This summer was almost childfree for my wife and me – my children were gone to camp and then to their grandparents, which left us alone for almost a month. We ate out a lot or ended up grabbing something around the house. It made me begin to think about actually cooking for two people all of the time.

One night my wife made a great dinner for two, but upon my perusal just about every recipe I had was for a minimum four and a lot of times eight. And forget the Internet, epicurious.com and foodtv.com have search engines that do not recognize portions, just food types and styles. I guess no one has gotten around to organizing by portions. After I stopped daydreaming about starting a cooking show for “twos” as the next Food Network star, I tried to come up with two simple meals for two.

My wife saw this filet mignon prepared on one of Tyler Florence’s shows on the Food Network. We cut out a demi-glace, so here you will find our adaptation. It is hell finding a specific recipe on the foodtv.com site unless you know exactly what you are looking for, by the way. I could not believe how delicious this filet was, with the pan scrapings poured on top. We did not do the whole deglazing part. All we had was this and a simple green salad, but I am also going to give you an easy way to prepare twice-baked potatoes for two.

Filet Mignon with Mushrooms

Tyler Florence and Katherine Phillips

2, eight ounce filet mignon steaks

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound assorted mushrooms (shitake, crimini)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Season filets with salt/pepper. In heavy, large ovenproof skillet, heat oil until almost smoking – sear steaks on one side for three minutes and turn over. Add mushrooms, garlic and rosemary and give a good stir. Place pan in oven and roast for 10-12 minutes or until medium rare. Remove steaks and return to stove on medium. Finish with the butter to make it rich.

Taste-as-you-go twice-baked

Two large baking potatoes

Olive Oil

Butter

Sour Cream

Mayonnaise

Chives

Plenty of shredded sharp cheddar

Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 425. Scrub potatoes well so they are so clean you can, and will eat the skin. Dry off the potatoes; rub with small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Put on the middle rack in oven, bare, and bake until skin is slightly crunchy and potato is done. Cool potatoes until they can be handled, and then scoop out the pulp into bowl, leaving enough so the shell remains intact.

Add butter and sour cream, with just a small spoonful of mayo to taste – being careful to not get the mixture too creamy. Let it remain firm. Mix in fresh chives and bacon if you wish. Top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese melts and serve immediately.

Side Note: Recently someone quizzed me about exactly why I use kosher, or sea salt instead of regular table salt. First, what are they? Sea salt is just that, from seawater, and it is not processed with any additives. Kosher salt contains no additives either, and both of them contain “big” crystals.

Kosher salt’s large grain allows it to absorb more moisture than table salt and it is used to cure meats. It is not kosher, but is used to make meat kosher, thus its name. Table salt is finer, can contain additives, and has a sharper taste. For cooks, and for health, kosher or sea salt provide a more balanced taste and use less salt to flavor. For example, a teaspoon of table salt contains more salt than a tablespoon of kosher or sea salt.

Fresh spinach is impossible not to find in any grocery store in prepared bags. Don’t waste your time with the fresh, unwashed bundles if you do not have to. Our choices have come a long way from the iceberg-only of my youth. This sautéed spinach is quick and goes well with the steak or the snapper recipe below. Typically we cook two bags for our family at home.

Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts

One ten-ounce bag spinach, trimmed

One-half teaspoon minced garlic

One-half tablespoon olive oil or spray pan with olive oil spray

One-fourth cup pine nuts

Lemon wedge

Heat oil in pan. Sauté garlic and pine nuts for one-to-two minutes. Add spinach and toss for no more than two minutes. Sprinkle with lemon and serve.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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