When family was coming over for dinner recently, they said “Just throw some steaks on the grill.” Do they know me at all??
So, I bought a 2 pound bone-in ribeye steak, about two inches thick - plenty for three people for dinner. I wanted to make it impressive, but not so much that they’d yell at me for going to too much trouble.
If you’ve never had Cippolini onions, (or you’ve only had the kind that come in a jar) you’ll want to try some fresh. SuperG actually had some this week. They are sweet and silky, and roasting makes them even more so.
INGREDIENTS
Gastrique
2 cups brandy (or cream sherry, if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
METHOD
Boil all ingredients in large saucepan until reduced to generous 2/3 cup, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper (And some of your favorite steak blend, if you like)
2 pound bone-in ribeye steak
1 pound Cippolini onions
2 heads garlic
A few sprigs thyme and rosemary
more olive oil
METHOD
If your steak is refrigerated, take it out, covered, on the counter until it warms up to room temperature - 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Peel the Cippolinis, and cut off the tops and bottoms, but not so much that they fall apart. Place in a pie pan or small oven safe dish.
Cut the tops off the garlic heads and place in the pan with the onions.
Drizzle olive oil over the garlic and onions. Salt & pepper everything.
Place herbs over everything. Place in the oven to one side, leaving room for another pan.
On the stove, heat a cast iron pan to medium-high.
Salt & pepper all sides of the steak.
Add the oil and half the butter to the hot pan. Add the steak.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes, enough to get a good sear on one side..
Lift up the steak and add the rest of the butter. Place the steak, raw side down, in the pan. Cook for a minute or so, then move entire pan into the oven beside the pan with the onions.
Cook for roughly 30 minutes and test your steak for your desired doneness.
Remove all from oven. Place the steak on a platter to rest for about ten minutes.
Place the roasted garlic heads and onions around the steak, or using a hot glove, squeeze the garlic around the plate to make it easier for your guests to schmear it all over their food.
Drizzle gastrique on steak to serve.
This gastrique is also wonderful on just a wedge of good Bleu cheese with some crusty bread.
Get yourself a rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon to go with this dish.
I like any red from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (different from Stag’s Leap Winery), but for a special occasion, try their Artemis. For a REALLY special occasion, go for their Fay or Cask23.
There. No trouble at all.