Saturday, April 11, 2009

Steak and Wine

Not all wonderful meals require spending hours in the kitchen... case in point, last night's dinner.

Should we be so bold as to say it was exceptional. Very simple, as it took about 20 minutes to prepare, and was accompanied by a wonderful and complex old wine we had tucked away, a 1999 St. Supéry Rutherford Red, Limited Edition (only 662 cases were produced). We purchased this nearly 10 years ago while touring Napa, and thought we might as well give it a go.

NY Strip Steak, my husband's favorite, with a tiny bit of my dry rub and lotsa fresh ground pepper, was charred quickly on the outside so as to maintain that moist flavorful inside. Once my husband removed them from the grill, I sprinkled a touch of Kosher salt, added a loose fitting foil tent and allowed the meat to rest for several minutes.

While he grilled, I placed some loose lettuce in the salad bowls, added just a touch of White Stilton with mango and ginger cheese, and a spritz of a wine vinegrette; brushed, cut and quickly sauteed fresh crimini mushrooms in a touch of butter, then added a sprinkling of kosher salt, placed the lid atop the skillet, and set it aside. 3 minutes for the fresh asparagus to microwave (just a tablespoon of water), and once removed, a little salt, for they were so new and full of flavor.

The wine had been previously decanted and frankly, there is no better meal in any restaurant. No, I did not eat all my meat... way too much food and a possible lunch for today.

Simple, but elegant, fresh, wonderful flavors and a complementary wine. The only thing better was the guy by my side!