Steak and Eggs Benedict with Brown Butter Sriracha Hollandaise Sauce

Steak and Eggs Benedict with Brown Butter Sriracha Hollandaise Sauce

I have to confess that this recipe was made just for me. My love of brunch has been well established here on Rock Recipes and this one combines some of my very favorite ingredients. I am an absolute steak addict, so much so that while many people say they couldn't be vegetarian because they couldn't live without bacon, I would equally miss a juicy, medium rare grilled steak. Like many people I know who enjoy breakfast for dinner, steak and eggs tops my list on those occasions; add to that our family's favorite buttermilk biscuits plus rich, creamy, brown butter Hollandaise sauce with a hit of sweet heat from sriracha sauce and this brunch is a complete brunch home run.

I used my recent recipe for Coffee Chipotle Rubbed Grilled Steak  in this particular version which was really delicious but you can use any grilled, sliced steak. I'd recommend using 3 to 4 ounces per person. I love poached eggs but Spouse doesn't so she can attest that this recipe is just as delicious with scrambled eggs instead.

You can of course use toasted English muffins as the base of this brunch idea  but if you have an extra half hour, you can find our easy to make flaky buttermilk biscuit recipe here.

Brown Butter Sriracha Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp chopped lemon zest
• 1/2 cup hot brown butter
• 1 tbsp sriracha sauce

To brown butter just melt it in a small saucepan over medium heat and watch it until the color turns light golden brown. Pour it off immediately into a heat proof measuring cup, leaving the sediment behind.
 
In a blender combine the egg yolks, mustard and lemon zest and juice for only a few seconds. With the blender on medium speed, slowly pour in the hot butter in a thin stream. The sauce should thicken quite quickly. Pour into a bowl and keep the bowl warm in a warm water bath while preparing the steak and eggs.

Coffee Chipotle Rubbed Grilled Steak

Coffee Chipotle Rubbed Grilled Steak

I first sampled a version of this flavorful steak at a restaurant quite a few years ago when coffee rubbed steaks were a bit of a rage. I loved the earthiness of the coffee with the smoky spices; it is a delicious complement to the flavor of a good quality steak. I've tweaked my version of the recipe a few times and now make it with chipotle powder as the main spicy element rather than the chili power in my original version because I like the smoky flavor so much but you could easily use the chili powder if you like a bit milder spice.

Makes sufficient dry rub for 4  twelve ounce striploin steaks.

Mix together until well blended:

• 3 tsp very finely ground coffee (I grind whole beans to a very fine powder)
• 1 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chipotle powder (more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp powdered ginger

Rub each of the steaks on all sides with about

• 1 tsp olive oil

Sprinkle both sides of the steak and the edges with the coffee and spice rub. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or even overnight. Before you are ready to grill the steaks take them out of the fridge to warm up for at least a half hour.

I used an oiled cast iron grill pan to cook this steak but a lightly oiled cast iron skillet also works well if you are not using the back yard grill.

Grill over high heat until your desired internal temperature is reached. I like medium rare at about 135 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Tent the steaks loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

We love to experiment with pizza at our house and a trip to Philadelphia this past summer provided the inspiration for this simple but delicious version based, of course, on the sandwich that the city is so famous for. We had cheesesteak sandwiches at Campo's while we were in Philly and their simplicity is definitely their best attribute. The sandwich really is all about the beef but the rolls they were served on there were also perfect, not to soft, not too crusty, just right to carry the substantial amount of beef without being too heavy. I might try my hand at trying to make a similar roll one of these days but for now I'm happy to enjoy my cheesesteak ingredients on this thin crust pizza.

With the Superbowl around the corner and an oven tome of only 7 or 8 minutes per pizza, this would make a terrific addition to any big game day menu. I enjoyed this one with a tall cold beer myself and it was some pretty darn awesome. Why not have a pizza themed game day party featuring some of our other delicious pizzas like:

Caramelized Pear and Prosciutto Pizza

Buffalo Wing Pizza 

Barbeque Grilled Chicken Pizza

Grilled Asparagus Pineapple and Chicken Pizza 

Steak Taco Grilled Pizza

Thin Crust Pizza Dough (Makes enough for 6 twelve inch pizzas. You can freeze any of the dough balls that you do not immediately use.)

