Christmas is next week and the chocolate in my advent calendar is vanishing day-by-day. Can we hit the rewind button? If Christmas is almost here, that means the Holidays are almost over. This is probably a breath of fresh air for Devin. Now that I’m a dad, I can sort of understand why she thinks the Holidays are stressful. I feel like Arnold in Jingle All the Way. It can be a bit hectic and during these times I want to make quick and easy recipes. Just because I said quick and easy does not mean I compromise my taste buds. This week, we will be making two recipes; a Grilled Steak with a Garlic Bearnaise Butter and a Cran-Bacon Brussel Sprouts.
It’s the middle of December, what in the world am I doing grilling a steak? Well, you should ask Jack Frost what he did with the snow, because it was sunny and in the sixties. You can also pan sear the steak and we will talk more about this later. I was debating whether to serve the steak with a traditional Bearnaise sauce or with a steak butter. Then I thought, I said quick and easy. Setting up a double boiler and whipping up a Bearnaise sauce is not very convenient, so let’s do a Garlic Bearnaise Butter.
Now that I have the protein figured out, what do I want to eat with it? What would pair well with a steak and Garlic Bearnaise Butter? Brussel sprouts sound pretty good. I have some leftover cranberries and almonds from last week’s recipe. This gives me an idea, I can make Cran-Bacon Brussel Sprouts. What is it? It’s roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, dried cranberries and silvered almonds. It is delicious and would be a wonderful side dish for your upcoming Christmas dinners. I’m getting hungry, so let’s get cooking!
Grilled Steak w/ Garlic Bearnaise Butter:
Steak:
1 or 2 – Thick Cut Grass-fed Steaks (1.5 to 2 Inches)
2 Tbsp – Coarse Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Sea Salt – To Taste
Garlic Bearnaise Butter:
8 oz – Salted Grassfed Butter/Ghee
2 Tbsp – Kasandrino’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 – Small Shallot (Diced)
1 Clove – Garlic (Minced)
1½-2 Tbsp – Fresh Tarragon (Chopped)
1 Tsp – Fresh Chervil (Chopped; Can substitute with dried parsley)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cran-Bacon Brussel Sprouts:
1 lb – Fresh Brussel Sprouts (Halved)
2 Slices – Uncured Bacon (Diced)
¼ Cup – Dried Cranberries
¼ Cup – Slivered Almonds (Chopped)
2 Tbsp – Kasandrino’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tsp – Coconut Sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Before we dive in, let’s cover a few things. Before you go out and buy a 2-inch thick grass-fed steak, let’s nail down what cooking methods are available to you.
Option 1: If you are going to grill it, I highly suggest you check out my earlier post (Recipe Here) to learn how to grill the perfect steak. If you are planning to pan sear it, I would suggest a thinner cut, about an inch thick. If you prefer a thicker cut, than I would suggest searing the steak in a cast iron pan and finishing it in the oven.
Option 2: For a pan sear, make sure the pan is nice and hot. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of Kasandrino’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the pan. Once it is starting to slightly smoke, put your steak in. You will want to sear the steak 2-3 minutes per side and only turning it once. Cooking time will vary depending on how you like your steak. I prefer a rare to medium rare steak myself.
Option 3: For a thicker steak, first preheat your oven to 450°F. Sear the steak in a hot cast iron skillet for 2 minutes per side until it is a nice golden brown. Now, we will finish it in the oven. Before putting the steak in the oven, I like to put a few tablespoons of grassfed butter in the pan. Roast it in the oven for 5 minutes or so and check its temperature. Cook time will vary depending on how you like you steak. Don’t forget to always let your steak rest before serving it. Let’s make the Garlic Bearnaise Butter.
For the Garlic Bearnaise Butter, you will want to cube semi-cold butter into a mixing bowl. In a medium hot skillet with a few tablespoons of Kasandrino’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cook the shallots and garlic until they are soft and slightly golden. I love cooking it in Kasandrino’s instead of butter because it will add some nice nutty notes to the butter. Add tarragon, chervil/parsley, salt and black pepper in the skillet. Remove from the stove and stir the mixture for 30 seconds to a minute. Now pour the hot concoction over the cubed butter. Whip them all together until the ingredients are well incorporated. You can serve as is or you can chill it until it becomes more solid. This Garlic Bearnaise Butter goes really well with poultry as well. You can use it for your Christmas Turkey! This Garlic Bearnaise Butter can be kept frozen for a month.
Now, let’s talk about the Cran-Bacon Brussel Sprouts. The prep on this is easy. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, toss brussel sprouts with bacon, olive oil, coconut sugar and salt and pepper. Spread it out on a cookie sheet and roast it for 25-30 minutes. Plate the brussel sprouts and top it off with cranberries and almonds. The cranberries really add some nice tart sweetness to the dish and the almonds add a nice crunch. There you have it, a nice delicious steak with Garlic Bearnaise Butter paired with my Cran-Bacon Brussel Sprouts. Until next time, eat up my friends!
