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. Continue reading...

Sourdough English Muffins

In January, I took a bread making class at bread and cup. The class fee included some sourdough starter. Since January, I've done an awful job of keeping my sourdough starter alive. I thought I killed it a couple of weeks ago, so I reluctantly asked for a refill and they obliged.

This week, after refreshing my starter to make some bread, I used the leftover starter (that I would've otherwise thrown away) to make Sourdough English Muffins.

I also used the same refreshed starter to make sourdough baguette and boule. Recipe after the jump.

Sourdough English Muffins
(yields 6 muffins)

1/4 cup starter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
3/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Cornmeal, for dusting

1) The night before: Combine starter, milk and flour. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter to ferment for at least 8 hour or overnight.

2) After the overnight rest, add sugar, salt and baking soda and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes. Roll to 3/4" thick and cut with a biscuit cutter (I used a floured water glass.) Place muffins on piece of parchment dusted with cornmeal and let rest for 45 minutes.

3) Spray griddle, skillet, or cast iron pan with spray oil or cooking spray. Heat to medium and cook muffins for 6-8 minutes on each side or until golden brown on the top and bottom and cooked through. Watch the heat, as these burn easily.

4) Split with a fork and enjoy your favorite topping! Continue reading...