Pan-Seared Steak with Cabernet Butter Sauce
Serves 4
Butter sauces often have mounds of butter. We find that if the wine and stock are well reduced, you'll only need about a tablespoon of butter per serving. Because everything counts in this minimalist preparation, choose fine wine, butter, meat, and-of course-stock.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 6- to 8-oz. shell steaks, blotted dry
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 3/4 cup good quality Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 tablespoon Demi-Glace Gold + 1/2 cup hot water
- 4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Procedure:
Heat a platter or plates in a slow oven. On the stove, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Add olive oil, then steaks, and sauté meat until desired doneness (2 minutes on each side for rare, 3 minutes for medium-rare).
Transfer steaks to oven and discard excess fat from pan. Sauté shallots in pan for 20 seconds, then pour in wine and diluted stock, stirring to incorporate all browned cooking bits into liquid. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons.
Off the heat, whisk in butter a tablespoon at a time. Add chopped parsley. If desired, cut the steak into slices across the grain of the meat. Spoon sauce onto meat and serve.
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