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp instant yeast (or proof regular yeast in half of the warm water with a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in it for 10 minutes before adding)
• 2 tsp sea salt

Add all ingredients except 1 cups of the flour to the bowl. Using the dough hook on your electric mixer, mix together well and allow to run on low speed for about 10 minutes. Start adding the rest of the flour a little at a time until a soft dough forms. The dough will be a little sticky but don't worry about that, just allow it to rise in a warm spot for a couple of hours or more before turning it out into a bread board and kneading by hand, adding more flour if necessary to firm up the dough. 

You may have to use a little more or a little less flour depending factors like local humidity. Just use as much as it takes to form the dough, adding only a little at a time as you knead.

Form into 6 balls and allow the dough to rest at least a half hour before rolling out or stretching it to 12 inch circles. 

NOTE: I think that pizza dough should be made a day or even two in advance and cold proofed, covered, in the fridge. It has better flavor and texture after this long proofing period.

• garlic oil
• caramelized onions, optional ( about 1/2 cup per pizza)
• grilled peppers, optional (about 1/2 cup per pizza)
• pan seared rare striploin or prime rib steak, thinly sliced (6 - 8 ounces per pizza)
• Provolone cheese cut in 1/2 inch cubes (about 4 ounces per pizza)

Place the round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel. You can also prepare the pizza on a pizza pan and when it has been baking for 4 minutes, slide it from the pan, directly onto the pizza stone to crisp the bottom crust well.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

Brush the pizza crust with garlic olive oil. Add the caramelized onions and grilled peppers if you are using them. Top witht he beef and scatter the cheese cubes evenly over the surface.

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for a couple of minutes before cutting and serving.

Smoked Paprika and Balsamic Steak with Garlic Herb Butter

Smoked Paprika and Balsamic Steak with Garlic Herb Butter

Happy Canada Day! Many grills will get sparked up to celebrate our nation's 145th birthday today so I decided to feature a simple but incredibly tasty marinade for those holiday weekend steaks. Since the garden has finally come to life here in Newfoundland and my herb garden is in full  growth mode, I've also borrowed the steakhouse idea of  melting delicious herb and garlic butter oozing down over the succulent, perfectly grilled steak. The red color from the paprika and the contrast of the beautiful creamy yellow butter makes for a beautiful presentation that will have any carnivore salivating.

I add a little honey to this marinade because I like the fact that the natural sugar caramelizes on the grill to create great grill marks and extra char flavor but this an optional ingredient.
As with all grilled marinated steaks, the marinating should take place in the fridge but the steaks should be taken out of the fridge for a half hour to an hour before grilling. Grilling a cold steak can make it very difficult to cook the steaks to the perfect level that you prefer and can also make your steak tougher.

• 4 strip loin steaks

Smoked Paprika Marinade

Mix together:

• 6 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp honey

Add the steaks and marinade to a Ziploc bag, push out as much air as possible and seal. Work the marinade all over the steaks inside the bag. Marinate in the fridge for one to three hours, flipping the bag over at least once. Let the steaks come up to room temperature before grilling. Serve with melting garlic herb butter.

Garlic Herb Butter

Begin by lightly sautéing together over medium low heat:

• 2 to 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 tbsp butter

You only want to soften the garlic here and not brown it so it will only take a minute or two. Don't have your pan too hot. Cool the garlic and then mix it together with:

• 1 cup soft butter
• 3 - 4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs of your choice. I used chives, oregano and rosemary.

Place the prepared butter onto some plastic wrap and form into a log. Refrigerate until the shape of the log stays intact but take the butter out of the fridge to warm up to room temperature before serving.

The Best Cajun Spice Rub

The Best Cajun Spice Rub Surf and Turf

Is there really a best Cajun Spice Rub? If you search the internet, you will probably find thousands of them and celebrity chefs have made small fortunes branding and marketing their own "secret blends". The truth is that for the most part, many of these are composed of the same basic ingredients in different ratios. 

