time to splurge. If you plan on spending it at home and quietly, I've got a dinner idea for you. I can't think of anything better to splurge on than surf and turf. Beef and lobster scream special and go hand-in-hand.
Seafood is always popular during the holidays because it's considered a treat. My preference for the surf is lobster tails and for the turf, beef tenderloin fillets.
If you invite people for dinner, what's ideal is that it's easy to figure out how much you'll need. You can buy individual beef fillets or cut them from the whole tenderloin yourself. The latter is less expensive. With individual fillets, you can also cook them to your individual preference. (But I wouldn't cook them past medium. Just saying.)
What makes these filets ultra tender and tasty is letting them sit out overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Place the fillets on a rimmed plate and pat them dry with paper towels. This helps ensure the crispy outer crust when you sear them.
When ready to cook the fillets, take them out of the refrigerator, season them with salt and pepper (or your favorite beef seasoning) and let them come to room temperature. Over the last few years, there have been two thoughts on whether you should bring meat to room temperature before cooking. I've done it both ways and think it's a matter of preference.
Now for the lobster tails. I like lobster tails because you can do so much with them and they cook quickly. They also take to so many cooking methods. You can grill, broil or steam lobster tails.
One method I always recommend with lobster tails is brining them in a salt-water solution. It seems silly and counter intuitive, but I think it makes a difference. Soaking the lobster tails in a brine plumps them up some, giving them added moisture to prevent them from overcooking. You don't need to brine them long; an hour is plenty. Just make sure you brine them in the refrigerator.
This time of year, chances are you will find them on sale, too. When you buy lobster tails, you'll find cold-water or warm-water tails. Cold-water tails tend to be a little smaller, averaging 4 to 5 ounces with shells. You'll find warm-water lobster tails can be more than { pound or more per tail. These are like a steak on their own.
The other good news is that lobster is low in calories; there's just 1 gram of fat in 6 ounces of meat.
This recipe is a favorite I came up with years ago. It's super easy, and cleanup is minimal because the fillets are pan-seared and finished in the oven in the same skillet. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the fillets to a rimmed baking sheet for finishing in the oven.
Pan-searing ensures a crusty exterior and tender, juicy interior. Oven-finishing provides constant low, slow heat. The final topping for the fillets is a dollop of Boursin cheese, which melts a little from the heat of the beef. Look for Boursin, a soft cheese spread, in the deli area.
