# I need new ideas for steaks!!!!



## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

Hello all! I am writing a new menu for the told me that I HAVE to have a ny steak. a rib eye, and filet mignon. However, I need some fresh and unique ideas on things to do with a steak. In the past, we have peppered them, served them with caramalized onions, served them with demi sauce. served them with bleu cheese.


any different ideas????????


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## dano1 (Oct 23, 2003)

When writing menus i grab a couple of brews, flip through some cookbooks and go from there. Usually a recipe or picture will spark an idea for a dish. Also consider clientele and what they will or won't eat of course .
As for HAVE to have meats, thats par. You probably serve prime rib so ribeye steak is great for cross utilization. Filet and NY are a given.

hth, danny


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

There's a restaurant in NYC called Dylan Prime, which offers patrons the opportunity to customize their steaks with different crusts and sauces. You might see if you can find out more about what they do.

But, hey, do you mean you don't know any other sauces or condiments? You're the CHEF, man. :chef:


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## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

Maybe this is a dumb question but when you say you "peppered" them, was it a steak au poivre with a cognac (or brandy) based sauce? Steak au poivre is my preferred way for preparing steak.

Cuban mojo marinated grilled steaks are fantastic.

Dry rubs can be pleasant.

It's kinda lowbrow but just plain beef gravy is good on steaks, as is bechamel.

With sauteed mushrooms?

A butter sauce?

With garlic butter?

I've never heard or seen it done before, but alfredo would probably make a wonderful sauce for steak.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

The Chiinese do a peppered Steak with onions dish that I really like. They use steak cut in thin strips but should transfer to a whole steak too. 

Marinate with a soy/rice wine and just a hint of garlic for a bit. Pepper heavily, Cook over high heat. Sear off onions, add some marinade, reduce a bit, serve all over steak.

Yummy.

Perhaps serve it with some rice and stir fried vegies. Needs no particular other Asian touches, IMHO.

Phil


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

I have always liked compound butters with my steaks. A little old hat perhaps but still good. Things like a rib steak mirebeau with anchovy butter, maitre d'hotel butter is actually nice with a steak,
roasted peppers, garlic etc. Wine, brandy etc.
Use your imagination, stuff 'em too!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

We did garlic butter on steaks last year at Scout Camp and it was well received. 

There are some fun savory preserves to use on steaks too. Garlic Jelly, Red Pepper Jelly, Onion Jams/Marmalades, perhaps a bit of each?

Phil


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Simple and classic prepartions have always worked for me. Try steak frite, carpetbagger, bordelaise, rossini, etc. Maybe blackened even. My feeling is you can easily ruin a steak by trying too hard.

Kuan


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Charred onions with Bourbon/Ginger redux

Smoked tomato fondue and Feta with a tapinade crust

Nesteled with candied shallots and roast garlic

Come on chef! you can think of some things..

Your filets will need the most help because there the least flavorful,but rib eyes,ny steaks should just be salted and peppered and grilled till rare and enjoyed.

Think about your sides with these meats, make them stand out in a way to compliment your beef selections. A good peice of beef should be prepared with little fuss (but excellent quality and cooking vessels) I mean carne asada,tartare,capacchio rely on quality instead of overly thought out sauces.


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

I was simply just asking a question to get some ideas. Isnt this a place in which we all can ask questions and get ideas? When I posted that.... it was late at night... i had one to many glasses of red wines and I wasent thinking cleary. 

It was a simple question.


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## soussweets (Apr 12, 2003)

we all need a little motivation once in a while suzanne, i understand that steak seems a simple dish, but it's always nice to see what your piers are doing. i see no need to belittle folks for asking questions. as far as the steak, the sky is the limit. i have to agree with most that you can salt and pepper my meat and drag it over the grill and call it dinner, but something as delicious as steak can be accompanied by anything hearty and robust(think of what you would like with a good oaky cab.) i also agree with kuan that a blackened steak can really tempt the taste buds. i have recently run a simple ribeye special i call a cowboy steak. salt,pepper,and gentle amounts of cumin and chili powder grilled ,,,,top with carmalized slices of onion and sweet bell's marrinated in tabasco chipotle sauce(if you haven't tried it, its fantastic) good luck chef


oops,,,, new thread,,,,,, post reply whats the diff.

Edit: That's okay, soussweets; I moved your reply into the thread where it belongs. (No hard feelings.  )


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

One of my favorite toppings for steak, recently has been to saute mushrooms, onions, garlic and anaheim peppers, then deglaze with a hefty amount of worchestershire sauce ( and I do mean a hefty amount!!!). Then finish off this with a good amount of cold butter swirled in (monteed). The butter helps to smooth the worchestershire sauce and make the sauce kind of creamy.


