Garlic-Mustard-Grilled Beef Skewers

I have some cooking to make up for, so this weekend it was time to do just that. It's a real luxury to have a day to plan, shop and cook, and I loved every minute of it! Grilling was in order because this was one heck of a beautiful day, so I consulted my newest cookbook, Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life, and decided on a beef tenderloin recipe.

Garlic-Mustard Glaze

1/4 cup whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before using.

Grilled Beef Skewers:

2 pounds beef tenderloin
Twelve 6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

Heat grill to high. Cut tenderloin lengthwise in half, then cut the halves lengthwise in half again. Slice crosswise to make 24 equal pieces. Skewer 2 pieces of beef onto each skewer, keeping them together at one end of the skewer. Place them in baking dish and pour half the glaze over the meat, turning to coat.

Grill the meat, turning once and brushing with the remaining glaze, for 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown, slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare. Transfer skewers to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Place them on platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe is all about the glaze, which gets brushed on right before grilling and once during, so it's super simple and the taste is outstanding. Garlic, rosemary and mustard, along with the honey infuse the tenderloin -the meat picks up the nuances of the flavors in the marinade. The flavors were perfection. Despite soaking the skewers, they became charred, I'm not sure how to conquer that except to use metal. The tenderloin was the star of the meal, so I made some great side dishes that we already know and love.

Oven roasted baby red potatoes:

2 pounds baby red potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

generous pinches of kosher salt

Put it all together on cookie sheet or flat pan with raised edges and coat with olive oil and nice pinches of kosher salt. There were a few potatoes which were over 1 1/2 inches in diameter, so I sliced those in half. Put potatoes in oven preheated to 450 degrees for one hour. Voila.

I also made pan-sauteed baby asparagus, using the simplest of ingredients- a few shakes of cayenne pepper, a few shakes of white pepper, a bit of kosher salt and threw it all in a sizzling pan of olive oil for a few minutes (4 but not more than 5) until the asparagus just starts to cook- we like it al dente. As soon as it was ready, I threw it on a platter and dinner was served...which is why I forgot to take a photo of it. The beef, potatoes and asparagus, along with a glass of Shiraz, made for quite a meal- and was the perfect amount of food for five of us.

After eating, we went back outside to enjoy the evening- lit a log in the fire pit, picked out constellations (it was a very clear night) and finished our wine. A lovely end to a much-needed leisurely day...and the eggs.