Over the years, I have experimented with adding a little more of this, a little less of that, adding a new ingredient etc., until I came up with one that suited my own taste and that's exactly what I encourage you to do. Feel free to reduce the heat or salt content or pump up the smokiness by using all smoked paprika in place of the two mentioned here...adding some ground chipotle powder will also add some smoky heat. The point is that the best Cajun spice rub is YOUR personal favorite blend, so get out there and start working on your own. Here's a great place to start. ;)

Mix together:

• 3 tbsp paprika
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 ground thyme
• 1/2 tbsp crushed chili flakes
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp celery salt
• 2 tbsp kosher salt

In the photos above we have used this great Cajun spice rub  in this mouth-watering Surf and Turf. When using it on seafood like these sweet, succulent shrimp and scallops, I generally just toss them in the spice rub and put them directly onto the grill. When using it on beef, like this beautiful rib-eye steak, I like to give it as much time as possible. I rub plenty of it all over the surface of the steaks and leave them in the fridge for the day or at at least a few hours if possible. I then add a little more when I take them out of the fridge and let the steaks come up to room temperature before hitting the preheated hot grill.

Grilling any good cut of steak straight out of the fridge is, I think, the most common mistake that folks make when trying to grill the perfect steak. It is ESSENTIAL to take the steaks out of the fridge for at least an hour depending on the thickness of the cut in order to achieve the perfect rare, medium or even well-done steak.

Herb and Garlic Rolled Steak Medallions

Herb and Garlic Rolled Steak Medallions

I've always been a simple steak lover. There's no need to go to extraordinary lengths to please me when it comes to a good cut of steak. Season it with salt and pepper and slap it on a hot grill until it reaches a beautiful medium rare and I'll be quite satisfied. Pure beef taste is fine for me, thank-you. 

Spouse is a bit more particular about her steak. She likes her steak more well done and additional flavors added in marinades and rubs. Often, we make steak two ways in order to satisfy all tastes at the table but on this occasion, after being reminded of this recipe by a similar steak idea, again provided by David Olsen over at A Bachelor and his Grill, we all enjoyed these herb and garlic infused rolled steak medallions, which Spouse always says is her favorite way to enjoy steak.

A couple of things to consider when grilling these steak medallions is that they are cooked on bamboo skewers, so you will want to soak those in water for a half hour or so before grilling or just soak them overnight to save time. The heat from the grill will also travel through the rolled meat more quickly using this method, so they tend to cook faster than a solid piece of meat, so be careful not to overcook them. I like strip loin steaks for this recipe and find that it is better to use larger steaks which will yield more medallions and be easier to roll. An additional benefit to these steak rolls is that you can cut them to different thicknesses to accommodate different steak grilling preferences. For those who like well done, they can be cut thinner and those for the medium rare folks can be cut thicker which means they can all  be cooked to the perfect level to suit all tastes in the same cooking time; a valuable benefit indeed, especially when serving guests, so that nobody is left waiting or letting their steak get cold.

I do brush these with butter before putting them on the grill because I like the way that temporary flame-up adds an extra char to the meat but this step is, of course, optional. Thinner cuts of meat are best for this recipe so cut your steaks in half or get your butcher to cut them thinner for you, about 1/3 to 1/2 an inch is good.

The herbs can also be varied to suit your taste. Almost any combination will work well but we always tend to start with rosemary as a base.

For more outstanding grilling ideas, check out our Pinterest Board, Great Grilling by Rock Recipes.

Serves 4-6

8 large thin cut striploin steaks

6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Marinate the steak in the Worcestershire sauce for only 10 to 15 minutes before preparing the rolled steak medallions.

Mix together:

4 cloves minced garlic

4 tbsp chopped rosemary

4tbsp chopped oregano

4 tbsp chopped chives

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Season the steaks lightly on both sides with salt and pepper lay them flat on a cutting board and rub the herb and garlic mixture onto the surface of the steaks. Starting at the narrowest end roll the steak up tightly. Cut the steak roll into as many medallions as you want, usually 2 or 3 depending on the size of the steak you use. Working with 3 or 4 of the medallions at a time, lay them flat on a cutting board in a straight line and push one of the soaked skewers horizontally through the center of the medallions.

6 tbsp melted butter

Brush both sides of the medallions with the butter and transfer them to a hot preheated grill.  Grill for 2- 4 minutes per side depending on if you want them rare to well done. When cooked, let the medallions rest for 4 or 5 minutes on a serving plate, covered in aluminum foil before serving.