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## culinarian247 (Jan 21, 2002)

edited post. but still...............

Leave my mom alone!


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

You know, i thought this place was a place in which you could bounce ideas off of each other and get some other ideas of stuff. Did i ever say i was going to "copy" anyones ideas? no! why do you flip through a cook book? to get ideas that you can build on. the same principal applies here. you ask a question... get some ideas..... and build from there. the underlining reasoning for the question was to simply see what other people have done in the past with steak.


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

I think we all need to take a deep breath.

There's no need to get so personal. We are a community of chefs and food enthusiasts. That means we are allowed, even encouraged to come here and seek inspiration. I've done it, we all have to some degree. It doesn't mean we plagiarise other people's ideas, it just means that we trust each other's good taste enough to ask for them. What's so wrong about that? Isaac is not the first chef to do so. You think Thomas Keller's ideas are 100% original? He started out exactly the same way.

On the other hand, maybe you could have avoided some of this controversy by sharing your own ideas first. So, getting back to topic, what have you decided on?


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## ritafajita (Mar 2, 2002)

isaac,
I think this is a place you can bring ideas and bounce them off. I hope you will continue to do so. Perhaps Cul247 just had a bad day. I've certainly had my share of them!

I had some onions on a steak last night. I thought, when I ordered, "yeah, right, onions on a steak. It's gonna be like always". But it was different, and I liked it. The thing about onions is that, even though they have a distinctive flavor of their own, they will take other flavor when cooked, and in that they can take on a unique thing that is what you do to them.

It's hard when you are under the thumb to impress/produce. If I were you, I would go with what you know. That's what they say about writing - "write about what you know". I think that kind of thing can apply to cooking as well. What do you know about the meats, apart from the everyday expected thing, that can help answer your question? How do you eat at the end of the night when you are putting something together , and you have some leftover meat and mushrooms? What do you nosh on? What is good to you? 

RF


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

RF & Anneke,


Thank you for your posts. Culinary school only teaches you so much and if you think about it, their job is not to teach you trends yet their job is to teach you fundamental techniques. And that is what the CIA has done for me. They have taught me the fundamental techniques both in cooking, baking, and managment. 

If someone asks for ideas on something, there should be no "hey... your a chef... you SHOULD know". That is BS! As Anneke and RF said, this is a place to bring ideas to and to seek help when needed. It really pissed me off to hear some people say "hey... your a chef.... figuar it out yourself". That is not a right attitude to help people and this is a place I think one could indulge in culinary arts, get ideas, seek help, and help other people. 

How would you feel if you asked how to make bread and I wrote to you and criticized you for not knowing to take water, yeast, salt, and flour and mix it to make bread. Do I say "your a chef and you SHOULD know". No. Why would I? This is a place to seek and learn! 

Maybe I could have refraised the question so people would think i was a dumb *** when it comes to steaks but to be frank, i do not eat a lot of red meat and when i have in the past, it was just grilled. So i wanted some different ideas.


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## fodigger (Jul 2, 2001)

All I can say is wow. One of the reasons I sent money to Nicko/ChefTalk was that there was ALWAYS a giving spirit here to share, to have the patience with others who are maybe not as experienced, in other words help our community to grow. In a way it is a mentoring program albeit long distance. If you take CC's post for example, he not only gave some suggstions but other hints to maybe stir Issacs juices. Next month will be my 29 yr. in this crazy business, I've cooked more steaks than I'd like to think about but I still read the post and thought about the different suggestions weither I currently do something like that or not or what I'd do different w/ that idea or maybe try it as it is stated. As I remember, this is Issacs first Exec. Chef job, think back to your first one and all the pressures to succeed that you placed on yourself maybe then you won't be so harsh in your tone. I think that maybe this is one of the times to keep your fingers off the keyboard.

Just my thoughts anyway.

And here is what I am currently doing:

Compound butters- I love them, the mouth feel, the flavors - currently dijon,garlic,worchestershire salt and pepper

A cabernet Ailoi reduce Cabernet to a syrup and add to ailoi

Gorganzola topped

a roasted NY strip instead of Prime Rib

I hope these help a little. Hang in there and remember no matter how big we may be now we all started where you are at one time. Good Luck.


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## soussweets (Apr 12, 2003)

well said foddiger!


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## boz (Jan 16, 2004)

These are a couple I'm playing with.

Filet topped with Crabmeat and Gargonzola.

