Surf & Turf: Steak Oscar with Duchess Potatoes

By Foodiewife

This recipe is a "take" on an old and Classic dish that has veal, asparagus and crab, smothered with Béarnaise sauce. It's a beautiful dinner, but I don't buy veal any longer. I was inspired to make this dish from an Food Network episode of "The Pioneer Woman". Only, I didn't use her recipes. I developed each component of this dinner, including the Béarnaise sauce-- which I made in my blender. I served this with Duchess Potatoes, and the whole meal was on the table in an hour. This was our wedding anniversary dinner, at home, and it's perfect for special occasions-- including Valentine's Day. To see how I made this, please click on my recipe source link for my blog "A Feast for the Eyes".

Ingredients

• STEAK:
• 2 filet mignon (6 to 8-ounce, grass-fed preferred)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or kosher salt, not table salt)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, optional (but worth it)
• ASPARAGUS:
• 4 to 6 stalks fresh asparagus, edges trimmed
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• CRAB:
• 1 Alaskan King Crab leg (or you can use any kind of fresh crab, or large pieces or shrimp), cooked
• BERNAISE SAUCE:
• 3 egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (don't use margarine or substitute!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of pepper (I used white pepper)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
• 3 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• NOTE: I left out the traditional shallots in making this blender version, and the sauce still tasted fantastic.

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

In order to make this dinner come together, at the same time, it is important to prepare all of your components in advance.

Bring the steak to room temperature, at least 30 minutes in advance.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Aspragus:
Wash and pat dry. Snap the end off of one asparagus, to determine where the tenderness of the stalk begins. "Even up" the asparagus with all the tips, and cut the tips off to match the end of the snapped asparagus stalk.

Place on a small baking pan (I use my small cast-iron skillet) and drizzle with a little olive oil and coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and set aside.

Crab:
I place my crab in a steamer, as it will reheat in a matter of 1 to 2 minutes.

Sauce:
Place the egg yolks in a blender; allow to come to room temperature, while you prepare your entree and sides. NOTE: You could add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped shallots (not onion) for a more traditional ingredient, if you wish.)

In a small pot, add the chopped tarragon and vinegar and simmer on medium for 2 to 3 minutes until it is reduced to about half. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Steak (recipe adapted from Ina Garten):
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Heat a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and brush them lightly with vegetable oil.

Combine the fleur de sel (or coarse salt) and cracked pepper on a plate and roll the steaks in the mixture, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides.

Note: I tried this, and the steaks were way too salty! I recommend that you not roll the steaks in the salt and pepper but sprinkle the seasoning, and a lot less-- like about half. You can always add more salt. Season to your personal taste.

When the skillet is ready, add the steaks and sear them evenly on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, for a total of 10 minutes. Top each steak with a tablespoon of butter, if using, and place the skillet in the oven.

Cook the steaks until they reach 120°F for rare or 125°F for medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer. (To test the steaks, insert the thermometer sideways to be sure you're actually testing the middle of the steak.) Remove the steaks to a serving platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

While the steaks are resting, place the asparagus in the oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan (or skillet) once or twice for even roasting. Get ready to make the sauce.

Note: Make the sauce right before you are ready to plate your food, and while it is nice and hot. This is where "mis en place" becomes helpful. That is, measure everything and have it prepared and ready to go! (You can freeze the egg whites for later use.)

Sauce: To the egg yolks, add the lemon juice, vinegar mixture, salt & pepper. Blend for about 5 seconds.

Butter: Melt or microwave the butter until it is just becoming foamy. You don't want the butter to be boiling hot, or it could "cook" the eggs. Wait until the butter is very warm... ...with the blender running on medium- high speed, slowly begin to drizzle the very warm butter. Then, turn on the blender to high speed for about 1 minute. Turn off the blender, and check the thickness of the sauce. Serve immediately.

Because I have a Vitamix, I let the blender run on turbo super-high speed, which actually helps to really heat the sauce. My sauce turned out really thick and creamy. If you need to keep the sauce warm, place it in the bowl/pot of very warm water (not boiling) and carefully cover the top of the blender with a thick towel.

Do not microwave to reheat, as it can make the whole sauce fall apart.

Assembly:
Place the steak on a warm place. Top with asparagus and then the crab.
Top with Béarnaise sauce.

So, where's the recipe for the Duchess potatoes?
Go to this link of Key Ingredient: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/907065048/duchess-potatoes/