yesterday was bastille day and, as a francophile, i honored france's national celebration with food. tuesday i picked up very acceptable pastries at
the french bakery in crossroads mall. my two croissants, one raspberry, one marionberry with cream cheese, were still fluffy-flaky even day old. the dark chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, however, were too dense. i abandoned mine mid-munch.
for dinner i attempted something new. i turned to my generation's julia child, the great barefoot contessa, and opened up her cookbook
barefoot in paris.
steak with béarnaise looked the best, and i knew with ina's guidance, all would taste splendid. i had two simple sides: grilled artichoke and fresh radishes in a bowl of kosher salt. i chose a viognier for the "white wine" in ina's recipe.
i made some changes. stu (hubby) grilled the new york steaks (grocer was out of rib eye) instead of pan searing. since i dislike tarragon, i subbed basil which i have lots of right now.
it was one of the best steaks i've ever had. the béarnaise, with it's 2 sticks of butter, flawlessly accompanied our garden-grown grilled artichokes. anything left was sopped up with grilled baguette. YUM. it was fast and easy, can't beat that.
original recipe : steak with béarnaise
(please excuse the capitol letters)
Ingredients
For the sauce:1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good white wine
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
6 (1-inch thick) rib eye steaks
Olive Oil
Coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
For the sauce, put the Champagne vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to a few tablespoons. Cool slightly.
Place the cooled mixture with the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt in the jar of a blender and blend for 30 seconds. With blender on, slowly pour the hot butter through the opening in the lid. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon leaves and blend only for a second. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of white wine to thin. Keep at room temperature until serving.
Season the steaks liberally with salt and coarsely ground black pepper on both sides. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steaks on each side for 1 minute. Lower the heat to low and cook the steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve with the Bearnaise sauce on the side.
Note: To make the sauce in advance, prepare an hour before serving and allow it to sit in the blender. Before serving, add 1 tablespoon of the hottest tap water and blend for a few seconds.
thinking of paris,
paulette
...did you try this recipe? how did it go?
we watched a single man this weekend. i found it captivating. it is honest, showing beauty and pain in everyday life and love. colin firth plays a british professor living in l.a. devastated by the death of his partner. it is directed by tom ford of the fashion world (gucci and yves saint laurent). most of the supporting rolls are filled with shockingly gorgeous people. many scenes look like fashion spreads. i loved it. 
