Chef's Corner: Seared Ribeye with Mushroom Pan Sauce

There's nothing like a perfectly cooked ribeye. Except a perfectly cooked dry aged USDA PRIME ribeye (an Alexander's specialty, of course). This is our adaption of a recipe found in Small Plates, Perfect Wines by Lori Lyn Narlock.

We know restaurants that serve 22 ounce steaks (apparently to be eaten by one person). That's a bit much for us. We've written this recipe for 1 pound and leave the serving sizes to you. Depending on sides, we are fine with 5 to 8 oz. per person. We are mushroom sauce freaks. We have been known to modify the following recipe by using 4 times as many mushrooms and otherwise doubling the sauce. That's what you see in our finished dish.

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Seared Ribeye with Mushroom Pan Sauce

• 4 TB unsalted butter

• 3 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered*

• Salt (Kosher preferred) and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1 lb. boneless ribeye steak, 1 inch thick, trimmed

• 2 TB shallots, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup dry red wine

• 3 TB balsamic vinegar

• 2/3 cup high quality beef stock, preferably not too high in salt

• 1 TB fresh basil, minced

• 2 tsp fresh oregano, minced

*Look closely at the mushrooms in the pan and you'll see some enoki mushrooms as well. We had them around and tossed them in with the shiitakes.

Preheat the oven to 200 deg. F. In a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, melt 1 TB of the butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Move to a bowl and set aside.

Pat the steak dry.

Wipe out the skillet and return to medium-high head. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil. Sprinkle the steak generously with salt and pepper. Sear it in the pan. We prefer such a beautiful and tasty cut of meat medium-rare or even a bit less, so we sear it for about 1 minute per side. Depending on your tastes you might sear it longer. Wrap the meat very loosely with aluminum foil and place in the oven to keep warm.

Without scraping the sides or bottom, pour off any fat from the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt over low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and stir in the wine and vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. This will take about 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about another 10 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano and reserved mushrooms with any juices that may have collected in the bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in small pieces. Swirl the pan gently while the butter melts. Do not stir or whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Plate your steak with sauce on top.

Our tastes include yorkshire pudding as a side. But that's just us. What we're showing is our steak piled on with lots of extra mushroom sauce.

NOTE: For more 'genteel' service, when you remove the steak from the oven, cut it into thin slices against the grain and top with a spoonful of sauce.

WINE SUGGESTION: A perfect ribeye begs for a perfect Cabernet Sauvignon. (Runner up: mushroom freaks may prefer Pinot Noir.)