Here's one way to please and surprise the major carnivores at your table: a thick, juicy steak with a classic wine sauce.
It's a midweek splurge, to be sure, and chances are good that you'll have to ask the butcher to cut a rib-eye 1 3/4 inches tall. (Or you can use regular-cut rib-eyes; see the VARIATION, below.) But the meat will be unmistakably tender, with leftovers worthy of a few steak sandwiches a day or two later. If you don't have anything in particular to celebrate, make it as an homage to Paul Bocuse, the French chef who created celebrity status for restaurant toques.
Serve with a Dijon-vinaigrette-dressed salad and big steak knives.
Servings: 4 When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
Tested size: 4 servings
Ingredients
- One 1 3/4 pounds boneless rib-eye steak (see VARIATION, below)
- 3 shallots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 oil-packed anchovy fillet
- Kosher or flaked sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Generous 1/2 cup dry red wine
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Let the steak sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while you mince the shallots, onion and anchovy, which can be done in a food processor or by hand. Combine them in a medium bowl.
Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the meat generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
Add the butter to the skillet; as soon as it has melted, place the steak in the skillet; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned, then turn the steak over.
Transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 7 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat registers 135 degrees (medium-rare) on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the steak to a platter or cutting board and cover loosely to keep warm; return the skillet to the stove top.
Add the shallot mixture to the skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 6 minutes or until softened. Stir in the wine; once it starts to bubble at the edges, let it cook for about 2 minutes to form a slightly thickened sauce. Taste, and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Transfer the sauce to a serving boat.
Carve the steak at the table, and pass the sauce. Serve warm.
VARIATION: You can use two 1-inch-thick boneless rib-eye steaks, about 14 ounces each. Cook them simultaneously in the skillet, then in the oven, the same method you see above, but shorten the cooking time as needed because the steaks are not as thick.
Recipe Source
Adapted from “Paul Bocuse: Simply Delicious,” by Paul Bocuse (Flammarion, 2015).
Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick.
Email questions to the Food Section at food@washpost.com.
