Steak | 20something cupcakes

how-to: the steakhouse filet.

February 8, 2012 — 8 Comments

Call me old-fashioned, but I think every woman should know how to cook a steak for her man.

And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, what better time to knock this one off of your bucket list?

{To all of my meat-loving lady readers: You might just decide to make this one for yourself – and there ain’t no shame in that}

I’ve heard of engagement chicken, sure. And there are few things I love more than a good roasted chicken. But – if I were a betting woman, and the future of your relationship status depended on one meal and one meal only, I’m putting my money on steak.

Lesson of the day: Cooking up steaks better than they do at Ruth’s Chris is the real way to a man’s heart. Fact.

And guess what? No grill required! You might be surprised to know that many steakhouses don’t use use a grill to cook filet mignon. I don’t even remember where or when I first learned how to do it, but I’ve been cooking them this way for years now. I know it was before I saw Ina’s recipe because I remember feeling so proud when I saw that she made them the same way! You know, me and Ina, on the same page – NBD.

The method is super-simple – so simple that you’re going to be dumbfounded when you sink your teeth into one of these delicious steaks.

Here’s the secret: Sear on the stove, and finish in the oven.

That’s it. Seriously. This is so simple, you don’t even need a recipe. Get a little oil going over high heat in a cast-iron or stainless steel oven-proof skillet, sear the meat on each side for a minute or two until it develops a beautiful browned crust, and then just add a pat of butter to each steak before throwing ‘em in the oven for 6 minutes or so. Let them rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes and you’ll get the most perfectly cooked medium-rare filets every time.

In Fabulously Simple, Main Dishes, Sassy in the Kitchen dude-food, filet, romantic dinner, steak, valentine's day

Do yourself a favor. Whatever plans you had in your head for cooking up a healthy dinner this weekend – forget them.

Seriously. You owe it to yourself to make this steak. Take it from me – I don’t normally even like rib-eye. I proudly consider myself to be a filet-only girl.

But this rib-eye has converted me. There’s something about a rib-eye that feels so much more rugged, and more appropriate with these beer and vodka battered onion rings. The filet still has my heart – don’t get me wrong. But once in a while, you need something fattier. I’m not talking about those globby, excess pieces hanging onto the edges of the steak; cut those off and forget about them. I’m talking about marbling – beautiful, flavor-packed marbling. If you can get a good cut of rib-eye with lovely marbling throughout, it doesn’t get much better.

It’s up there with butter. And bacon. The sacred food groups.

Speaking of butter… The original recipe called for a blue cheese butter, which I would have totally made except for the fact that we also enjoyed yesterday’s wedge salad with our steaks, and the butter seemed that it would have brought us into blue cheese overload – that is, if such a place exists. So instead, I opted to whip up this herb-shallot butter based on the ingredients I had on hand. So good, and so versatile – you could use this butter on anything from fish to veggies.

And then, there were the onion rings. The onion rings were so shockingly good, and they made me proud, as it was my first attempt and they came out so perfectly that I couldn’t even believe I’d made them. Part of this was because I toyed with the recipe, adding buttermilk when the recipe seemed dry as it was. I love the feeling I get when a recipe doesn’t seem right and I actually know how to fix it, or improve upon it. Pure satisfaction.

Rib-Eye Steaks with Herb-Shallot Butter + Walla-Walla Onion Rings

Adapted {loosely} from Bon Appétit

2 1-pound rib-eye steaks (each about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Herb-shallot butter:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 shallot, minced
Squeeze fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt

Onion rings:

1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup beer
2 tablespoons vodka
1/4 cup (or more) buttermilk
Canola or peanut oil (for deep-frying)
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rounds, separated into rings

As soon as you can (preferably overnight), sprinkle steaks on both sides with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on plate; cover and chill until about 30 minutes prior to cooking.

For the herb-shallot butter:
Using a fork, mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. This can be made a day ahead; cover and chill, but let it come to room temperature before serving.

Make onion rings:
Whisk flour, coarse salt, and baking powder in medium bowl. Add beer and vodka; whisk just until blended. Add buttermilk gradually until you get a nice and creamy, thick but still liquid-like consistency. Add onion rings to bowl. Pour enough oil into heavy large pot to reach depth of 2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pot; heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Working with 2-3 onion rings at a time, dip onion rings into batter; shake off excess. Gently drop onion rings into hot oil; fry until deep golden, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer onion rings to paper towels. Repeat with remaining onion rings.

Cook steaks:
Heat large heavy skillet (not non-stick; I used my cast iron Le Creuset) over medium heat. Add one tablespoon vegetable oil or other cooking fat (I used bacon grease since I had just made bacon for a wedge salad) until hot. Add steaks, cook for about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. My steaks were on the thinner side so I did about 4 minutes each. Remove from skillet, place on plate, and loosely tent with foil for about 5 minutes.

Cut steaks in half across grain. Place 1 steak half on each of 4 plates. Top with herb-shallot butter and onion rings.

steak au poivre.

February 22, 2011 — 4 Comments

And to complete your French bistro meal, you’ll need a little something more than just shoestring fries.

A tender, perfectly cooked filet of beef au poivre is just the thing. Add a simple green salad, and all you’re missing is a fabulous Parisian sidewalk on which to enjoy your dinner.

I’ve heard of steak au poivre many times and seen it on many a French bistro menu, but it’s something I’ve never ordered. I knew that the steak was encrusted in peppercorns, but I never realized that another key component of the dish is the Cognac sauce. Something I’ve really come to love about French cooking is their heavy hand with Cognac – in fact, I just went through my first bottle and had to go and buy a second one (I went larger this time!). Some recipes opt to add heavy cream, but I don’t think you need it; the Cognac and the shallots provide plenty of complex flavor.

Though you don’t have to use filet, it’s the most commonly used cut of beef for the dish. It happens to be my favorite cut, and one I cook at home at least once a month. Usually, I use both the stove top and the oven to make my filet, but here you’re pan-frying the entire time. If you follow Ina’s exact cooking times, you’ll end up with a perfect medium-rare.

Filet of Beef au Poivre

From Ina Garten

6 filet mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup good Cognac

Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

In Main Dishes february in france, filet, french recipes, steak