Mushroom Horseradish sauce.



Matt Boz


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

What about offering a Rib Steak that, I think, is cut off from the rib roast and arrosed with either a Jack Daniels or whiskey sauce? Perhaps substituting some old Armagnac glazed onions and mushroom peelings.


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## lisah (Jun 21, 2002)

Try equal parts whole coffee beans and whole black pepper. Whirl in a coffee grinder and coat the steak with that. Then grill (or whatever your prefered method of cooking is).

Lisa


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## soussweets (Apr 12, 2003)

coffee crust is great. i blend finely ground kona beans with brown sugar and completely coat the steak,,, then serve with a chocolate adobo sauce, mmmmmmmmmmm


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## culinarian247 (Jan 21, 2002)

Please if I offended anyone I'm sorry. I of all people know what it's like to get advice and help from CT'ers. I was just being, well, off. Isaac if I did get under your skin my apologies. I'll edit the post right now.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Wild shrooms..I especially like porcini , hen of the woods, morels, with steak. Sauteed scallions whole yummmm...I like the whole blue, shroom onion combo. Still rib steak with a pile of caramelized onions , and onion rings works...


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

As I've said in the past "think outside the box". While personally not a big fan of using coffee grounds (if not ground enough it can leave a lasting textural unpleasantness imho) but it is thinking differently which I applaud.
Think of Chinese fish with meat sauce. That doesn't mean there's sauce in the meat, it only means it's the same sauce that's used with meat. So think differently. I like the idea of crab so think crab cakes. Perhaps a filet seasoned with Old Bay and Blue Crab meat. Surf and Turf in one. Use a salt crust, plank it etc. 

In other words stop thinking about what to do with a steak and think how you could add steak to a different dish and then incorporate that dish into the steak. Turn it around you might find some interesting results.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Hey Ya'll. What's up!
CT is the place to brainstorm. I stopped reading after a few post. Anyway, I personally think it's more of a challabnge to marinate or alter the flavor of beef and maintaining the intergrety of the taste of beef. I myself prefer marinades that accent the flavor of beef although some diners prefer condiments. I love to get some smoke flavor with any cut.
Isaac, I'm sure you have already figured this out already(hope you add some smoke) the more important thing here is, are you done with that candycoater?Wasn't that you?
BTW, you'l;l never please everyone, my wife prefers her steak flames and then all the jellies,sauces etc, me I'm lazy, infuse the flavor or top it, I just don't have the energy to be cuting dipping, stroking,swabbing etc.
Caught three nice rainbow trout last weekend 9ft 5 wt..... midge


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## josephreese (Jan 3, 2002)

One of the most delicious pieces of the animal I've eaten was a small bit of marrow, fried until just crispy on the outside. I don't know whether that would accompany a piece of the flesh well, but might it work as part of an earlier dish to lead into the meat dish? Or perhaps with some seafood (herbed scallops?) as part of a new-fangled surf & turf dish.

I'm no pro.
Just thinking as I type.

Good luck with the new menu. Where's the restaurant?


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## davewarne (Feb 4, 2001)

I have to identify with Isaac here. I don't think it matters how long you've been doing the job, you can get a 'writers' block. A friend, a chef, once remarked to me that it was hard work being original. It's very tiring too. It too easy to choose an old favourite.

Xmas being over and the associated bookwork complete I now feel like changing things with a big C. My menu always has a Fillet Steak and I've tried loads of things, but...., looking back at past menus I seem to end up choosing one of maybe a dozen. I feel I'm getting boring, but my customers don't. They're a conservative lot, customers, so don't start getting to outlandish.

Currently the steak is being pan fried with a sauce made with demi-galce ( I still use it ), red wine, redwine vinegar and pickled walnuts.

Happy New Year


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Isaac, we garnish our filet with a small piece of braised beef rib, finished in tons of sliced shallots and reduced beet juice with vinegar. The sauce is wine, beets and beef jus. Very Michel Guerard.


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## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

i agree with the whole origional isnt easy thing. i try everyday to do something new and exciting. altough it doesnt always work the way i want it to. i have recently paired a mornay sauce with a ny strip it was good. i have also used a vanilla crust, sounds strange and i got some cross looks for it but it came out very good. i just add 1/2 a vanilla bean to some kosher salt and put it in the spice grinder then pulse it a few times. add some pink, black, white and green peppercorns and pulse it a bit and crust your steak. it works well with fillet but i guess you could use it for almost any cut. try using some other spices as well. being the traditional sweed that i am (lol) i like to use cardamom in veal glace and top a good ribeye. and as mentioned before by another member of the cheftalk community, compound butters ROCK for steak. 

i hope this has helped and if it didnt oh well i tried.


