Bearnaise sauce is a hot butter emulsion sauce (similar to hollandaise) flavored with vinegar and tarragon, it’s deliciously decadent poured over grass-fed beef steaks.

Drink Pairings: Monastrell from Jumilla, Spain or Napa Valley Cabernet

Ingredients Serves: 4-8

  • 4 Grass-fed Beef Porterhouse Steaks
  • 8 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
  • 4 unpeeled Garlic Cloves
  • Peanut oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Bearnaise Sauce:
  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • ½ cup Champagne Vinegar
  • ~1 cup Clarified Butter
  • 1 Fresh Tarragon Sprig
  • 1 Shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 T chopped Tarragon
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream, whipped

Instructions

1

Preheat your oven to 400˚F.

2

Dry the steaks and salt them. Heat an oiled cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat (you may need a few skillets to accommodate all the steaks). Once the pan is very hot, add the steaks, thyme sprigs and garlic cloves. Tilt the pan periodically to redistribute the oil.

3

Melt the clarified butter on the stovetop and bring a small pot of water to a simmer. In a separate pan, simmer the shallot, vinegar, and tarragon sprig together until the vinegar has almost completely evaporated. Discard the tarragon & let the shallots cool.

4

Flip the steaks once a crust has formed on the bottom, then move the skillets to the oven to roast. Roast the steaks until they’re a few degrees short of your target temperature (they’ll continue to cook a few more degrees while resting).

5

Whisk the egg yolks and shallots in a bowl over the simmering water until they’ve thickened enough to create visible ribbons on the surface when you pick up the whisk.

Drizzle small amounts of the butter (about 1 tbsp at a time) into the eggs while continuing to whisk to combine. Once the eggs start to glisten, you can increase the amount of butter you add in each drizzle.

6

Once the mixture has reached a thick mayonnaise consistency, stop adding the butter and remove the bowl from the heat. Add the chopped tarragon and salt to taste, then fold in the whipped cream. Keep the sauce warm (but not hot).

7

Remove the steaks from the oven and put them on a plate to rest for ten minutes, loosely covered with foil. Discard the thyme sprigs.

8

Divide the steaks between plates, each with one of the roasted garlic cloves squeezed out of its paper. Add sides of your choice. Pour the béarnaise sauce over the steaks just before serving.