Eye for a Recipe

My assignment is finished, so I am back to cooking (and posting). When I arrived home, after several weeks of take-out and restaurant meals, all I wanted to eat was a nice steak from our local butcher, Don, and a green salad. This recipe from Ad Hoc at Home feeds a crowd and the crowning touch is the herb and shallot butter brushed over the steak during the final stages of grilling.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use butter with no colour added and fresh lemon juice.

Porterhouse Steak

Ingredients:

Three 1½ -inch-thick porterhouse steaks (about 1.5 lbs each)

Canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grey salt or coarse sea salt

Preparation:

Trim the excess fat from the steak. Let steaks stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Just before grilling, coat the steaks with canola oil and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

Prepare charcoal or gas grill for two-temperature cooking with one area for medium-high heat and the other for medium heat. Grill the steaks over medium-high heat, without moving for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are well marked. For a nice crust and to prevent sticking, do not move steaks too early. Rotate the steaks 90 degrees to make crosshatch pattern, and grill for 2-3 minutes. Flip the steaks over, move to medium heat, and grill, without moving them, for 3 minutes. . Rotate the steaks 90 degrees and cook for another 8-12 minutes (timing can vary greatly, depending on heat level), brushing steak 2 or 3 times with the herb butter, until the center of the meat registers 125-128 degrees. Transfer the steaks to a carving board, brush with herb butter, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes for medium-rare. Slice the meat away from the bones and cut against the grain into ½-inch slices. Arrange the meat around the bones on a serving platter and sprinkle with gray salt. Serves 6.

Herb and Shallot Butter

Ingredients:

2/3 cup minced shallots

6 oz. plus 1 tsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

¾ tsp kosher salt

¾ tsp paprika

Preparation:

Combine shallots and 1 tsp butter in small saucepan and cook over very low heat until the shallots are tender but have not browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Put the remaining butter in a small bowl, add the parsley, lemon juice, salt and paprika and stir to incorporate. Stir in the shallots. Shape into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, put in a resealable bag, and refrigerate until ready to use, or freeze for up to 1 week. Makes a generous cup.

From Ad Hoc at Home