Rib Eye Pepper Steak with Mushroom Sauce

Refined Taste Made Easy.

Pâté de Foie Gras or vienna sausage tapenade? Brie or velveta? Truffle vodka or moonshine? Beluga caviar or Texas caviar? Chateaubriand or cubed steak? A bottle of Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee or grape juice? Are you getting the gist?

If not, I will ask one more. A humble entree prepared fancier with rib eye steak or made humdrum with left-over scraps of meat from the butcher?

That's what I thought too. Why not make a simple dish worthy of fine compliments. That really wasn't a question... The sauce is similar to one used in Creole homes back in the days when entertaining meant many long hours of full course dining. I have modified it to my liking. Enjoy!

Rib Eye Pepper Steak with Divine Mushroom Sauce
4 to 6 servings

2 beef rib eye steaks (about 1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

Divine Mushroom Sauce
16 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms caps (young or old)
1 large shallot thinly sliced, about 1/3 cup
1/2 cup julienne bell pepper
1/3 cup port wine or other sweet red wine
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon no-salt Creole seasoning
3/4 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon butter, room temperature

Dry steaks with paper towel. Cut into 1x3-inch strips. Season with crushed peppercorns and salt; set aside.

Rinse mushrooms under running water to remove any residue. Place in bowl.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon butter until sizzling. Add mushrooms and cover cooking for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms release liquid and start to become tender. Stir occasionally. Remove cover and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and golden on both sides.

Transfer mushrooms to a bowl; put aside. Add remaining butter to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak pieces (in two rotations if needed) and sear on all sides, creating a brown crust but not cooking more than 5 minutes total for each pan. Remove and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallot to the skillet and cook up to 1 minute or until starting to brown, all while stirring. Add bell pepper and stir until softened. Stir in wine and scrape bottom of pan to loosen up brown bits. Cook until wine reduces in half, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth, tomato juice, Worcestershire, rosemary, and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes longer. Combine the 1 teaspoon flour and butter together to form a paste and whisk into the sauce until thicken over medium heat.

Remove from heat and whisk in Dijon. Add steak and toss in the mushrooms to combine all together. Warm if necessary but do not overcook steak.

Serve immediately over rice.

Note: If desired, cut the steak into bite size pieces but be careful not to overcook. The steak should have a slight pink center when served.