Steak With Pan Sauce



Grilling steaks is a popular cooking method, but the juices and flavor nuggets are lost down the grill. A grilled steak cannot be served with a pan sauce, which requires scraping up the browned bits on the pan to create a flavor base for a superior sauce. Nor can a pan sauce be made from a steak that has no fat, such as tenderloin, because after the meat has seared, there is nothing in the pan to deglaze.


Ingredients

2 steaks
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and minced
½ cup red wine
1 cup veal or beef stock
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard or balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. butter



Preparation

• Pat dry and season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.

• Heat a saute pan on high. Sear the steaks on one side until very well browned. Turn over.

• How long you cook the steak on the other side depends on the thickness of the steak and desired degree of doneness.

• Remove the steaks from the pan and let rest while you make the sauce.

• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and saute the shallots for 1 minute.

• Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the browned bits. Let the wine reduce to half of its original volume.

• Add the stock, bring it to a boil and let the stock reduce to half its original volume.
Remove the pan from the heat, taste and adjust the seasonings.

• Whisk in the mustard or vinegar.

• Finish by swirling in the butter. Spoon the sauce on the plates and place the meat on top of the sauce (so that the hot sauce does not overcook the meat).