Bistro Beef with Mushrooms

If you're looking for an alternative to cooking steak on a BBQ this recipe is for you!  I don't know why it's called Bistro Beef with Mushrooms.  Maybe the person who came up with the recipe worked in a bistro or something.  I don't know.  If I were going to name it I'd say Steak with Mushrooms and Red Wine -Thyme reduction.  Maybe Bistro Beef is better.  Eh. 

The first time I ever made this steak was right before Jon and I were married.  I remember preparing it for him and a friend of ours who was writing the Mass propers for our Nuptial Mass.  Yeah, our friends are that cool. 

One of the reasons I like making this steak is because it's low pressure.  Like I said in the last post, my dad is the King of Steak, so trying to make steak the way he does is a little nerve wracking.  Jon and I have tried to make dad's steak countless times and failed.  The last 2 or three times I've really failed.  Oh, it was a horrible mess.  I think we had to end up microwaving parts that were still bloody and other times chunks were so dry and tasteless.  I still can't get it just the way my dad does.  Even Jon has a better handle on how to cook that steak than I do.

So tonight I went low pressure, because I have all you lovely readers to impress now.  Ha ha!  All four of you.

This steak is a relatively easy dish with lots of flavor and looks pretty nice on a plate too. 

Again, the recipe comes from the checkered BH and G cook book, but I've taken a few liberties with it swapping out the dijon mustard with spicy brown mustard and also swapping the worcestershire sauce with balsalmic vinegar.  I also used a lot more mustard than the recipe calls for and salt and pepper.  All those celebrity chefs are always talking about seasoning, so I figure it couldn't hurt.  Lack of seasoning is the type of thing that gets you eliminated from Top Chef!

I was going to serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans tonight, but alas, when I returned home from the grocery I realized that I only had 4 teeny tiny potatoes, so we had garlic toast instead. 


Bistro Beef and Mushrooms
adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 75th anniversary edition

2  8oz Top Sirloin Steaks

2 tbsp spicy brown mustard

2tbsp sunflower oil
1tbsp butter
1 8oz package of mushrooms sliced
1/3 sherry (or red wine)

2 tbsp water (or more sherry if you like)

1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
2 teaspoons thyme (it said fresh, I had dried.....do what you have to do.)

**Just like the inihaw make sure your steaks are at room temperature before you start this process!!!

1.  Heat up your stainless steel skillet to medium high heat with 1tbsp of your oil.  (***Yes, please use stainless steel!!  Nonstick won't give you a good sear and you can't use cast iron for this recipe because it involves deglazing and acids.  I learned that tidbit from the registry guy at Bed Bath and Beyond before we got married.  Thanks registry guy.***) 

2.  Brush or spoon your mustard all over one side of your steaks and gently place them in your hot skillet.  Turn the heat down to medium at this point.

3.  Spoon mustard on the other side while it's in the pan (to prevent messy and lost mustard) and season with salt and pepper.  I cooked my steak for 7 minutes on the first side (don't move it or else it won't sear nicely) and about 5 minutes on the second side for medium well steaks.  Just a hint of pink in the middle, still moist, not dry at all.  If you like it more rare, shave off some minutes.  I wouldn't recommend going to well done unless you like dry, tasteless meat.  We use grass fed meat cut by our local butcher so the risk of e. coli is significantly less (at least that's what they said on Food Inc).

3 1/2.  Take the steaks out and let them rest on a plate while you do the next steps.  Please, please let your steaks rest for at least 5 minutes.  It's crucial.  Anthony Bourdain says so.  The steaks continue to cook a little and if you cut into the steak immediately all the juices will pool in the spot where you cut it and you will end up with a dry steak. 

4.  Add butter and remaining tbsp of oil to your skillet and all the brown stuff that will be stuck to the pan.  Don't worry, this is the base for your sauce.  Add your mushrooms and saute until they start to soften.

5.  Add the sherry and a little bit of water and deglaze your pan.  That basically means once the liquid starts to sizzle in your pan get the stuck-on-stuff off the bottom of the pan as fast as you can and mix it into the liquid.  It will start to come together into a nice sauce.  Add your balsalmic vinegar and your thyme and let it simmer for another minute or two on low heat until it comes together into a nice reduction.

6.  Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over your steaks and serve immediately.

Mmmmmmm.....steak.

Please ignore the bad photography and try making this steak!

I've never used spicy brown mustard for this recipe before tonight, but I think it really took the dish up a notch.  The flavor was really pronounced and it just went sooooo well with the balsamic sherry reduction.  You have to try the steak. 

Dad, I'm going to have to make this for you next time you come over.  It's really different, but you'll like it.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for new and exciting recipes, a feeling of accomplishment, the farmers who raise cattle the hard way, and this steak which graced our dinner table.  Thank you for our feast tonight on your Mother's Birthday.  Amen.