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Porterhouse with Melted Maître d' Butter

Source of Recipe

From "Old-School Comfort Food" by Alex Guarnaschelli


Recipe Introduction

"This steak is a splurge and an indulgence. When I hit the supermarket or butcher's shop, I take a purchase like this seriously. My goal is always to honor the meat by keeping the preparation as simple as possible. A flavorful butter—in this case the classic French maître d'hôtel butter, which is studded with shallots, parsley, and lemon zest—is my favorite companion. Please note that because the 'strip' side cooks longer than the 'filet' side, this steak will vary in doneness."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
â—¦ 2 to 3 medium shallots, minced (about ½ cup)
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon green peppercorns, chopped
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
â—¦ Pinch of grated lemon zest
â—¦ ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
â—¦ 1 porterhouse steak, about 2 ½ pounds and 2 ½ inches thick
â—¦ Black pepper


Recipe

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with kosher salt, and cook until translucent but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a medium bowl. Whisk in the green peppercorns, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Use a fork to blend in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Season with sea salt to taste and stir in the parsley. Roll the butter into a 1-inch cylinder (like cookie dough) in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the broiler.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until it begins to visibly smoke. Use a kitchen towel to blot any excess moisture from both sides of the steak and season both sides liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Shut the heat off underneath the skillet and then use a pair of tongs to add the steak to the pan. Return the heat to high and brown the steak on the first side for 3 to 5 minutes. Resist the temptation to move it as it cooks. Lower the heat to medium and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the steak, raise the heat to high, and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, flipping it again every few minutes. Turn the steak on the edge with the fat cap, holding it with tongs, and brown that over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat and allow the steak to cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

The simplest way to check for doneness is to make a small incision by the center bone in the thickest part of the steak. It should be a little less cooked than you would like, which allows for carryover cooking and the finishing touch of running the steak under the broiler. For rare, a 2 ½-inch porterhouse steak will take 30 to 35 minutes to cook total and look rosy inside. Add about 4 minutes for medium-rare with a rosy red center and another 4 for medium. If using a meat thermometer, take your steak out of the pan between 125° and 130° F for rare, 130° and 135° F for medium-rare, and 135° and 140° F for medium. The smaller filet piece will cook faster so test that piece for doneness. Better to slightly undercook than overcook (and ruin!) this piece of meat. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the maître d' butter into thin (â…›-inch) rounds. Slice both the tenderloin and strip sides of the steak and transfer to a heatproof platter with the meat still tightly arranged around each side of the center bone. Top the steak with a single layer of the butter slices and put under the broiler until the butter softens, 30 to 45 seconds. If the butter doesn't melt into the meat, spread it a little with a knife to speed the process and avoid overcooking the meat.
Serve immediately.

Serves 2 to 4