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## ritafajita (Mar 2, 2002)

I thought what Davewarne said was pretty wise when he said this... 

>I feel I'm getting boring, but my customers don't.

I think you have to remember that a particular customer is not there everyday like you are- at least most aren't (there is the occaional weird one that always seems to be present). Sometimes you can come up with an idea that seems trite to you (or to your boss) that is something that someone who isn't there everyday would really love to order and eat. 

The onion topping I had recently was onions in balsamic vinegar. It tasted really good. I know enough about food to know that it wasn't "real" balsamic vinegar - that would have been cost-prohibitive. I was the only person at the table who knew it, though, and it tasted good anyway. The description in the menu made it sound like something I wanted to eat, so I got it, and I was happy.

I guess what I am trying to say is that a good cut of meat will always speak for itself and always be a hit. The stuff you add to it is, well, just gravy  

Come up with something that tastes really good (not hard with good beef) and then write some good copy about how good your particular take on it is. 

Then, let it speak for itself.

RF


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## dano1 (Oct 23, 2003)

Rita, PMFI but the repeat customers are a given in the country club world. It amazed me that the same folks would eat breakfast and lunch 5-6 days a week at the club and most would dine twice a week for dinner-and my club only opened for pm a la carte service 3 nights a week.
The C.C. scene is very unique. You have a population limited by the number of members-and their guests-to feed. Some love it, others hate it.

hth, danny


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## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

i agree with the statement that was made by another that goes something like "there are some items that are just good nomater how blah they seem to you or the owner" i make a key west style shrimp for my case and it always sells. strangely it almost always the same folks buying it to. unfortunately for some of us like myself our restaurant owners or managers will never be completely satisfied by our work. we still do our best to be origional and creative. as culinarians all we can do is our best. i am a big fan of trying new things even weird things but you have to remember that everyone is not in the same mindset as some of us are. the american public in general is still in the meat and potatoes mindset. so just try to reinvent the meat and potatoes. i am working on a recipe right now that uses all kinds of classic meat partners in a "new" way. i am using a fillet of course black angus to be trendy. i am slicing red bliss potatoes as thin as i can on my mandolin and doing the same with garlic. start by searing the fillet on a very very hot grill. then layer the potatoes and garlic on the bottom and place in a pre heated pan with a little safflower oil in it. cook for a few min. just to start some nice color on the potatoes. then finish in the oven. place on plate with the potatoes up and serve with roasted asparagus. i have had some pretty good sucess with this although a few times the potatoes got darker than i realy wanted them to but who knows.


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## thebighat (Feb 21, 2001)

I've said it before in public, and there's no shame in it....as far as creativity goes, I have good technical skills. Which means I can take your idea, reproduce it in my kitchen, and take credit for it. Like the old HBO commercial..the guy in the airport who keeps getting asked, don't you make movies for HBO? And he finally says., yes, yes I do. Did I invent Entrecote Bordelaise? Yes, yes I did.


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## kent wang (Dec 22, 2003)

Am I the only here that likes their steak totally unseasoned? Of course that's only when I'm cooking for myself as most customers will demand some sort of seasoning.

Anyway, a traditional Shanghai stir-fry method is to rub thin cuts of beef in sugar then stir-fry. I'm not sure this will translate well to a whole steak on the grill as the longer cooking time might burn the sugar. Perhaps if the sugar was added to a rub with some wet ingredients like Worcestershire or soy sauce. The hallmark of Shanghai cuisine is sugar but not everyone shares my love for it.

The coffee ground suggestion sounds intriguing and I will have to try it out. Just how finely ground must the coffee beans be? I don't have a burr grinder and only a blade grinder which tends to produce less consistent results. Could I just use store-bought ground?


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## judy (Jul 6, 1999)

One of the steak dishes that has been on our menu off and on since time began is hare'n'hounds. I found it in an old english cook book when i was stuck for something different to do with steak Grill till almost at required doneness then top with a thickish layer of dijon mustard and a layer of soft brown sugar. Flash under salamander till the sugar has melted and formed a sauce. 
veeery popular


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## kent wang (Dec 22, 2003)

Why is it called "hare'n'hounds"? Is this some sort of Australian colluquialism?


