Recipes, Recipes - Pinot Noir

Friday Night Steaks with Pinot Noir Mushroom Sauce

10 Tbl. butter, divided
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, the most interesting combination you can find
1/3 cup minced shallots
1 and 1/2 cups Pinot Noir
3 and 1/4 no or low salt beef broth*
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbl. minced fresh thyme
2 tsp light soy sauce (optional)*
4 six or eight ounce boneless rib eye or NY strip steaks
1 Tbl. olive oil
chopped fresh thyme

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots; saute until tender. Add 3/4 cup wine and boil until reduced to a glaze, about 4 minutes. Add remaining 3/4 cup of wine and repeat the process. Add 3 cups brothand thyme sprigs; boil until syrup is syrup-y and coats spoon, about 20 minutes. Add minced thyme and the soy sauce if you are using it (see note below). Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Sprinkle steaks generously with ground black pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Add steaks and brown two minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium and cook to desired done-ness. Transfer to heated platter and tent with aluminum foil.

Pour off and discard drippings from steaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup broth to the same pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until syrup-y, about one minute. Add mushroom sauce and bring to a simmer. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and discard thyme sprigs. Spoon sauce over steaks and sprinkle with chopped thyme.

* Note: too much salt can easily overwhelm Pinot Noir. It’s important to be very careful about saltiness when looking for a good food match. For this recipe, if you can’t find low or no sodium broth, omit the soy sauce.