By now, most of you know that I am familiar with how to cook a steak.
I’m wondering, in what way should I cook this little sucker? I’ve got a nice half pound plus bone-in New York beef steak that is screaming for me to cook it almost as loudly as my stomach is begging me to eat it. I’ll keep it refrigerated until I cook it, so it stays rare in the middle. But this steak is most definitely singing the old swan song tonight. I gave it a few extra days for the enzymes to kick in and now the time is right.
I’m going to go with pan frying, that’s for sure. I was considering a nice fresh-ground tricolor peppercorn edging on this nugget but I want more. Wrapping the sucker in bacon might be fun, but I am rather fond of the good old crust and juices that it would hide.
I’ve got a splendid new American cast iron pan (12" in diameter and all of $3.[sup]99[/sup] at the thrift shop) which might have to be used for blackening this little wonder. There is nothing like a fine New York strip steak that is charred on the outside and rare in the middle.
I’ve got sour cream, horse radish and all sorts of other spices and condiments. I’m out of mushrooms but have plenty of onions and garlic plus some blue cheese. Oh, fuc|<, I just realized that I have some blue cheese to stuff this little devil with!
Let me know what you suggest. I’ll cheerfully accept any winning candidate recipe, write about it here and invite you to post it over in Volume II of the Recipe Thread, or do it myself.
Dammit, Zenster, now you’ve gone and made me hungry.
Someone posted a marinade using wine vinegar and baking soda…it breaks down the fibers in the meat, making it especially tender. Maybe you can do a search for it.
OK. Get some dried porcini mushrooms. Whizz them up in a coffee grinder (they’ll take a fair bit of time, they’re bloody hard). Rub onto the steak with some seasoning. Cook, deglaze. Top with a spoonful of bone marrow.
If you’re looking to try something unusual, check out Michelin-starred chef and food scientist Heston Blumenthal on cooking meat - he’s got some way-out-there ideas, which I’ve tried, with pretty damn incredible results.
I am generally against eating steak anyway other than simply grilled, But right now I have a serious jones for Thai type food, so if it was my steak I’d throw it down like that. Maybe a marinade of sesame oil and peanut, and ginger and garlic and those little red asian hot peppers. then like encrust it with ground peanuts, grilled up, sliced and thrown over rice noodles with the marinade turned into a sauce. Escuse me while I clean the drool out of my beard. (why oh why did the only good thai place near me have to die :()
1 TBSP. Olive oil
1 Large ear fresh corn, roasted and cut from cob
½ cup poblano peppers, ¼” dice
½ cup onions, ½” dice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP. Cream sherry or dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
½ TSP. Oregano
2 TSP. Mustang Spice*
½ TSP. Salt (or to taste)
¼ TSP. Fresh-ground black pepper
½ cup fresh tomato, ½” dice
1 TBSP. Cornstarch
2 TBSP. Milk
8 spears asparagus, cut on ¼” bias
1 cup shrimp deveined, shelled & cooked (or crawfish or crabmeat)
Directions Baja Shrimp Sauce:
In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté corn, poblanos, onions and garlic.
Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until crisp-tender
Deglaze pan by adding the sherry and stirring to loosen any browned bits
Add cream, herbs and spices. Bring to a boil. Add tomatoes.
Reduce for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the cornstarch which has been dissolved in the milk.
Cook 2 minutes more until sauce thickens slightly. (Can be prepared in advance.)
When ready to serve, stir in asparagus tips and cooked shrimp and heat through.
Serve immediately, over steaks (below). Also great over your favorite cut of grilled fish or chicken.
Steaks:
2 (8-12 oz.) tenderloin or NY strip steaks
2 TBSP. Mustang Spice*
1 cup Baja Shrimp Sauce
Directions:
Rub steaks all over with Mustang Spice and let sit for 20 minutes
Grill to desired temperature and top with heated Baja Shrimp Sauce.
*Mustang Spice:
½ cup New Mexican Red Chile Powder
½ cup Cajun Blackening Spice
1 Tbsp. Salt
Tuckerfan, please post that wonderful recipe over in Volume II of the Recipe Thread.
Thanks for all of the input everybody.
I did a spice dry rub with fresh ground multi-color peppercorns and stuffed the sucker with some Danish blue cheese. Then I seared it in a hot cast iron pan and made Texas toast with the drippings.
I had a steak last night, too. I found a lovely ribeye in the back of my freezer. Dry rubbed with crushed garlic, salt, and pepper and pan-fried it (grill is covered with snow atm).
Made a kickass sauce with some homemade beef stock, dried porcinis, red wine, and a dollop of horseradish dijon. S&P as well. Throw 'em all together in a pan and reduce until thickened. Can only do that sauce with real, honest to goodness homemade beef stock because the canned stuff doesn’t thicken as you reduce it. I love having beef stock in the freezer.
Fresh spring asparagus on the side, so sweet it was like candy.