Another birthday

As most of you know, yesterday was my birthday. I was born on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. That might explain my diminutive stature, although genetics probably has more to do with it. As is our custom, Ken and I celebrated with my traditional birthday dinner of steak au poivre and frites.

A perfectly cooked steak with peppercorn/Armagnac sauce served with french fries.

This year we got slices of rumstek. The butcher sliced them from a rolled roast which was not our preference, but in a crowded butcher shop it's hard to quibble. We asked for thicker slices than he started to cut, so we actually got what we wanted. Once we got them home, I tied them up tighter with a bit of string.

The raw steaks, marinating in crushed black peppercorns.

I marinated the steaks with a generous coating of crushed black pepper (done with the mortar and pestle) before they were sauteed in butter. Ken made a sauce with Armagnac, beef broth, and some more butter. I made a batch of french fries in the fryer.

The steaks, hot off the fire, ready to rest a bit before serving.

Another success! This is my traditional birthday meal. I had it for the first time in 1981 at a restaurant in Nice, France. Every year since then, Ken and I have made it at home for my birthday. And it's always been wonderfully delicious.

We drank a bit of champagne before lunch.