Father’s Day is coming up, and in our part of the world the temperatures are already WAY up, so any recipe that is as satisfying as this one for steak with bourbon cream sauce that only requires minimum cooking time is a real winner.
In the summer, we sit out back and listen to the creek babble and the Mockingbirds and Blue Jays fight for berries and worms. There’s usually a hummingbird or two, and occasionally a fox family visits. It is not a bad way to spend an evening.
Then, just after twilight, which is when the mosquito army comes, we go inside, turn on some music, make a cocktail, and Coach will cook some steaks while I put the salad together and make an herb butter or a cream sauce to go on top.
Bourbon cream sauce is a heartier sauce, but it still lets the flavor of the meat take the lead. It’s like putting a little black dress on your steak.
And listen, there’s no point in putting a black dress on a piece of shoe leather, so below are just a few tips on how to cook a great steak.
Keys to a Great Steak
- The key to this recipe is buying good, thick cuts of meat. Steaks are a place to splurge a bit, you don’t want sub-par meat for a lot of reasons. Definitely shoot for organic, and if it is available and affordable, grass-fed is best for health reasons. Grass-fed meats are higher in Omega-3 and much less inflammatory than conventionally farmed beef. You also don’t run many of the health risks that come along with conventional meats. You can read more in layman’s terms about that here. And if you want to read one of the scientific studies, you can do that here.
- Temperature is everything. Don’t overcook steaks. Well-done is a travesty to a good piece of meat. Medium is shameful. You want the meat to be pink. Really pink. Trust me. An internal temperature of 125 degrees is perfect.
- Seasoning. Think shower, not sprinkle with seasoning. And for the best flavor, it’s best to season the steaks 24 hours before and put them in the fridge UNCOVERED. The longer the seasoning has to penetrate and tenderize the meat, the more flavorful the steak. If you’ve only got 2 hours, then season and let them sit for 2 hours, but the longer the better.
- Bring them to room temperature before you cook them. Set them on the counter for an hour or so and let them come to room temperature. If you’ve ever had a steak with a sear mark, then a weird gray layer, then the pink layer, it’s because they were cold when cooking started. You don’t want that. It robs the meat of flavor, and the texture is wonky.
Steak with Bourbon Cream Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 large portions 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Description
A well-cooked steak doesn’t really need much help, but if you’re looking to add a layer of decadence to your meal, a bourbon cream sauce is exactly what you need. It’s hearty and creamy without taking away from the flavor of a good steak.
Ingredients
Steaks:
- 2 16 oz thick cut boneless ribeye steaks (any steak will do: filet, new york strip, sirloin)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (olive oil is fine too)
- 2 tablespoons of house seasoning (to taste, but it takes a lot more than you think)
Bourbon Cream Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of butter, divided
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 12 oz. mushrooms, sliced (wild mushrooms are great, but baby bellas or even white mushrooms are fine)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup bourbon (use a kitchen bourbon, NOT the good stuff)
- 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional, but it gives it a little zing)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Season meat adequately with house seasoning. You want more of a crust than a sprinkle here.
- In an iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil over high heat until oil is shimmering and just about to smoke.
- Gently put steaks in skillet and leave them for two minutes until they are seared on one side. (Don’t move them around or play with them- you might need to turn heat down a smidge depending on your stove. Again, you want a crust, not a char.
- Turn on the other side and repeat.
- Remove steaks from the skillet, and place them in an oven safe pan. Place them in the oven until meat reaches a temperature of 120-125 for medium rare (about 6 minutes).
- Remove from oven and cover tightly and let them rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the shallots and the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden, stir and continue cooking until mushrooms caramelize (3-5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and stir one minute more.
- Pour in the bourbon and scrape the brown bits from the pan. Let it reduce by about a third.
- Add a tablespoon of butter and whisk until it’s dissolved.
- Add the rosemary.
- Add the cream. I start with 1/2 cup and then add up to 1/4 more to taste.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard.
- Gently place steaks and their juices back in the skillet and serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes 4 VERY LARGE portions. It will easily feed 5-6 people, especially if some of them are children.
- Be sure to season your meat adequately. It’s a crime to eat under-seasoned meat.
- This recipe is easily adaptable. Don’t like rosemary? Leave it out. Not a garlic fan? That’s sad, but leave it out. Don’t know what a shallot is? Use thinly sliced onion, but only a couple of tablespoons. Or you can leave them out altogether.
- The necessities are the bourbon, cream, butter, and mushrooms. You can play around with everything else.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 large portions
- Calories: 737
- Fat: 53
- Carbohydrates: 6
- Protein: 49
Keywords: bourbon cream sauce, steak, keto, father's day