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## coquille (Feb 16, 2004)

Isaac,
I know your problem, it's like nearly everything has been done before!!
I had big succes with this one :
Pat the steak down till it's really thin ( I know it's blasphemi but still...) fill it with vegetables or whatever you fancy and keep the filling together with an egg. Quick flip over on high fire presto.. everybody happy!!
At least it's different:bounce:


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## judy (Jul 6, 1999)

Who is to know? 
The creative chef who published the recipe?
It was from an english cookbook. Unfortunately I cant remember which.


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## dcobau (Mar 13, 2002)

Hi Isaac,

I am new to this forum (and pretty shy) but recently I have found a couple of new ways to deal with beef steaks in general and I thugh u (and others) might like them. Here goes:

1) Gratinated beef (this one is really for a roast, but I have adapted it for steaks)

Ingredients:
A piece of meat for roast beef
onion
olive oil
ham
cheese
bechamel sauce

Method:
Cook the meat on the stove to half readiness. Let it cool then cut it in slices but do not cut right through, the slices must still stay together. Put a slice of ham and a slice of cheese in between each slice of meat then place the meat on a greased oven dish a little bit bigger then the meat. Add the cooking juices to it then cover the meat with bechamel sauce in which you have mixed an egg yolk and parmigian cheese. Bake in the oven to taste.

2) Veal (or beef) steaks with mushrooms

Ingredients for 4:
4 veal (or beef) steaks
20 g dry porcini mushrooms
100 g prosciutto
parsley
garlic
dry white wine
olive oil
salt

Methods:
Steep the mushrooms in warm water for about 15 minutes.

Drain and mince the mushrooms and the prosciutto. Saute a garlic clove in oil till golden, remove it then saute the minced mushrooms and prosciutto for about 5 minutes. Add minced parsley then season with salt.

In another pan saute the steaks till golden brown then add them to the mushrooms sauce. Baste with a glass of wine, let it evaporate then serve.

-----------------------------------------------

If you are lucky enough to be able to purchase fresh porcinis (half your luck - in my dreams here in Oz) you should replace the dry ones with 200 g of fresh ones.

enjoy

Dave


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## thebighat (Feb 21, 2001)

Gratinated beef as described above sure sounds a lot like Veal Orloff.


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## coquille (Feb 16, 2004)

Isaac !!
I know the feeling, it's like everything has been done before !!
( I though I posted this before, I guess something went wrong )

I had big succes with : 
Take a steak ( without bone ) and pat it really thin...
Fill it with : wathever you feel like . Perhaps vegetables, but keep the filling together with egg. Flip over on hot fire on both sides and presto, everybody happy !!
It's different but it works !!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

Hey isaac , wow , youve recieved some great tips . I lean more with cape chef on the salt and pepper on the NY and rib eyes as I just love the flavor of good beef.
The filet being the most tender and the least flavorfull normally requires some topping or sauce . 
What I have done in past restaurants is to include a list of sauces and steak toppers to make the customer feel more in controll
of the dining experience . From compound butters , shrooms , onions and peppers to sauces such as Jack Daniels and maple syrup to green peppercorn . Also dry dredging such as blackened in cajun seasoning or cracked black pepper works well also . The sky is our limit my friend .
Play and enjoy . Doug..............


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

And now for something completely different: Scroll down to MAINS

There is a big discussion going on elsewhere as to whether this chef is an idiot or just being ironic.


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

OMG !!  Is this the same person who started this thread? If it is Suzanne I cast my vote as an idiot , moron ,**** for braines dummy .


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Well you know......that is to say.......it could........well........you know if.........but then........
aww screw it this is as idiotic a thing as I have ever heard. I'm going to the market right now and demand that I only pay ground meat prices for such a horrible piece of "cheap meat"!


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## athenaeus (Jul 24, 2001)

I am sorry but I want a clarification. Is this the way they serve steak in Juniper?


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Apparently so.

I do not buy the "he's being ironic" theory. I stick with "he's nuts when it comes to steak." :lol:


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

My mama said that if I can't say anything nice I shouldn't say anything at all, so I will just say that "diversity is what makes the world go round".


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Reminds me of my sister in law and her making sure there is NO red in the meat....I wanna just say make a pot orast and call it a day. Interesting...How many of you choose ribeye over tenderloin (not because of price)...That's what I typically order if I want a hunk of beef.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Filet is the last steak I would order, especially if I am paying. But really, though it is nice and tender (seems to be the most important consideration these days, for the masses) it lacks any kind of full flavor. Give me a NY, a Sirloin, a Flatiron, or Ribeye any day over a Filet!!!


