Steak with Bernaise Sauce

By adriennehannis

Ingredients

• For the sauce:
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup good white wine
• 2 tbsp. minced shallots
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 (1 inch thick) rib-eye steaks
• Kosher salt
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

For the sauce, put the champagne vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tbsp of the tarragon leaves, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to a few tablespoons. Cool slightly.

Place the cooled mixture with the egg yolks and 1 tsp. salt in the jar of a blender and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender on, slowly pour the hot butter through the opening in the lid. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of tarragon leaves and blend only for a second. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of white wine to thin. Keep at room temperature while you cook the steaks.

Season the steaks liberally with salt and coarsely ground black pepper on both sides. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steaks on each side for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve with the bernaise sauce on the side.