I’m really excited to be featuring my friend Sarah Pierson from Culinary Concepts Corp on the show this week! Sarah and I have been teaming up for a number events including hands-on cooking classes and Cucina Camp! And I definitely wanted to share her skills and talent with all of you who maybe can’t make it out to see us!

Sarah shows us how to make a super flavorful sauce for steak (or chicken!) and gives us lots of options to adjust it to any diet. This recipe is a favorite among her catering clients which is just one of the many things that CCC offers. They’re also available as an event space (birthday parties, showers, corporate events, you get the idea) and a fully licensed commercial kitchen (think about the lady who sells granola at your farmer’s market, she had to make that in a commercial kitchen).

Now let’s get down to it! This sauce is awesome! Honestly, I’ve never met a dish that started with oil and garlic and ended badly. Loaded with healthy fats, extra virgin olive oil is a staple in the world’s healthiest diet (The Mediterranean Diet!) because of it’s ability to lower cholesterol and inflammation, and benefit your heart and brain. Then we throw in some anti-bacterial AND anti-viral garlic.

Mushrooms are also very good for your heart because they can regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of a stroke. Some mushrooms are better at it than others - but any mushroom is better than none so feel free to use whatever kind YOU like in this dish!

And what great meal isn’t complete without a little wine!? By cooking off the alcohol we really just get the antioxidant benefits of the wine, along with it’s flavor in the dish. And again, you can use whatever red wine you would be drinking. Don’t buy wine you don’t like to cook with; if you don’t like it in your glass, you won't like it in your dish!

Give this simple sauce a try at home and I think you’ll find a new favorite way to serve steak! Don’t forget to check out Sarah’s tips for seasoning steak in the video below!

Buon Appetito!

Culinary Concepts Corp Steak with Mushroom Sauce
Serves 4

2 Tbs. + 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms (your choice), sliced
salt & pepper
2 Tbs. flour (sub corn starch for gluten-free option)
1 C. red wine
1/2 c. beef or chicken stock
4 pieces filet mignon or steak cut of choice, room temperature
1 Tbs. canola or grapeseed oil

Heat a deep sauce pan over medium heat. Add oil and butter and allow the butter to melt.

Add in shallots and garlic, and cook until fragrant - about 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Mushrooms will release a fair amount of water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms become a deeper brown color.

Move the mushrooms to the side of the pan. Add additional tablespoon of oil to the center of the pan. Sprinkle flour on top and mix together in the center. Allow the mixture (roux) to cook until it begins to turn golden brown. Mix the mushrooms back in.

Add in red wine and stock. Stir and bring to a gentle boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer while cooking your steak.

Season steak well on all sides with salt. Add pepper if you like.

Heat vegetable oil in a oven-safe pan, over high heat until almost smoking. Sear steaks on all sides. If the steaks are small like what we used in the video, searing them should be enough to cook to medium. If you have a larger cut, or prefer a more well-done steak. place the whole pan in a 400° oven for a few minutes until desired temperature is reached.

Rare = 120°F
Medium Rare = 125°F
Medium = 135°F