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

My favorite boneless steak is a Rib eye 
( Yes that cheap piece of meat that most food establishments use just to have a steak on the menu ) , with the NY being a very close second . I love good sirloin also and I normaly use this cut for my beef kabobs . My favorite piece of filet is on the bone in Porterhouse steak as the meat next to the bone has great flavor. I like my beef medium rare as for my taste this leaves the full flavor in the steak .
As for the origional post and this person being ironic or just plain dumb I have realy liked all of your responses on steak ideas!
Thanks , Doug..........................


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

My mama said that if I can't say anything nice I shouldn't say anything at all, so I will just say that "diversity is what makes the world go round". Pete, You are for sure PC, well done lad.

Porterhouse cut from 1173 with a small lip and and lightly trimmed is my favorite.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Now, I'm still not convinced that the cut Chef Kitching is dissing is the same as the one we love so much here in the US of A. But nobody there seemed to answer my question. So I'll ask here:

What is "ribeye" in the UK? Where on the cow does it come from?


edited to add: Isaac, I apologize for hijacking your thread. :talk:


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Susanne,

The rib eye comes from the primal fourquarter (103).

Many fine cuts come from this primal portion. lip on or lip off, bone on or off. I don't know what other info your getting, but except for minor differences, it's the same here as over the pond.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Just to add my $13.98/lb to this part of the topic. Personally I agree with Pete. I will say though that for playing with ideas a filet is best. I will put compound butters and onions etc on a Rib eye etc. However a filet you can top with Fois Gras for a Rossini :lips: stuff it with cheese, butterfly it and stuff it. Roast whole filled with Lobster for you lottery winners etc. So a filet is to play with and a steak is to enjoy with few embellishments.


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## athenaeus (Jul 24, 2001)

Hey chrose, I remember that you are partial to Rossinis. 

I used to consider them rather passee but I have re-discovered them lately. 

_Where will you find real French foie-gras now that it is banned?_


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Shhh......I keep a duck in my tub. I'm just waiting until he gets fat enough!


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## athenaeus (Jul 24, 2001)

I knew that you had a secret ace in your sleve.

Tell me something, I hope that you follow the classic recipe for Rossinis. When I say classic I have in mind the one Larousse Gastronomique has.


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## chefjohnpaul (Mar 9, 2000)

Have you tried using different cuts such as the bavette, hangar and flat irons?

Also, specify your beef and find excellent sources for breeds such as premium Hereford, or American KOBE, or certified organic Angus. Have your wait staff promote this.

Buy the best breeding and feeding you can afford and then prepare it simply and let the beef speak for itself. One of my favorite preparations is a marinade of soy, L&P, garlic, black pepper, Dijon, olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar- a hot mesquite grill is all you'll need at this point- and o yeah- excellent beef. 

If you are doing a lot of grilling different rubs and marinades work well as well as an interesting variety of compound butters. Pan seared steaks do well with a simple deglazing and some well made demi-glace. If your beef is of excellent quality you don't need to do much other than prepare it properly. :chef:

John Paul Khoury,CCC
Chef, Northern California Region
PREFERRED MEATS
www.preferredmeats.com


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## keeperofthegood (Oct 5, 2001)

Hey oh

Well, such a simple question with such a simple answer. Unfortunatly all 10,000,000,000,000,000.4 answers are simple. I know the feeling of looking in the fridge at a piece of meat I paid 30 bucks for and drawing a complete blank. So. I have read most of this thread, skipping only the portions that left me cross eyed. I noticed three things overall in peoples responces (well, maybe more, its hard to do math when cross eyed):

I noticed that no one stated a position as seen from the customers point of view. So I will say this, as a customer, my mouth will water in anticipation for a steak. Can I say it, I love a good steak. I will of course go right cold if what is served me is anything other than steak. I do mean, I absolutly hate having to dig to even begin to see the steak. I want it there, bold and in my face. I want it to be the king on my plate. I want to know that I am spending 29.95 on the stake and not the rosetted radishes!! Radisehes be banned, I ORDERED A STEAK!!

I have also noticed a lack of pickles and sweets, both of which go nice with steak ("with" not hiding). There are many terrific pan relishes that can be done with chunky vegtables to be served with steak. Instead of carmelised onions, try juliened and quick pickled onions. Or asperigus spears under a nice sweet apricot sauce.

I have also noticed a lack of nuts. Pecans roasted, salted, sugared, smoked, and or coated in chili powders are awsome, meaty, and a good with steak.

I will say that yes, there was one person back on the seond page that mentioned pickled walnuts. Now that is interedting, though I personally prefer pecans.

