Steak Enthusiast

Today, I embark upon an age-old tradition — the family car trip.

We will attempt to drive 13 hours in the car with two boys under the age of 7 over two days.

Hopefully, at the end, we will reach sand and surf . . . if we all survive.

Traveling with us will be a cooler full of sugar-free drinks, Coke Zero, water and the ever-present insulin vials for my youngest.

Ever given someone a shot in the back of an SUV? I must say I’ve gotten pretty good at it. And my son looks at it as an adventure. Ah, youth . . .

Yes, we might be crazy, but if we’re headed for the funny farm we’re all going together.

Here’s a self portrait of what I anticipate I will look like in two days’ time.

As you can see, the proverbial walls are closing in on me. Plus, it looks like I may need some Propecia or other hair-loss product . . .

But a shining ray of light for me is that I thought far enough ahead to order some amazing steaks to be delivered to us during our week-long stay in paradise. This I know:  the food will be good.

Why? Because I will be preparing those steaks just the way I like them.

And we’ll be making some memories, too.

Catch you next week when I’m hangin’ ten, dudes!

(That is, if “hangin’ ten” means sitting under an umbrella reading back issues of “Real Simple” and “Oprah” magazines while my sons inadvertently flick sand in my drink.)

Ever wonder what the heck “gratin” is anyway? I did. I’m intimately familiar with potatoes au gratin, but I knew gratin had other connotations also. I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly what.

So, once again, I turned to my trusty Wikipedia. Here’s what it says . . .

Gratin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gratin adapted from French cuisine is a type of casserole dish that is covered with Béchamel sauce or Mornay sauce, topped with buttered breadcrumbs or grated cheese and either baked or broiled, then served in its baking dish with a golden crust. Cooking au gratin is a technique rather than exclusively a preparation of potatoes (which is specifically a gratin dauphinois): anything that can be sliced thin, layered with a cream sauce and baked is material for a gratin: fennel, leeks, crabmeat, celeriac, aubergines.

So, the Ribeye Gratin dish I tried called for spinach and cheese to create the gratin (along with lots of other yummy ingredients.)

I’m thinking of a new ad slogan for it now:  Gratin:  It’s not just for potatoes anymore.

Okay, so it never really WAS just for potatoes. My slogan is still in the working phase, people.

Anyhoo, THIS gratin recipe started off with some tender, thick ribeyes.

Then, we made the gratin (just look at that gorgeous spinach!).

And here is the final finished meal. This cheesy, spinachy gratin really created some wonderful texture and flavor and complemented the steaks really well.

Try it for yourself!

Ribeye Gratin

4 10 oz. Ribeye
2 Cups Spinach, chopped
½ Cup Gruyere Cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. Dry White Wine
1 Tbsp. Shallot, minced
1 tsp. Garlic, minced

Saute the spinach in the white wine until wilted.  Add the shallot and garlic and cook 1 more minute, remove from heat and toss in the cheese. Grill steaks to desired doneness (about six minutes per side for medium, rotating a quarter turn every three minutes to create the cross hatch grill marks.)  Top each steak evenly with the spinach mixture and place under a broiler until the cheese turns golden brown, about 30 seconds.  If you don’t have a broiler, you can melt the cheese in the oven but ensure you undercook your steaks before placing them in the oven to avoid over doneness.

I was reading an article called “Picking Perfect Steaks:  How to Make the Most of the Beef You Cook at Home” and I stopped in my tracks when I came to one particular part. 

It wasn’t so much the advice that gave me pause as the way it was worded. Here it is . . .

· Pick out your steak like you pick out your clothes. Would you grab just any old pair of pants off the rack? Of course not. Same with a steak. Look at each one carefully. If you want it to be juicy and tender for cooking on the grill, you want lots of little white flecks of fat in the meaty part (it’s called marbling). The flecks melt away during cooking, adding to the meat’s flavor. You also want it to be an even thickness (if it’s thinner in some parts, it will cook unevenly). If you’re buying more than one steak, try to find cuts that are all close in size so they finish cooking at about the same time.

Now that’s good advice as far as I’m concerned, but I can’t get past picking out my steak like I pick out my clothes.

I imagine myself in a dressing room with a three-way mirror and when I look up I see a T-bone hanging on the hook behind me. There’s a bacon-wrapped filet sitting on the bench waiting to be tried on. A KC strip peers at me on a shelf next to a flouncy skirt I’m about to slip on.

I take my things up to the register and the woman says, “Did you find everything you needed today?”

“Yes,” I say. “I’ll take the skirt, the beaded belt and the ribeye.”