a responsible splurge

I am becoming more mindful of the ingredients that I cook with these days. After (finally) viewing the documentary, Food Inc., I have a new perspective on which proteins and vegetables I choose to consume and serve to my family. Organic, sustainably farmed, and responsibly raised are keywords I now look for when shopping. It is definitely more expensive to shop this way, but I do it when I can. I love to support local farms by shopping at farmers markets whenever possible, but they’re not always convenient. Unfortunately, not too many grocery stores give the background story to their products–aside from having an organics section. Whole Foods is an exception to that rule. I’ll admit I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Whole Foods, but more and more I have come to appreciate their abundance of organic produce and the information they provide regarding the origins of their fish and meats, as well as how they were raised. So, for this elegant weeknight dinner, I selected a couple of organic New York boneless strip steaks. I’ve been cooking this classic dish for many years from a recipe I found in Gourmet magazine. Yes, this meal is a bit extravagant, but worth every calorie. The peppery bite of the sauce is tempered by a dousing of Cognac and a soupçon of creme fraiche. Paired with a heavenly celery root puree, this dinner will make you happy you took the plunge.

 

A perfect romantic meal for two, this dish could easily be doubled to serve four. And what a lovely menu to serve at a dinner party! Let your steaks rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes before preparing–that way you can be sure they’ll cook evenly. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and then salt liberally with kosher salt.

 

The distinctive pepper flavor in this dish comes from a combination of two peppers: good quality black peppercorns, preferable the Tellicherry variety, and green peppercorns preserved in brine, which you can find in the condiment section of your grocery, usually next to the capers. Place the two peppers in a ziploc bag and smash them using a meat pounder or heavy skillet.

 

 

Pour off the excess fat from skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pan and add finely chopped shallot. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the shallot is golden brown. 

 

Add Cognac to pan and boil until it is reduced to a glaze. Add creme fraiche and 2 more tablespoons butter and stir to combine and form a sauce. If any juice has accumulated on the plate from the steaks, add to the skillet.

 

To make the Celeriac Puree: using a sharp knife, peel skin from celery root. Chop into 1/2″ dice. Place celeriac in a 2 quart saucepan, add a peeled garlic clove, a pinch of kosher salt, and low sodium chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until celeriac is tender. 

 

Place celery root with broth in blender or food processor. Add heavy cream and puree. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

 

Serve a mound of the celeriac puree on each plate and top with the steak. Spoon the lush pepper sauce over the beef. Garnish with chopped chives.

Adapted from Gourmet

1 tablespoon vegetable oil