I also read right near the top of an alfredo suggestion, and I will say this, alfredo and steak is good, just not that easy. If you do it as a sauce, place it on the plate first, and the steak on this, or it gets muddy looking. Remembering that Alfredo is essentially parmasean cream and liaison with nutmeg at pepper flavouring. This flavour can be added to rice (risotto) pasta (alfredo) and whipped potatos (







). Actually an Alfredoed whipped potato under the broiler browned would probably be right nice.

I will also always expect carmelised onions and shrooms. I find it eminently acceptable to have these served in a seperat dish. Like I said, I wanna see my steak, thats what I have ordered!

Thanks all.


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## cookmonster (Oct 15, 2004)

I would have to agree with you Isaac - I am not sure who here has an absolutely original recipe idea...Many recipes are built from ideas obtained from other chefs and cooks...


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi all



I was just reading this thread, with no intention of posting anything (my mouth was watering too much) But after I read your post above...I kept thinking of coconut crusted fillet and a pecan crusted fillet. 

now that's nuts about steak! 

dan


(after reading the rest of the thread keeper had mentioned nuts...I guess I should have read the entire thread before posting)


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## keeperofthegood (Oct 5, 2001)

Hey oh

LOL, not to worry. I was talking about Pecan halves, not ground. Interesting Idea doing a nut coating. It ispiered me to think of fillet mignon with the ground pecans on the outside instead of the bacon. Fryed nice and crispy







Dang, why are we doing chicken for sup tonight!?!

I don't usually cook with ground pecans, or nuts in general so I'd not thought of it. I will lightly roast a tablespoon of ground pecans in a teaspoon of sesame oil, and mix that into a cup of white rice and a quarter cup of dried currents (plumped or cooked in with the rice). Tastes to me like chocolate....


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Isaac-
Seems like a perfectly reasonable queston: the electronic equivalent of picking a dish and looking it up in four or five cookbooks to get different approaches to its preparation and ingredients. What I do with practically anything I decide to make.

I happen to like a slurry of LOTS of garlic, EV oilve oil, Danish blue cheese and all the cayenne pepper you can stand. (The garlic/cayenne combo is supposed to be extremely healthful; that soothes my conscience when I scarf up a big hunk of red meat.) I prefer flank steak - maybe not suitable for commercial presentation except as fajitas - and schmeer it on both sides, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Grill fiercely to crusty outside/medium rare inside, slice thinly across the grain and serve with your favorite sides/garnishes. Works fine with other, more prestigious cuts, but we mostly stick to the flank steak.

Next favorite is Beard's version of Steak Mirabeau, thick porterhouse with brown sauce, butter, anchovies, and chopped green olives. A real artery-hardener. Don't do it very often.

Mike


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## kcekwk (Jun 16, 2004)

A good steak doesn't need to be seasoned or played with too much. It needs to be aged and cooked right and seasoned lightly. I briefly marinate cheap steaks I buy from the store and I am always pacified with cheap steakhouse steaks- because they overseason them and I am eating a lot of spices. I live in Iowa and there is just a HUGE difference between the steaks I get at a chain Steakhouse and what I can get at any given hole in the wall with a half competent cook behind the scenes. 
Get to know meat eaters. All of the steak lovers I know are either burn unit well done people or bleeding, mooing, mercilessly red-toothed carnivores (that's me). 
You could of course take any crusted or seasoned steak standard like steak del monico or something similar and change up the spices. 
A lot of the seasonings I have seen listed seem more suited for chicken or pork. A good steak should stand on its own. Lemons and garlic and jellies and soy sauces are for pork and chicken period. I consider myself the recipient of a good steak when I push away the Worchester or steak sauce and just enjoy the taste of a rare, blood-heavy steak. 
Jelly is for lamb, maybe pork. Garlic is for everything, but only in small doses when we're talking about beef. Salt, pepper, and the marbled fat inside the cut are what make a steak, not gimmicks or overkill brainstormong. And a good salad on the side. You should tell most of the pretentious, derisive pricks who responded to yor simple question to **** off.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Keeper -- have you actually ever used nuts on a steak? I just can't imagine the combination, because a good steak has soooooooo much flavor, it would overwhelm the nuts; and a steak that wouldn't (like a filet mignon) is not worth bothering with (not at the prices charged for it!  ) So I'm really curious as to how it has worked for you -- which steak, which nuts. I mean, nuts are great on fish or chicken or veal, but those proteins don't have as strong a flavor as beef.

