Pages

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

ChezCindy: Grilled Steak with Butter

Chez Cindy Maison Butter - great with grilled steak.

Summer-time and the grilling is easy....
Whether you are a charcoal devotee or gas-grill master, summer-time brings the pleasure of outdoor cooking.  When grilling meat, chicken, fish, vegetables or even fruit, there are a myriad of marinades, rubs and sauces available.  But one of my favorites is compound butter.  Compound butters are great to have on hand, stored in the freezer, ready to melt gently into your grilled food imparting a great impact of flavor.    

What exactly is a compound butter?  Start with softened butter, add in a few complimentary ingredients, stir to combine, and you have created a compound butter.  This is a quick and simple way to take a dish from plain and ordinary, to creating instant sauce for use with meat, fish, fruit, vegetables or pasta.  Compound butters can be either savory or sweet, from an herb-mustard butter to honey-cinnamon butter.   

This weekend I made one of my favorites that pairs well with beef.  Simply grill your steak, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Once you remove the steak from the grill, allowing to rest on the serving plate, top with a few pats of the prepared butter.  As the butter gently melts, it adds great flavor, combining with the meat juices as you cut into the steak.  A simple sensation of great flavors to please the palate. 

ChezCindy Maison Butter
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, smashed and finely minced
2 teaspoons Cognac or Brandy
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl.  Stir to combine.  Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap.  Spoon the butter onto the plastic wrap.  Shape the butter into a log.  Roll up in the plastic wrap.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Store the remaining butter in the fridge for 3-5 days or 1 month in the freezer. 



No comments:

Post a Comment