It is ridiculously HOT and I’m not ready for summer (BOO)… anyway, we decided that it would be a good idea to NOT turn on the oven since it is crazy hot and the apartment tends to be very hot being on the top floor and all. So – steak was on sale and it’s the first of the month – sounds like a plan. We narrowed down the menu to whatever steak was on sale that looked good, double stuffed mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. For the steak, my Heart was making his incredibly delicious Busker Sauce, which he invented about 19 years ago. The name: Busker Sauce is a nod to street musicians who “make shit up as they go along”… and it’s a great composition!
Of course, the steaks that were on sale were either already bought up (flat iron steaks) or really fatty (rib eye) so we just went with some simple small sizzler steaks – not expensive cuts but with a little red wine, herbs and black pepper to marinade in for a couple hours before cooking, totally eatable.
Double stuffed mashed potatoes is my version of double stuffed baked potato – several medium red potatoes were boiled and mashed then about 1/2 stick of butter was mashed in – a 1/2 pint of low fat sour cream was stirred in.
next four green onions, chopped.
then some chopped crisp bacon and some shredded cheddar cheese.
The Busker Sauce is: 1 whole bottle of good red wine (it doesn’t have to be Expensive but you should Never cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink), Dijon mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, and freshly ground pepper. For measurements my Heart says he uses his mother’s measurements: “a carefully measured dollop” This is a “taste it and see” sorta sauce. The sauce, in a large skillet at a moderately high temperature, cooks for about 30-45 minutes… it should be bubbling but not Boiling. Ultimately you should have a reduction to about 1 1/2 cups… when you run a wooden spoon down the middle the of pan, it should take a second or two before the liquid fills in. A bit of cornstarch mixed with a bit of water helps the thickening process. Patience is the key… and the goal? “You should taste the wine and then the heat kicks in and claws its way down your throat before the sweetness soothes it away.” And – that’s exactly what you get… that rich wine reduction wraps around the meat but you get the sweet heat as well. We probably spent about 20 minutes talking about all the other ways we could use the sauce including with cherries on ice cream. It’s pretty damned amazing!…
…and the color is glorious
Steaks with the plain steamed broccoli, which the sauce was good on also!
As you can see – the sauce is not runny – it’s almost a glaze
Angela took this picture because she just loved the color. *smile*