And for all the newbies, may I explain: I have removed my rather harsh early post, in which I took Isaac to task; you are all right, it was unnecessary. But the background: Isaac first came to CT as a student at CIA; after he was graduated, he immediately took a job as an executive chef. To my mind (and to several of the other professionals here as well), he was in way over his head: one of his first questions was the old "make-or-buy" hamburger patties  -- surely he should have known how to do that analysis himself, no? And there were more such questions later. Which is why I took him to task: if you take the title, you'd better have the wherewithal to do the job. Even more to the point: *chefs* are not "made" chefs because they have the title, but develop through a long process of work and experimentation and learning.

But yes, ChefTalk is a site for sharing information and helping each other. And so I apologize for being harsh to a seeker. (But I still think there's something really strange about Chef Kitching in that link I posted!  )


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## ma facon (Dec 16, 2004)

Here is a steak recipe. Choose the cut of steak of your choice and rub it with fresh ground black pepper , sea salt , finely minced garlic and wrap it in plastic wrap and place a weight on it overnight, unwrap and panfry in whole butter to desired doneness this will produce a delicate brown garlic crust, Then top it with escargot"s in a green curry butter laden with fresh garlic and pureed fresh green onions , Set the steak on grilled portabella mushrooms .WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :chef: :lips: :lips: :lips:


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## love-to-cook (Dec 24, 2004)

How about individual Beef Croustades with Boursin & Mushrooms assembled individually in their own little bundle of phyllo dough? I just finished reading the Jan 2005 Fine Cooking magazine, issue #69 and these look heavenly. They can be prepared at the same time or in different stages.


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## chefjohnpaul (Mar 9, 2000)

Hear hear Pete- I must chime in. I'm the corporate chef of a premium meat company and I sell lots of filet but it's the last steak I'll order or personally buy. I have chefs that would love to take it off the menu but it would cause a riot because it seems that people judge quality by straight tenderness.

The muscle does not do much besides wag the tail, it is not garbage for sure but for the premium paid in my opinion the muscle is just not developed or worked enough for great beef flavor- at half the price we'd be talking more of what I think its worth.

Now, give me anything out of the diaphragm- hangers, skirts - here's flavor in your face and if you get it off a nice beef cattle like hereford or angus that matures young you can have the best of both worlds- relatively tender and flavorful. :roll:


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## irish foodie (Sep 16, 2008)

nigella lawson did a really good dish using steak. she took a slab of steak (sorry not sure which cut) but she seasoned and then seared it on a very hot plate. then after allowing it to rest she sliced it into strips and served it with a hollandaise dip and a bowl of salad. looked fab.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

I'm with Quan, less is more. I don't know how you cook your steaks, but I made one for the staff where I work to go with an in house wine tasting. I seared it in a cast iron pan then turned down the heat, removed the steak, added some garlic and deglazed with equal parts butter and brandy, which I then poured over the steak. The staff was amazed "Is this one of _our_ steaks?". We weren't known for having good steaks, but I'm changing that. The old steak houses used to make compound butters and then place into molds to harden. Don't know if you can even buy butter molds any more, but they were long and thin, made in defferent shapes. You would unmold the butter and slice off a piece for on top of the steak. This trend is coming back in some places. You could make curry butter, lemon pepper butter, cajun butter, etc. The person can pick which one they want. I like chefjohnpaul's position on fillet as well. I dumped fillet off the menu in favor of flat iron (the flat replaced a small tenderloin) and have not had one complaint about the switch. The ones who ask about fillet are satisfied with a rib eye or N.Y. strip.


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## conduttore (Nov 19, 2008)

I would recommend one good steak site, but the forum doesn't allow me to post links. Anyway, try typing "steak garnish" into Google Images.. Many impressive presentations


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## yuns555 (Mar 6, 2006)

how about making steak sushi? sliced steak on top of rice with a dollop of oystersauce instead of wasabi.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Hey, a blast from the past!

Fun it turned up again.

I particularly liked Phil's years-ago comment...

*We did garlic butter on steaks last year at Scout Camp and it was well received. *

It's nice to introduce kids to advanced tastes. My son is an assistant Scout Leader and takes his boy on these sorts of outings frequently. Including in the winter, in Illinois. (I think he's out of his mind on that one)

Well, Phil, bring us up to date...

Where's your boy now? College, military, chef school?

My grandchildren - ages nine through fifteen - are ALL heavy-duty garlic freaks, so I guess they're going in the right direction.

Mike


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I was the scoutmaster. My boys are still too young for Boy Scouts though they've done some Cub scout stuff now.

Phil


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

*<they've done some Cub scout stuff now.
>*

Well, Phil, let me wish them luck in the Pinewood Derby! 

Mike


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