Ribeye served with a Barleywine, Blue Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Sauce

02.04.15

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, but not for the reasons that you may think. It’s one of my favorite holidays because I celebrate with copious amounts of food, beer, and good times. I’ll never understand the pressure so many other people put on it; why not save the roses and dinner reservations for another night, one that will undoubtedly involve less stress and a cheaper price tag?

To celebrate this year, I’ll be dining on pastrami by the pound at Katz’s Delicatessen and then heading to the Mercury Lounge to see Har Mar Superstar. What’s more romantic than mile high meat sandwiches, a bald man with a voice of gold who never ends a show wearing more than his underwear, and good company? I honestly can’t wait.

Last year, I flew solo, but only because I was new to NYC and didn’t really know anyone. That doesn’t mean Valentine’s Day has to suck, though! To keep up with tradition, I treated myself to dinner and several rounds of beer at the bar around the corner from my sublet. Lucky enough for me, that bar happened to be the classy craft beer joint Tørst. After one too many, I stumbled to Bedford Cheese and bought enough fancy cheese to throw a small cocktail party, all of which would be consumed while watching Netflix. Sometimes the best dates are the ones you treat yourself to.

But if you really want to impress someone with a romantic date night, and I mean really impress them, then you should cook a fancy meal at home and you should make this recipe. It doesn’t even have to be Valentine’s Day. In fact, it should probably be on a random Tuesday. And if you’re flying solo, then you should absolutely make this recipe to treat yourself. After all, there’s very little in life that’s better than a really good steak, especially if it’s topped with Barleywine, Blue Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Sauce. Seriously, this sauce is one of the best things I’ve ever put into my mouth. I want to drown all of my food in it. I strongly suggest buying a loaf of crusty bread because you’ll want to sop up every last bit and licking the plate may not be date appropriate behavior…

Barleywine Blue Cheese Sauce
Total Time: 30 minutes

• 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup barleywine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often to prevent burning, until the onions are golden brown and melting, about 15 minutes. Pour in the barleywine and cook, stirring occassionally, for 3 minutes then stir in the heavy cream and blue cheese. Bring to a simmer and continue to stir until mixture is creamy and begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. The caramelized onions and beer will give it a warm golden brown hue while the blue cheese and heavy cream provide a velvety and creamy texture. Season to taste with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Ribeye Steak

Recipe adapted from Good Eats
Total Time: 15 minutes

• 2 rib eye steaks, at least 1-inch thick
• Canola oil, to coat
• Kosher or Coarse Sea Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• Rosemary sprigs

Remove steaks from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, place a large cast iron pan in the oven and preheat to 500ºF.

Lightly coat each steak with oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the cast iron pan from the oven and place on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Place the steaks in the dry cast iron pan and cook 30 second to 1 minute per side until nicely browned. Top each steak with 2 Tablespoons of butter and a few rosemary sprigs then place in the oven for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and spoon melted butter over the top. Return to the oven for an additional 2 minutes for medium-rare steaks. For a medium steak, add an additional 1 minute of cook time per side while in the oven. Transfer the steaks to a large plate or cutting board and tent loosely with foil; allow to rest for a minimum of 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve topped with Barleywine, Blue Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Sauce and sides of your choosing. May I recommend garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables? A bourbon barrel aged barleywine or stout would also be perfect to wash it all down.

Tags: barleywine • beef • beer • blue cheese • blue cheese sauce • caramelized onions • cooking with beer • craft beer • grilled • medium rare • ny strip • onion sauce • onions • porterhouse • recipe • recipes • ribeye • steak • steak sauce • steak topping

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