Steak and Potatoes, Baby!

The highly anticipated steak day finally came this week.  We had six steaks on which to practice our steak cooking skills: four "regular" steaks and two ribeyes.  The first four we were challenged to cook altogether in the same pan but at four different cooking points: bleu, saignant, a point et bien cuit (rare, medium rare, medium and well done).  The literal translation of those cooking points are blue, bloody, on point and well cooked.  As far as the French are concerned, though, there really only exists two cooking points: bloody and more bloody.  

Attempting the four different cooking points.

After the steaks were cooked, we made a sauce by adding shallots to the pan, a little white wine, some stock and then monter-ing au beurre, which is adding butter right at the end.

My steaks. From well done on the left to rare on the right.

On the left is medium well and on the right is well done.

On the left is rare and on the right is medium rare.  Chef gave me a nod of approval and I was off to start the ribeyes.

Until he reminded me that he had to check my potatoes.  Can't have steak without potatoes.

Seasoning the ribeyes.

Grilling them.

Plating them with Beurre Maitre d'Hotel (herb and garlic butter).  DIVINE!

And again, don't forget the potatoes, especially big french fries like these which are called "Pont Neuf."

Side note: Sometimes it pays to plate later because you hear the feedback of the others who have plated before you. As I was taking my two ribeyes to Chef for inspection, Sonja stopped me, looked at my steaks and told me that I better tell him I had cooked them a point instead of saignant. Apparently, her steaks were about the same cooking point as mine and she had tried to say they were saignant and that didn't go over well. So, I marched up to Chef with my newly labeled steaks a point. However, I think he figured us out since Sonja followed me and couldn't stop laughing when I answered "a point" to his question of how I had cooked the steaks. Either way, he approved of the steaks and sent me on merry way so that I could bring home a perfectly cooked ribeye to make a delicious sandwhich for my husband for lunch.

It was ultra good.  So good that I had to first take a bite before taking a photo.