Bistro Steak

I have never been a big beef eater. In fact, I had my first hamburger after my freshman year of college when I came home for summer vacation. As I've grown to like different types of food though, my taste for steak has increased. Steak still probably won't be something I crave but this meal was so delicious.

The steak was seared to perfection and drizzled with an awesome tangy red wine sauce. On the side I had roasted red potatoes and asparagus. This was the type of meal that you would order at a restaurant on a special occasion. At least that's what it felt like to me.

Here are some tips for cooking a great steak:
- Room temperature beef will cook more evenly than cold beef. I usually take meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before I plan to cook.

- Dry meat will sear better and develop a golden brown crust. I pat the meat dry on all sides with a paper towel before I salt and pepper the meat.

- Once you put the meat in the pan don't mess with it! The more you move the meat around the less of a crust that will develop. Try to only turn the meat once.

- Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes (or more if the cut of meal is large) before you slice it. Letting the meat rest lets the juice redistribute back into the meat so every bite is juicy. If you slice the meat right after cooking the juice will run out and the meat will be dry.



Ingredients, adapted from April 2013 Cooking Light
- 1 tablespoon oil (canola or vegetable)
- 16 ounces sirloin steak
- 1 minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste

1.) Heat a large skillet over high heat, add the oil once the pan is hot
2.) Salt and pepper each side of the steak and add to the hot pan
3.) Sear on each side for about 4 minutes or until cooked how you like it
4.) Remove the steak from the pan, tent with foil and let sit for 5 minutes
5.) Add the shallot and thyme to the same pan and saute for about 1 minute
6.) Add the red wine and let simmer until the wine has almost evaporated
7.) Add the chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half
8.) Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, mustard and salt and pepper to taste
9.) Slice the steak against the grain, drizzle with the wine sauce and top with chopped parsley
10.) Enjoy!

I apologize for the somewhat icky pictures, the light went away really fast today...but I promise this meal really was delicious!

Today is a rest day for runner, which is good because the tempo run was pretty difficult yesterday. In 30 minutes we covered 3 miles with the slowest speed at a 10 min/mile pace and the fastest at an 8 min/mile pace. I got stuck in a meeting at work so our run got pushed back about 30 minutes later than usual too.

Well, at least it's almost Friday right?

Anyone have any fun plans for the weekend?