Garlic and Five Spice Grilled Steak

I love summer grilling season when you can come home from work and within a half hour be sitting down to a quick-grilled dinner like this delicious striploin steak, marinated in a simple mix of Asian flavors. The beef can take the marinade for up to 24 hours, so with 5 minutes of advance preparation, this recipe will be ready to cook as soon as you can get home and warm up the grill. The small amount of sugar that is added to the marinade caramelizes on the surface of the meat for extra flavor which is delicious with the other flavors of soy sauce, five spice and garlic.

We served these great steaks with some grilled corn on the cob and a simple side salad for a completely satisfying meal.

4 striploin steaks, well trimmed and placed in a large Ziploc bag

For the marinade mix together:

1/4 cup, reduced salt soy sauce

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder

1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes (optional or adjust to taste) 
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)

Stir together well before pouring onto the steaks and sealing the Ziploc bag. Marinate for at least an hour (and up to 24 hours) turning the Ziploc bag over a couple of times during the marinating time.

Preheat the grill to very high heat and grill for 4 minutes per side for medium rare steak. Yes, I actually do use a timer. Remove steaks from the grill, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Orange Tempura Beef

This meal really hit the spot a couple of nights ago when we had it for dinner at our house. I make it with good cut of steak and sometimes even use it as a "leftover rescue recipe" when leftovers are availabe from a steak dinner, especially if that steak is still on the rare side. The kids love this one too. We mostly serve it on a bed of plain brown rice but I like it with linguine pasta as well.

1 ½ pounds steak, cut in thin slices ( Striploin, rib eye or even tenderloin are good choices.)

Tempura Batter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Whisk together until just combined. Lumps are okay; even preferable. Set aside for 10 minutes

Orange Sauce

In a medium saucepan, heat

2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

Cook for one minute to soften the garlic then add

1 ½ cups orange juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
Zest of one orange
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chili flakes (optional if you don’t like spicy heat)

Simmer to reduce the volume by about 1/3 then thicken the sauce with
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in an ounce or two of orange juice.
Finish the sauce at the end by adding and stirring in

2 tablespoon of butter

Preheat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Dip the slices of steak into the tempura batter and drop them into the hot oil. Fry for only a few minutes until crispy golden brown. Drain on a metal rack over a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven between batches.

While you fry the steak, sauté in olive oil

1 julienned red pepper
1 small julienned red onion

Finally toss the peppers, onions, tempura steak and the sauce all together lightly and garnish with some toasted almonds and orange sections.

Grilled Steak Pizzaiola

Serves 6

6 strip loin steaks
3 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season

Allow steaks to come up to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper and run minced garlic onto both sides of the steak. Grill over high heat to your preferred level, turning only once. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before topping with marinara sauce and freshly grated or shaved parmasean.

Marinara Sauce
In a large saucepan sauté for 1 minute

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small red onion finely diced

Add:
1 large can 32 oz can crushed roma tomatoes
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp fennel seed
1 whole bay leaf
1 large carrot finely grated
½ cup finely diced celery
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to season

Slowly simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving. Freeze any leftover marinara sauce for next time.

Apple Braised Fennel

Fennel is one of my favorite vegetables. I like it roasted, stir fried or even in fennel slaw. One of my favorite ways to make it is this braised version that I often serve as a side dish with almost any meal. It goes well with many chicken and pork dishes and I love it on grilled steak as shown.

Pictured on Prime Rib Grilled Steak

1 large fennel head

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp fennel seed

Begin by cutting the fennel in wedges leaving the root end intact without trimming. This will help the wedges stay together while cooking.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown the fennel pieces all over. Season with salt and pepper. In the last minute or two of browning the fennel pieces, throw in the fennel seed and garlic. When brown remove the fennel pieces to a small baking dish. Add the apple juice and chicken stock to the pan that the fennel was browned in to deglaze the pan. Pour over the fennel and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Roast at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the fennel pieces are fork tender. You can make a sauce for the fennel by reducing any leftover braising liquid and add in a couple of tablespoons of butter to finish the sauce.