Presenting: Grilled New York Steak with Béarnaise Sauce and Arugula Salad

Grilled New York Steak with Béarnaise Saude and Arugula Salad

So my kitchen has finally been put back together but the day it was finished, Mrs. Stuntman took off with my daughter and my sister-in-law to Southern California for a week to help her move. I still had a little money leftover from what my apartment manager gave me for food while my kitchen was not usable, so I ate out...often. I admit, I was lazy and didn't want to go through the trouble of cooking from scratch for one, but after more than a week of self-inflicted take-out hell I was ready for a good home-cooked meal, no matter how many were eating. Since it was just me, myself and I, I figured I could purchase something a little luxurious and not break the bank so I chose a New York strip steak.

A quick check of The Flavor Bible yielded a flavor affinity of beef steak, arugula, balsamic vinegar and parmesan. In addition, I saw Béarnaise sauce noted several times under the category of beef so I googled it. Béarnaise is a derivative of a Hollandaise which is one of five mother sauces of French cuisine. These sauces are an emulsion of butter and egg yolks but are flavored differently.

This isn't a very creative dish because these are classic pairings but I thought I could use the opportunity to practice my plating and I skipped my Presenting: series in February so I wanted to compensate for it here.

The Challenge

Improve food presentation and photography.

The Source

For the Béarnaise, I used a recipe from Heather of girlichef and the arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette and parmesan I took from Emeril via foodnetwork.com. Please check their respective links for the recipes.

For the steak, I seasoned both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and used a grill pan set over medium-high heat, cooked at a 45 degree angle for two to three minutes then turned the steak the other direction (i.e. from right to left to create the cross-hatch grill marks) for an an additional two to three minutes and then flipped the steak over and repeated the process. Once finished, I removed the steak to a plate and rested for 5 minutes to allow for carryover cooking.

Successful?

I now understand why these ingredients work so well together. The steak, salad and sauce complemented each other nicely. I would adjust the heat to medium instead of medium-high when I prepare it again because I like my steaks medium-rare to medium, but it was still the best meal I ate all week. From a presentation standpoint, I'd use less sauce next time but I like the color contrast of the plate.

Lastly, if you're not familiar with Heather, get to know her. She can be reached several places, namely: twitter, facebook, instagram, flickr, StumbleUpon, pinterest, G+, and LinkedIn.