New York Steak Arroser

A perfectly cooked New York steak is a thing of beauty.  Lacking a grill, August and I utilize the French technique of arroser (French, in a culinary context: to baste) to finish this steak that was cooked in a sauté pan on the stove.  This technique can be used to finished off any protein lending the flavors of brown butter, herbs and garlic as well as creating a beautiful and even caramelization. We prefer to source a good size New York from Marin Sun Farms and split it, but if you want a big hunk of meat all to yourself, no one will blame you. 

A few thoughts on steak temperature and touching your food... 

"Yes, touching food is one of the great pleasures of cooking. Separating eggs, making meatballs, pasta, bread, swooping out a finger-load of sweet whipped cream and delivering it straight to the tongue (and then washing the hand!). Take the time to appreciate the texture and tone of the food you’re cooking and eating. It’s part of the fun of cooking." -Michael Ruhlman 'The Cleanest Hands' 

On the first of the year a law went into effect in the state of California requiring cooks and chefs to wear gloves when handling ready to eat food at all times.  With out delving too deep on this topic lets just say not only is it LESS sanitary, the idea of constantly using gloves removes (if only slightly) the sensory experience, the love so to speak.  Further distancing us from the food we cook and eat. Here is a link to a great article written by a non-Californian food writer quoted above.

http://ruhlman.com/2014/01/the-cleanest-hands/

The key to cooking a perfect steak is to poke and prod it constantly! Pick it up with your hands, feel the temperature, press the seasoning in, note the texture of it when it is raw.  Put it into the pan with your hands (carefully, and make sure to wash hands after handling raw meat) and poke it every 30 seconds to feel it cook. Feel for doneness.

As you can see from the photo above, we like our steak cooked very rare.  All the times pertaining to steak cookery are for a rare steak.  The size and thickness obviously effect the cook time as well.  Feel your steak cooking and you get an idea of how long to cook it no matter the circumstances.  Of course this is a learning process, you may undercook a steak or have a real disaster and over cook it. After teaching yourself how to feel for doneness, steak cookery on a grill or in a pan will be come a pleasurable and intuitive sensory experience.

Ingredients for Steak

• 1 large New York Strip
• 1 Tbsp peppercorns, cracked with the back of a heavy knife (see photo)
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 oz grape seed oil
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 two inch piece of rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, smashed 

Take steak out of refrigerator and place on a plate on counter at room temp for at least 30 minuets.  

Place large sauté pan on medium high heat.

Season room temperature steak generously with salt and crushed peppercorns.

Ready a small bowl with the cold butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic.  You will also need a towel and large spoon handy.

Add the grape seed oil to the pan.

When oil is hot, put steak in fat side down, press the steak into the pan for approximately 2 minutes, creating an even sear on the fat.

Turn steak onto a flat side and cook for about 4 minuets.

Flip steak and sear for another two minutes, after that you will arroser the steak. First push the steak to the back of the pan (away from you), add butter/herbs/garlic from small bowl and begin to arroser (See video). Continue basting steak with butter until steak is cooked to temperature and butter is going the way of black. Remove steak from heat and place on cutting board to rest for 15 minutes.

butter, herbs and garlic ready for arroser