Introduce something new to your friends gatherings this season: Beef Tastings

Christmas is on approach. You'll be gathering with friends, and the pressure is on: attendees are asked to bring a dish to share.

Oh gosh. What to do?? Everyone brings bean salsa; that's no good. Pasta salad? No, you took the whole thing home last year after the party. It was a walk of shame, lugging out fifteen pounds of oiled noodles that nobody ate. You need something interesting that will draw people in and get them talking...

BEEF!

Not the crappy mass produced stuff everyone's tired of, but real, hand-raised, exclusive beef like they've never had (and probably can't get without your connections).

And you can add to the intrigue: Host a Clarion Farms Beef Comparison Tasting. Here's the setup:

Pick out two identical steaks, one grassfed, one grainfed. Cook them exactly the same way, and serve sliced in segmented dishes with labels indicating which is which. I would include lengthy summaries of each, including breed, feed history, age, photographs, etc. But I'm a bit of a nerd on such matters. So you're forgiven if you don't. Where was I?

Serving. Right.

Cook the steaks in cast iron immediately before serving if possible. If not, hold sliced steak in a warmer; you don't want it to cool off. Keep the seasonings light and easy so guests can appreciate the flavor nuances of different rearing styles. Include Dijon mustard, coarse kosher salt, pickles, olives, good bread (Wild Rose Bread Company).

People have never encountered the opportunity to compare beef styles; it's uncharted gustatory territory. Curiosity will be peaked. Flavor profiles and small batch production are terms reserved only for the highest quality foods; Clarion Farms Beef fits the bill. Even the vegans, usually expending the last of their energy in an endless quest to tell everyone they're vegans, will pause in awe (they're jealous).

This same idea can easily apply to burger sliders. We've done burger tastings in the past with tremendous success. Just remember: go easy on the sauce. You want guests to first appreciate the taste of quality beef.

It's human instinct to explore new territory. A Clarion Farms Beef comparison tasting is the perfect way to bring excitement to the forefront of mealtime with your friends. You, dear pioneers of the kitchen, are trendsetters.

PHOTO CREDIT: TY KEPLER PHOTOGRAPHY