Steak with Mustard Butter
David Lebovitz
Photo by My Paris Kitchen
- Serves
- 2
- Prep Time
- 1 Hour
- Cook Time
- 7 Minutes
To make this bistro classic in my kitchen, I use a cast-iron skillet or grill pan that I get really hot, and then I sear the steak on both sides, cooking it medium-rare, which is the way I like it. My preferred cut is entrecôte, or rib-eye, and I ask the butcher to cut it into steaks that aren’t too thick since I like lots of surface area on my steaks. I rub them with chipotle chile powder to give them a bit of a smoky flavor.
It’s difficult to say exactly how long it will take a particular steak to cook to your liking since there are so many variables, but there is actually no truth to the rumor that if you cut a steak open a little and peek inside, all the juices will come gushing out and your steak will be dry. In fact, the best way to ensure a steak is dry is to overcook it. So feel free to peek inside if you need to.
Ingredients
For the steak
- 2 8-ounce rib-eye steaks
- 1/2 teaspoon hickory-smoked salt, sea salt, or Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
- 1 splash vegetable oil or clarified butter
For the mustard butter
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
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Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
Pat the steaks dry and rub them with the salt, chipotle powder, and cilantro. Refrigerate the steaks, uncovered, for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Step 2
To make the mustard butter, mash together the butter with the mustard powder and the Dijon. Form it into two mounds and chill on a plastic wrap–lined plate.
- Step 3
Heat a little oil or clarified butter in a grill pan or cast-iron skillet and cook the steaks over high heat, being sure to get a good sear on each side. For rare steaks, cook 5 to 7 minutes total on both sides, or aller-retour (“to go and return”).
- Step 4
Remove the steaks from the pan and put on plates. Top each steak with a knob of the mustard butter and some ground black pepper and serve with a big pile of frites.