A while back I wrote a post about the essence of simple ingredients. I shared a recipe consisting of steak and a parsley garlic butter….it inspired me to try my hand at different butters, to create the perfect sauce for a delicious cut of meat.
This recipe comes from Bon Appetit, and when I first looked at it, I feared the steak would taste like whiskey. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the taste of whiskey (especially Irish whiskey) but not sure I want it to dominate my food.
The butter is spectacular and has just the right amount of kick from the whiskey as the shallots soak it up. It makes a large log of butter, so if you are cooking for two, you will get two uses out of it (just used the remains on filet mignon this weekend and it was fantastic!).
GRILLED STEAK WITH WHISKEY BUTTER
4 Servings
Whiskey Butter:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 shallots minced, soaked in 1 shot of Jack Daniels or other whiskey or bourbon
3 teaspoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoons Jack Daniels or other whiskey (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
White pepper to taste
Steaks:
4 cowboy steaks, bone-in rib eye steaks, or other favorite steak, about 1-inch thick
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, coarsely ground
Olive oil
Make Whiskey Butter:
Make Butter at least 3 hours in advance. Combine butter, shallots soaked in Jack Daniels (or other bourbon or whiskey), parsley, Worcestershire, mustard, whiskey (optional), salt, and pepper. Mix well. On a piece of plastic wrap, drop butter in spoonfuls to form a log. Roll butter in plastic wrap and smooth out to form a round log. Refrigerate until hard and easy to slice into round, coin-shaped pieces.
Prepare Steaks:
Allow meat to come to room temperature about 15 minutes before grilling.
Just before grilling, brush both sides of the steaks with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place steaks directly over medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough to get good grill marks. Turn steaks and sear the other side. Move steaks to indirect heat and continue cooking for about 7 more minutes for medium rare.
Remove steaks from the grill, top with a pat of the whiskey butter and allow to rest at least 5 minutes but no longer than 10 before serving.
Spread the melted butter all over the tops of the steaks and top each with a fresh slice of the whiskey butter and parsley, if desired.
Sometimes when cooking, it is easy to get enthralled with complex recipes – hours to marinade, a messy kitchen with many sauce-covered utensils, multiple cooking methods all used in one dish. Although many of those dishes turn out to be fantastic, it is when I discover a classic dish – one that highlights the organic simplicity of fresh ingredients- that I realize the power of food. Some food doesn’t need to be pureed, brined, marinaded, reduced or manipulated for hours. Some food, when served with a few well-thought out complements, can truly be the star with no help from me.
Food for Thought 