Perfect Grilled Steak with Bleu Cheese Butter

Ingredients

8 1½ inch thick New York Steaks
Salt & pepper

Butter:
8oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
4oz Bleu, Gorgonzola, or Roquefort Cheese, cut into pieces
2T chives, finely chopped
½ tsp. black pepper, ground
Salt

1.    Butter:  In the bowl of a food processor, add the butter, Bleu cheese. Pulse until combined.

2.    Add the chives and pepper. Pulse on and off until well combined.  Season with salt.

3.    Tear off a piece of plastic wrap, about 12x12 inches. Place the butter in the center of the wrap, fold the edge over, and shape into a log shape. Twist the ends closed. Place in the refrigerator until firm.

4.    Steak: Preheat your BBQ Grill for approximately 20 minutes.  

5.    Remove the meat from the packaging. Pat dry with a paper towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

6.    Season well with salt and pepper immediately prior to grilling. 

7.    Place steaks on a preheated grill. Leave the grill lid open and grill for about 6-7 minutes. Turn steaks over and grill for about another 4-5 minutes. Then check the internal temperature. Remove at 110-115º F for rare.

8.    Remove steaks from grill and place on platter. Top steaks with slices of Blue cheese butter. Loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Allow the meat to rest 5-10 minutes. This will allow the butter to melt and the meat will carry over cook an additional 10-15º making the finished cooking temperature 125ºF for a perfect-rare steak. 

9.    Spread the melted butter over the steaks.

10.  Serve the steak whole or slice into slices and serve on the platter. Serve immediately

TIPS & TRICKS

•    The Bleu cheese butter can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator a week. It also freezes beautifully.
•    I use a board scraper to help shape it into a log. 
•    You can serve the butter on top of fish or chicken too! It makes a quick delicious sauce.
•    Just like you preheat your oven, you need to preheat your grill! It is important to get the steel grill grates very hot in order to sear and char your steak. To achieve the fancy crosshatch pattern that steaks have in restaurants, place the steak at a 45-degree angle to the grill grates. Cook for about 4 minutes then rotate the steak 90 degrees for an additional 3 minutes. This will produce the seared crosshatch pattern. Turn steaks over and finish grilling. Serve with the pattern side up. 
•    Note: every grill is different and you must get to know your own grill’s temperature zones and settings. Each grill has a “hot spot” where the food will cook more quickly. It is important to learn where yours is. 
•    When you remove a piece of meat from cooking, it does not stop cooking immediately. It continues to “carry over cooking.” The internal temperature can rise 10-15º degrees, so you should remove the meat before it reaches its ideal temperature and allow the “carry over” to bring it up to its perfect doneness.
•    If you prefer your meat more medium-rare, cook till 120-125º F on the grill and allow it to carry over until it reaches 130-140º F.

Filet of Beef, Mushrooms, Spinach & Bleu Cheese in Filo

Ingredients

Beef:
8 Filet Mignon steaks, 6 oz. each and/or about 1¾ inch thick
2T unsalted butter
2T olive oil
8 oz. bleu cheese,( bleu, Roquefort, Gorgonzola) room temperature, crumbled
16 sheets filo dough, thawed
¾ cup melted butter
salt & pepper

Spinach:
2T olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 pound baby spinach, washed, drained and slightly damp

Mushroom Duxelles:
1½ pound mushrooms, button, belle, chanterelle
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2T Butter

1.    Place a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat; heat the butter and oil. Pat dry then season the fillets with salt and pepper.  Place the filets in the pan (do not overcrowd the pan).

2.    Sear the steaks until they are nice a brown, about 1-2 minutes. Flip the meat and repeat on the other side. Remove to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining filets. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3.    Spinach: In a large sauté pan with a lid over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil; when warm, add the shallots and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until they just begin to soften. 

4.    Add the spinach, toss, then cover with the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5.    Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Toss the spinach for another 1-2 minutes until the greens are wilted. Season with salt and 4-5 twists of pepper. Remove from pan and let cool.

6.    Once the spinach is cool, place in a kitchen towel and squeeze out any excess water, then chop and set aside. 

7.    Mushrooms: With a damp towel or vegetable brush, gently wipe the mushrooms to remove any dirt. Remove the dead ends from the stems.

8.    In a bowl of a food processor with the motor running, add the shallots and garlic; pulse until finely chopped.

9.    Add the mushrooms and pulse until finely chopped.

10.    In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture, stir and cook until the mushrooms become soft and all liquid as been absorbed, approximately 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

11.    Filo Package: Remove the filo dough sheets from the box and cut in half. Cover with a clean dishtowel to keep them from drying out.

12.    Lay a single rectangle of filo dough horizontally on a clean surface. Using a pastry brush, coat the surface with melted butter.

13.    Lay a second sheet vertical over the first sheet. Brush with butter.

14.    Lay a third sheet at a 45-degree angle upper corner to the left. Brush with butter.

15.    Lay a fourth sheet at a 45-degree angle upper corner to the right. Brush with butter.

16.    Remove the filets from the refrigerator. Blot a filet with a paper towel and place in the center of the filo dough.  On the top of the filet, spread 1 tablespoon of the sautéed spinach.

17.    Top with 1 tablespoon of the mushroom mixture, then top with a tablespoon of the bleu cheese.

18.    Gather the edges of the filo dough together, forming a little package.  Pull the corners open slightly as if making a “poof”. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Chill until ready to bake.

19.    Preheat oven to 400º F.

20.    Remove the filo packages from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 400º for 10 minutes, and then rotate the pan.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Center of the filet should be 130º F for medium rare. Serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    The filets should be all about the same size/ thickness to insure they all cook at the same time. 
•    Dry and season the filets right before cooking. Do not over crowd the pan otherwise the meat will not brown it will steam.
•    The filets, spinach, and mushrooms can all be prepared a day ahead. The “packages” can be assemble the morning and cooked later that day. 
•    If you don’t like bleu cheese you can substitute a goat or a Boursin cheese. 
•    If you wish your filet cooked a little more. Increase the cooking time by 5 minutes for an internal temperature of 140º for medium. If the tops of the packages start to brown too much. Loosely place a piece of aluminum foil loosely on top.