Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce

Warm May weather means that it's time to uncover the grill and get cooking. This week, M and I defrosted a New York strip and decided to kick it up Bobby Flay style.

From Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook, I made Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce. There were a few changes, but the end result was sweet, spicy and rich. We accompanied the steak with some leftover Horseradish and Dill Potato Salad from Epicurious.com and a green salad.


I had a hard time finding dried ancho chiles, so I used a dried New Mexico chile instead. New Mexico chiles are an acceptable substitute, as are guajillo and California chiles. All other spices were purchased at Penzey's in Omaha.

Since M is not a huge fan of mushrooms, I cooked them separately and then added them to my plate at the end. The above photo does not show any mushrooms.

Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce
Rub
1 Tbsp ancho chile powder
1 Tbsp finely ground coffee
2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Four (8-ounce) steaks

Ancho-Mushroom Sauce (see recipe below)

1) Combine the ancho powder, coffee, paprika, brown sugar, mustard, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, ginger and cayenne in a small bowl.

2) Heat grill to medium-high. Close lid and heat for 15 minutes. When hot, rub grate with oil.

3) Season one side of each steak with 1 Tbsp of the rub. Cook, rub side down, for 5 minutes, or until a crust has formed. Turn the steaks over and continue cooking to medium-rare, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from grill, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

4) To serve, ladle the sauce onto plates and top with the steak.

Ancho-Mushroom Sauce
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (2 14-ounce cans)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (I used cremini-baby bella)
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 dried ancho (or New Mexico chiles), soaked, seeded and pureed
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1) Prepare the ancho puree: Pour boiling water over the dried chiles and let set for 30 minutes. Remove seeds and puree chiles with blender or food processor. Add liquid as needed until smooth puree is formed.

2) Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to 2 cups.

3) Heat the oil in a saute pan over high heat. Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic until the mushrooms are golden brown and the liquid has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.

4) Whisk the ancho puree into the reduced chicken stock and pour the mixture into the pan with the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, 10-15 minutes. Stir in the honey and the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.