Pan Seared Ribeye with Shallot Herb Butter Baste

I was chatting with the manager of my local Le Creuset store about cast iron skillets, and she asked if I wanted to see a video of the pan in action.

A ribeye was searing in the skillet. The chef covered it with herbs and garlic and slid it into the oven. When the steak was done, he moved it back to the stovetop and finished with a butter baste. I was mesmerized, watching him spoon sizzling butter over the ribeye.

The manager knew she had me - I’m pretty sure I stopped talking in the middle of a sentence, jaw hanging open, staring at butter basted beef. The next thing I remember, I’m walking out of the store with a very heavy box under my arm.

I came home and duplicated the recipe - and I regret nothing. It’s every bit as good as it looked on the video.

Recipe: Pan Seared Ribeye with Shallot Herb Butter Baste

Inspired by: Classic Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak [CertifiedAngusBeef.com]

Prep Time: 60 minutes (mostly unattended)
Cook time: 20 minutes

Equipment

• Large, heavy skillet (I use a Le Creuset cast iron skillet)

Ingredients

• 2 (1 ½ inch thick) bone in Ribeye steaks
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (1 ½ teaspoons per steak)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground mixed peppercorns (or black pepper)
• 1 medium shallot, trimmed, peeled, and sliced paper thin
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Season the steak

One hour before cooking, remove the steak from the refrigerator, pat it dry with paper towels, and season it evenly with the salt and pepper. Let the steak sit at room temperature until it is time to sear.
You can salt up to two hours in advance. But, if you can’t salt at least an hour in advance, season the steak right before cooking. It needs at least an hour for the dry brine effect.

2. Preheat the pan

30 minutes before cooking, put the skillet in the oven and heat at 450°F to get the pan ripping hot.

3. Sear the steak

Move the pan from the oven to the stovetop and turn the burner to medium heat. (Carefully! The pan is hot!) Put the steak in the pan and sear without moving until a browned crust forms on the bottom, about four minutes. Flip the steak, and cover each steak with sliced shallots, two sprigs of thyme, and one sprig of rosemary. Move the pan back into the oven.

4. Roast the steak

Roast the steak in the oven until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 105°F, about five minutes.

5. Baste the steaks with butter

Move the pan back to the stovetop over low heat. (Again, be careful, hot pan) Put the butter into the pan, between the steaks, Once the butter melts, scrape the shallots and herb sprigs off the steaks and into the butter. Use a spoon to baste the steaks with the butter, and cook the steaks until they reach an internal temperature of of 115°F to 120°F for medium-rare, about five minutes of basting.

6. Brown the shallots and serve

Transfer the steaks to plates, leaving the shallots and herbs in the pan. Continue to saute the shallots and herbs in the butter, occasionally stirring and scraping the pan, until the shallots are browned and crispy, about three more minutes. Discard the herb sprgs. Pour the shallots and butter over the steaks and serve.

Notes

• Don’t like medium-rare? For rare, sear the steak for three minutes, then cook to 100°F in the oven (about five minutes), then on the stovetop to 110°F to 115°F (about 4 more minutes). Medium? 115°F in the oven (about 8 minutes), then 120°F to 130°F on the stovetop (about 8 more minutes). More than that? You’re on your own, and I don’t want to know about it.
• When handling a oven-heated cast iron pan, oven mitts are your friend. The Le Creuset handle mitt is amazing - it easily slips on the handle of my Le Creuset and Lodge cast iron skillets.
• Why do I keep saying “Carefully! The pan is hot!” in the recipe? Because, even with the handle mitt, I keep forgetting. I use the handle mitt to remove the pan from the oven - it’s so hot that it’s smoking - and take the mitt off for a picture. That’s when my brain stops working. I put the steaks in the pan, then reach for the handle bare handed. I just want to shift it a little on the burner. If I’m lucky, I feel the heat in the handle right before I grab it. If not, ouch. And I do this every time I work with a pan heated in the oven. Do I learn? Noooo, of course not.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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