Black Garlic Creamy Linguini Pasta with Olive Oil Béchamel

Prep time:  2 hrs 20 mins | Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  2 hrs 35 mins | Serves: 20 crosonti

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds rib-eye or strip steak

• 1 small Bosc pear (or half a large pear), peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion

• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped

• 1 scallion, plus more for garnish

• ¼ cup good-quality soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds plus more for garnish

• ½ cup cola soda

• 1 French baguette

• 2 tablespoons Premium Imported Butter, to toast bread slices

• 1 7-ounce package Creamy Gourmet Cheese, Black Garlic flavor

• 2 cups fresh spring mix greens

• Vegetable oil for ribbed griddle pan

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Instructions

1. About two hours before serving, remove all fat, gristle and bone from the steaks leaving only the meat.

2. Slice the meat on the bias into two to three inch strips about an inch wide.

3. In the bowl of a food processor, place the pear, onion, garlic, ginger and scallion and puree to a liquid. Keep scraping the sides to puree all the ingredients.

4. Add the soy sauce, corn syrup, brown sugar, pepper, sesame oil and sesame seeds.

5. Puree again until combined.

6. Add the cola and pulse to combine.

7. Place the beef in a gallon zip lock bag and pour in this mixture and seal. Use your hands to make sure all the beef is coated then refrigerate for 90 minutes up to two hours.

8. Heat a ribbed grill pan over medium high heat.

9. Slice the French loaf into 20 cuts on the bias, about a half inch or so thick.

10. Butter both sides and grill both sides on the ribbed pan and set aside.

11. Wipe the grill pan clean for next steps but remove from heat.

12. Divide the Finlandia black garlic spread between the 20 pieces of toasted bread.

13. Divide the spring mix between the 20 pieces on top of the spread.

14. Drain the beef, rinse off any marinade and lay out on paper towels and blot the tops with paper towels. The beef should be dry before you grill otherwise they will steam and not get a nice char.

15. Heat the grill pan to high and once hot, brush with vegetable oil.

16. Cook in three batches by laying pieces down on the hot oiled grill and cook for about a minute or two on each side. Because they are so thin, they will cook quickly. Clean the pan by wiping with a blotted paper towel between batches.

17. To serve, lay one or more pieces of beef across the top of each of the prepared bread slices and sprinkle a few sesame seeds and sliced scallion tops over each one.