Hungry Howley Cook-Off Challenge: Entree Results

So, the second half of the results are coming in a week late, but who's counting?  It was decided that we tied on the appetizer round, so it was important to step it up during the entrees.  I decided to go ahead and start my dessert before my entree, because I was making a carrot cake and knew it needed to sit in the oven for 50 minutes.  (By now it was nearing 9pm, and I was not about to be baking a cake at 11pm!)

I whipped together my ingredients for my carrot cake, stuck that in the oven in the name of saving time, (and space- our desserts would not be friends with each other if they had to share an oven).  Then it was on to the entree round to include our joint ingredients- Steak and Red Wine.  Mmmm.  Warm and toasty and delicious- not the first choice for most people's summer menus, but we were going for taste and I knew mine would kill :)

I found a gorgeous sirloin at the food store and decided it was perfect for my dinner.  I chose to only get 1 lb in the hopes that we wouldn't have too many left overs.   My dinner was a sirloin steak with Garlic Wine Sauce and damn was it good!!  (not to pat myself on the back, but it won!)

The lengthiest part of the process was pre-baking the garlic clove in the oven so it was soft and smushy enough to puree, so I would suggest starting that before you start your steak.  To make this dinner, you will need:

1 medium head of garlic...thats right, the whole head.
1- 1 1/2 lb sirloin steak (you can substitute the cut if you wish)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
4 tbsp butter
1 cup red wine
salt to taste
2-3 tsp black pepper (to taste)
EVOO

To Make:

Roasted Garlic Puree

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 375.  Peel the first layer or 2 of paper off your garlic clove, until you can begin to see individual cloves. Place it on aluminum foil, and lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap it up in the aluminum foil and place on top rack of oven for 30-40 minutes.  Remove when the garlic cloves are soft and gooey, so you may want to check them around the 30 minute mark.  *Note- when they turn brown on the inside they are too hard and cooked to puree; you want them still white but slightly soft and easy to squeeze.  When done, squeeze each clove out of its little shell and into a bown to puree; set off to the side.

2.  Next, heat a medium skillet on the stove (do not add butter, oil or cooking spray).  Sprinkle both sides of steak generously with salt and pepper.  Place your steak into the heated pan and sear on both sides (1 min per side).  Then, reduce heat to medium and add 2 tbsp butter.  Continue to cook evenly on each side, 3-5 min and then remove steak from pan, but keep warm.

Red Wine, Garlic Puree, & Butter Reduction

3.  Pour the fat out of the skillet, and add your red wine and chopped scallions.  Bring to a boil, then quickly whisk in your yummy garlic puree.  Boil until the mixutre is reduced to about half, and is thickened with browned bits.  The consistency should be almost molasses-y.  Pour in the juices from the steak (from wherever it has been resting and keeping warm.  Continue to boil for another 30 seconds, then remove from heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp butter.

4.  Slice the meat into thin strips, and pour the thick, maroon colored sauce over the sliced steak strips.

Your finished product should look something like this:



Sirloin Steak with Garlic Wine Sauce!!


I know I could have probably taken a better picture, but TRUST ME.  This was A-mazing.  The sauce was pretty thick, so if you wanted, you could add a bit of beef consumme, but I loved it the way it was.  The consistency of the sauce was perfect for a nice cut of steak- not watery and definitely not something that yields enough to pour over potatoes or pasta, but perfect the way it is.  The sauce was garlicy, and really captured the red wine flavor....Im drooling a little just writing about it.  Needless to say, there was very few leftovers, even with a pound of steak (plus Evan's dinnner!)

Oh yeah, and in the scuffle and excitement over my roasted garlic cloves and wine reduction, I kind of failed on the carrot challenge.  It was a scallion and carrot puree with cinnamon....it needs a little work and will perhaps make an appearance in a later blog...just not now.

Ahh, the entree round was a success :)