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Cooking in the Country

Gene’s famous Butter Basted Steaks

Claire Stabbert
Posted 12/31/21

I have some big news, over the holiday my boyfriend and I became engaged! I have been on a cloud ever since and I feel so fortunate to have him.

With New Year’s Eve arriving, last year we …

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Cooking in the Country

Gene’s famous Butter Basted Steaks

Posted

I have some big news, over the holiday my boyfriend and I became engaged! I have been on a cloud ever since and I feel so fortunate to have him.

With New Year’s Eve arriving, last year we made my now fiancée’s Butter Basted Steak (a recipe from the great Gordon Ramsay), and it never fails to impress.

Ever since I was a little girl we would have steaks as a fancy family meal. Believe it or not, my dad would pass out white bread and we three kids would fight over the steak’s juices to dip our bread into.

I wouldn’t say I was the most cultured girl back then, but slowly I’ve progressed. My father never cooked steaks in a pan. He did it the classic way on the grill, but now that the temperatures have dropped, my boyfriend Gene and I have discovered the beauty of pan seared, butter basted steaks.

Gene has a way of creating a beautiful crust along the outside of the steak, sealing in all the juices. We made strip steaks, but you could use the same techniques for any cut.

To make these steaks,

you will need

-2 boneless strip steaks ( or your favorite cut of meat. Filet works wonderfully)

-2 tbsps butter

-1 tbsp fresh cracked salt and pepper

-fresh or dried rosemary and thyme.

Bring your steak to room temperature, then apply a dry rub - equal parts coarse salt and freshly ground pepper is classic and always a winner.

Next, heat your pan to a slightly dangerous temperature. Add a little butter and stand the steaks up on end to sear the sides first. This takes a bit of practice because steaks tend to be a bit slippery.

Let each side sear for about a minute, and avoid the temptation to grab it with your hands if it falls over. Sear the top and bottom faces in a similar fashion.

As you finish the last surface of your sear, reduce heat to adagio and add 1/4 stick of butter and a few whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme.

Be careful to modulate heat carefully; thick steaks need a decent amount of heat to cook through, but you can easily burn the butter if too aggressive; patience is key. If the steaks are cooking unevenly from surface to interior, cover the pan with a suitable object.

Periodically baste the steak with the melted herb butter until your preferred temperature is reached. Remove from heat, tent with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Tweeze the herb sprigs from the pan and drizzle the fond over your steaks immediately before serving.

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