Steakhouse Bruschetta and Happy New Year

A couple of years ago at our annual Vikings Party, a friend brought an hors d'oeurve called SteakHouse Bruschetta and I went absolutely mad over it! I had to have the recipe. Well, it turns out I HAD the recipe. It is in a magazine, coincidentally, I already owned. It is in the December, 2006 issue of Cuisine at Home. I have since made it for family and friends, all with the same reaction I had. I.Must.Have.The.Recipe! Most recently Dana called wanting to make it, and Yvonne. I hope you all try it. It is super easy and mucho delicioso! 2009 will bring joy happiness and peace among all of you. Is joy and happiness being redundant? Hmmm... well I still wish you both. :)

I hope everybody enjoyed their New Years Eve in their own way and that

I want to send an extra big bear hug to my old friend, Deb K., you know why.

Steakhouse Bruschetta

24 slices baguette

Olive Oil

1 garlic clove, halved

3/4 lb. boneless sirloin steak

Salt and Pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup blue cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I have red wine vinegar, on hand usually and it works just as well, IMHO)

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

More Basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Brush baguette slices with oil and toast in oven for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool; rub with garlic.

3. Season steak with salt and pepper; heat a skillet over medium-high. Sear steak for 4 minutes on each side (for medium-rare). Let rest 10 minutes, then dice into very small pieces. I usually cool about 5 minutes each side until the steak is done to my liking.

4. Mix mayo, blue cheese, vinegar and mustard together. In a second bowl, toss tomatoes, basil, and 2 Tablespoons olive oil with steak. Salt to taste.

Spread cheese mixture on toasted bread and top with steak and tomato mixture.

5. Garnish with basil.

I don't usually make a whole, huge batch of this at once. I will have the blue cheese mixture on hand and then I will toast as many slices of baguette as I need for the meal. I will grill the steak and dice it. Afterwards I spread all the diced steak on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer and when the steak is frozen I put it in either a baggie or a plastic container and keep it in the freezer taking out only what I need to mix with the tomatoes and basil. Freezing the steak on a cookie sheet keeps the bits from all freezing together, this way you can just take a handful or so for the batch you are preparing.

Enjoy everyone! I think I will need to make some tomorrow...