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| 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.
