New York Strip Steak (United States)

       From Sardi's to La Gare, New York is littered with restaurants that serve the delectable piece of bovine which bares its name.  Traditionally this hearty dish is served with a Bearnaise sauce (a yolk sauce infused with the flavor of tarragon) and a starchy side dish.
       The recipe that follows is from a friend of mine who has asked that I never reveal his name, in case his co-workers at a popular restaurant on west 48th street should ever read my blog.  Not counting the weekends or tourist season in just one night he grills up over four dozen New York Strip Steaks on average.  So he had a few rules that everyone should follow when making a New York Strip.  The first is that you should always grill your steak, even if you use a grill grate on top of your cook top.  Second never ever drench your steak in Bearnaise sauce.  You should create a small pool of it on your intended serving plate then gently drape the sauce over 1/3 of the steak so that you can see the beautiful grill marks.  Lastly when cooking your steak do yourself a favor and use a meat thermometer.  As he says even the best can stumble when trying to get their bovine between rare and medium. 

New York Strip Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

4 New York steaks (8 ounces each)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 large bunch of tarragon

1 shallot finely chopped

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes

Dash of Pepper

Remove the Steaks from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you intend to cook them (this will allow proper cooking).  Remove the most tender leaves from the tarragon and finely chop the leaves, set aside. Roughly chop the tougher parts of the tarragon and place in a small sauce pan with the shallots, vinegar and bring to a simmer.  Simmer the mixture until it has reduced to about a tablespoonful.  Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the tough pieces of tarragon.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, and place a heatproof glass bowl over top to create a double boiler.  Whisk the egg yolks with the tarragon reduction, continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken.  Add the butter a piece at a time and whisk it until the sauce is begins to thicken further.  Add in the finely chopped tarragon leaves and mix with the dash of pepper.  Turn off the heat and cover to allow the sauce to stay warm while the steaks cook. 

Set a grill pan on the stove, and oil the grate.  Season the steaks with salt and pepper and place the steaks on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes (this is for medium rare steaks).  Check that they are nicely seared then cover them with aluminum foil for two minutes to rest.

Give the sauce a final stir and pour some of the sauce onto one side of the steak, and allow to pool on the plate.  Serve with potato of choice. 

Serves 4