Mayor Bob’s Béarnaise Steak Sauce and a perfect steak

Hello Carson City and Happy Veterans Day! As we move closer to the end of a tumultuous 2020, a year of hardship and loss for many in our community, and head toward Thanksgiving Day, we are focusing on reasons to be grateful. Carson City’s first snowfall, our health, the love of family and friends … and, today, we honor the sacrifice of our veterans and their families, we are grateful for their service. At Piazza for the rest of this month, (Nov 11-30) we will honor all our local veterans with a 20% discount on your Piazza bill for any veterans in your party! Just our way of showing our appreciation!

One veteran who is close to the hearts of our community and will be forever missed, is our Mayor Bob Crowell. So, we thought it appropriate to share with all of you a special recipe from Mayor Bob, graciously shared with us by Susan Crowell. Through many conversations between our own Linda Marrone, (who has forgotten more about good cooking than most of us ever knew) and Susan, they narrowed down the choices for Mayor Bob’s favorite family recipe, and his Béarnaise Sauce rose to the top of the list. Susan told us, “This was Bob’s favorite sauce to put over steak!”

Piazza’s Chef Dan says Bearnaise and steak are a “match made in heaven,” and he gives us his tips for cooking the perfect steak this week, but this piquant sauce has a few other divine uses. Try it spooned over poached eggs or spread over roast fish or vegetables. Bon Appétit!

Mayor Bob’s Béarnaise Steak Sauce (makes 1 ½ cups)

1 teaspoon chopped shallots

1 sprig terragon, chopped

1 sprig chervil, coarsely chopped (aka French parsley)

2 peppercorns

Pinch of salt

¼ cup tarragon vinegar

5 egg yolks

¾ cup butter, melted

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon mixed tarragon and chervil, minced

Simmer the shallots, tarragon, chervil, peppercorns and salt in the vinegar over low heat until the vinegar has been reduced by 2/3. Cool to lukewarm. Add the egg yolks and beat briskly with a wire whisk. Place back over low heat and gradually add the butter. Whisk until sauce thickens. Strain. Season with cayenne and stir in the mixed tarragon and chervil.

Chef Dan’s Perfect Steak

By Dan Burnham

A question that I often get asked is, “How do you cook a perfect steak?” It seems simple, right? Everyone has a certain cut of beef or temperature they prefer more than others. That being said, I have a few tips to help create the “perfect” steak for you! Who says grilling season is over!

• The cut of meat is where we start. Choose the right steak. In this case the more expensive the better. I like the “Tomahawk” ribeye with the attached rib bone, 2 inches thick.

• Season your steak correctly. There are many types of seasoning mixes at your local market. Your best bet is to go to your local butcher shop. The butcher can help you pick the best steak in your price range and season it for you with special house seasoning. I use coarse salt and black pepper for my steaks.

• Mark and rest. I recommend that you pull your steak out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes before you grill it. Pre-heat your grill to the highest temp you possibly can. Now, sear your steak on both sides, flipping over every 3 minutes, rotating 1 quarter turn each time. It takes a little practice but try and mark the steak with a diamond pattern like the steakhouses. Now move your steak to the side and let slowly continue to cook to your temperature preference.

• Use a thermometer. Most Chefs can tell the temperature of steak just by touch. This method takes years of practice to perfect. You can check the temperature of your steak by using a food thermometer. 120 degrees for rare, 130 for medium-rare, and 140 for medium. Once your preferred temperature is reached, pull steak off the grill and let rest on cutting board for 10 minutes. This is an important step, allowing the steak to “rebound” and even out the temperature and color throughout the meat.

Now just slice the meat and serve with your favorite sauce and side dishes…Enjoy!!

Dan Burnham is executive chef at Piazza.