The Daily Morsel

Adapted from Bouchon by Thomas Keller

I’ve made a number of dishes from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon cookbook.  So far this is one of the most simple I’ve made.  I’ve halved the recipe here, but you can easily double it.  If doubling, use 2 skillets and cook with them simultaneously.  Flatiron steaks are called for, which sometimes can be difficult to find.  Call your butcher ahead of time or use a hanger steak or top sirloin steak.  The compound herb butter (recipe at the bottom) can be made a couple days ahead.  Make sure the butter is at room temperature before adding in the herbs and lemon juice.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Makes: Serves 2

Ingredients

2 6-ounce flatiron steaks

Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil, or other neutral oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup shallots, chopped

1 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

2 ¼ to ½ inch thick rounds of compound herb butter (recipe below)

Process

Make the compound herb butter, recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit.

Bring steaks to room temperature and season both sides with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place a large skillet over high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons canola oil to the skillet.  Heat until it is hot and shimmering.

Add the steaks to the skillet and 1 teaspoon of butter.  Reduce the heat a bit and cook for about 1 minute to sear the steaks.  Turn the steaks over sear the other side for a minute or two, basting the top of the steak with the sauce in the pan by using a spoon.

Drain off the excess fat.  Add the 1 cup chopped shallots, 1 teaspoon thyme, and the remaining butter to the skillet.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet.  Continue cooking the shallots until soft, another 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the soft, cooked shallots over the steaks and place the steaks in the oven for about 5 minutes for medium-rare and 8-10 minutes for medium.  These steaks are a tougher, chewier cut, so medium-rare or medium is best.

Place a round of herb butter on each steak and return to the oven, just until the butter begins to melt.

Serve with a baked potato, French fries, or salad (if you would like to lighten the meal up a bit).

Compound Herb Butter (Maître d’hôtel Butter)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (it’s essential the butter is at room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Process

Stir the soft butter with a wooden spoon in a small bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Spoon the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap and using the plastic wrap form the butter into a log, about 1 to 1 ¼ inches in diameter.  Twist the ends tightly to keep the log shape.  Place in the refrigerator or freezer to harden before slicing.

The compound butter will keep for a couple days in the refrigerator and about 2 months, tightly wrapped, in the freezer.

Tags: Bouchon, entree, flatiron, hanger steak, Keller, shallots, steak, Thomas Keller

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 13th, 2011 at 4:06 pm and is filed under Entrees, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.