Old Man Winter Checks Into Steamboat For The Week

Powder hounds are in disarray. Over four feet of snow in one week and it is not January!! Some might have even left town thinking that the fun was over. We have guests staying in our catered chalets and vacation rental homes that are grinning from ear to ear. Yes folks - tomorrow is April 1st - but this is no joke!

With more than 30 feet of snow this winter, Steamboat has reached another snow milestone, recording a four-wire winter, when the snow stacks up past the fourth row of fence wires. Yampa Valley ranchers have traditionally measured the severity of a Routt County winter by how high the snow stacks up against their four fence wires.

The resort is currently in a storm cycle that has yielded 15 inches at mid-mountain and 16 inches at the summit overnight; and, over 48 inches in the past week. And it is STILL SNOWING!

Since Opening Day, November 26th, the resort has recorded snowfall 76 days out of 126 with 46 of those days seeing 4-or-more inches. Steamboat is reporting a 76-inch base at mid-mountain and 101-inch base at the summit on powder conditions.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Grand Junction, CO
12:29 pm MDT, Tue., Mar. 31, 2009

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

WIDESPREAD SNOW CONTINUES TODAY WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOWFALL EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. EXPECT SNOW TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY BRINGING TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM 8 TO 16 INCHES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

Our Favorite Recipes...

From Chef Anthony Kresge

Back in November when I was writing our “Go Gourmet” menus with the weather turning Aspens from green to yellow, the seasons change inspired me to add a cut of beef called Hanger Steak.

Ten years ago, I remember working for a chef in Monterey that served this remarkable cut of beef, and the customers loved it. I had even mentioned it to one of our chalet guests who owned and operated a grocery full of meats in Missouri, and he’d never heard of it.

Hanger Steak resembles flank steak and is a vaguely V-shaped pair of muscles with a long, inedible membrane down the middle(this will need to be cut out or have a butcher do it for you). There is only one hanger steak per animal, and the entire cut typically weighs about 1 to 1.5 lbs. Due to its location near the kidneys, the hanger steak can carry a bit of gameness, however when prepared and cooked properly this is just a hint.

The Hanger Steak is not particularly tender, but has a lot of flavor. It is best marinated for at least 24 hours to ensure rich deep flavors and tenderness.. I find the best cooking technique is to grill or skillet roast on high heat. The goal is to keep the moisture in the muscle by charring the outside and leaving the middle a ruby like color you will find if properly marinated. Another suggestion is to char it quickly and oven roast in the marinating juices for 7-10 minutes in a preheated 325 F oven.

Your friends and family will love this in any season, and sooner than later; you’ll be explaining just how special this cut of beef is. Hardly anyone will know the history of the Hanger Steak; once known as the Bistro Steak in European restaurants. For our guests in the Rocky Mountains who are very particular about their beef, the Hanger Steak is in a class all of its own.

Grilled Hanger Steak over Parmesiano Rissoto
with Pan-seared Butter-nut squash, crispy Onion Rings
and fresh Watercress

Prep Time- 25 minutes/24 hrs, Cook Time- 45 minutes.
Servings 4

Ingredients
Hanger Steak- 1.5 pounds trimmed (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
Butternut Squash-2 cups
Short Grained Risotto Rice (Arborio Rice is a good example) - 2 cups
Chicken Stock/Broth- 4 cups
Onions/both thinly sliced and diced- 2 whole
All Purpose Flour- ¼ cup
Corn Meal- ¼ cup
Dry White Wine- ½ cup
Red Wine-4 cups for marinating
Garlic-3 whole cloves for marinating
Fresh Rosemary- 2 whole sprigs for marinating
Thyme-2 tbsp
Basil-1/4 cup fresh chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan Cheese-1/2 cup grated
Butter- ½ cup cubed at room temp
Watercress- 1 bunch
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - ½ cup
Kosher Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1 day before - quarter the Hanger Steak so that each portion is equal between 4 people.

Marinate in large Zip-lock bag with Red Wine, Garlic Cloves, Rosemary sprigs, a pinch of Salt and Pepper in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

The day of serving- Preheat the grill to 425 degrees.

Slice Onions thin and toss into Flour and Cornmeal, Salt and Pepper.

Prepare 2 cups of Oil in skillet to reach 325 F and place Onions into skillet with lid until light golden brown. Place on paper towel and cover.

Cut Squash into little cubes and saute with EVOO, Salt and Pepper on med-low heat on the stove top.

Meanwhile, start the Risotto process. The Risotto is almost the most important part, so be sure not to leave it for anything else.

Risotto:
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons of Butter over medium heat. Add the Onion and cook until softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the Rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is well-coated and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the Wine to the Rice and then add a 4oz - 6 oz ladle of simmering Broth and cook. Continue adding Broth after it becomes absorbed into the Rice. After 20 minutes, check the Rice to make sure its done, but still a little firm to the bite.

Turn off the heat and add room temp butter and Parmesan Cheese. Stir until mixed thoroughly and cover with lid.

At this time, your squash should almost be done, so turn to the lowest setting on your stove, add fresh thyme and basil, season to taste and cover.

Hanger Steak:
The Hanger Steak will only take about 5-7 minutes, which is perfect for the Risotto to become soft and creamy while resting with the lid over the stove.

Place Hanger Steak on the hottest part of the grill, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Its okay if the outside looks a bit dark and charred, the inside will be med-rare and delicious. You want to cook this meat on high heat.

When your Hanger Steak looks done or near to; cover and let rest while you prepare the plates with the Rice and Squash, slice each piece against the grain, and place over Rice and Butternut Squash.

Serving:
Put a small amount of Watercress on each plate, add golden brown onion rings and drizzle with EVOO with any left over juices from the steak. Offer your guests fresh Black Pepper however; the Watercress does carry this flavor naturally.

"Bon Appetito"

Winter kicks back in...

...Powder Hounds are happy :-)

Issued by The National Weather Service

Grand Junction, CO 
9:35 pm MDT, Mon., Mar. 9, 2009

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT TUESDAY...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT TUESDAY.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE GRADUALLY TAPERING OFF EARLY TUESDAY EVENING. SNOWFALL WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES BRINGING ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES BY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW... SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES... AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.