Posted by Farmgirl on January 17, 2010 | 3 Comments
Day two of my make and taste recipe adventure.
Ribeye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce
This time I pulled a recipe from Ree Drummond’s new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. The recipes are easy to follow. If you’re new to cooking and need a bit of extra guidance, Ree’s step-by-step instructions and photos are a dream come true.
And then there’s the stories and profiles of family life — her adventures with a cowboy husband, four kids and life on an Oklahoma ranch — complete with cattle and wild Mustangs.

I agree with the cowboys.
Ree writes that her husband and the cowboys generally prefer their steaks unadorned. Me too. If you start with a great steak you don’t need anything more than a little salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. However, it’s ok to adorn your steaks every once in awhile … especially when the recipe sounds as sinfully delicious as this one.

The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for
Ribeye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce
5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons diced onion
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup beef stock or broth
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cream
2 ribeye steaks
Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and cook until brown. Pour in the whiskey (Ree suggests you turn off your stove first, for safety reasons). As soon as the whiskey evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef stock or broth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Whisk in another tablespoon of butter. Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream. Whisk, adding more cream if mixture looks too brothy. Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks. Stir occasionally.
Now it’s time for the steaks.
******I interrupt this recipe post for Farmgirl’s Beef 101 ******

Secrets to Steak Success
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grades the beef we eat. The best grade is Prime, then Choice and so on. Trust me … you should never, ever spend your hard-earned dollars on anything below USDA Choice grade … unless of course you like the taste of shoe leather. If so, read no further.
If you want to beef up your steaks, read on.
I always, always buy Certified Angus Beef ® brand beef. No, they didn’t pay me to say that. I’m telling you because it really is the best. WHY?
Because beef is graded Prime and Choice by the USDA … AND THEN … to earn the Certified Angus Beef brand label, it MUST pass 10 additional specifications for quality — and the USDA makes sure of it. That means it is better — tastier, more tender and juicier — than regular USDA Prime and Choice grades of beef.
Less than 8% of all beef can earn the brand. It’s that good.
A word of caution: There are many, MANY brands of “Angus beef” — but only the “CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF BRAND” is owned by the American Angus Association™ and more than 30,000 Angus producers. Hardee’s DOES NOT serve the product I’m talkin’ about. And trust me … neither does McDonald’s.
Ok … so what.
Well … see that photo, above? See all those little white flecks in the steak? That’s called marbling.
Marbling makes your steak taste even better. The more marbling in beef, the better it tastes. Essentially, marbling is flecks of fat. The good thing is, the marbling melts during cooking — basting beef with natural juices that increase the flavor factor.
The more flavor, the better your steak, right? Absolutely. Where can you get this kind of euphoric flavor? Search for stores and restaurants in your area here.
Whew!
Thanks for letting me speak my mind … now back to the recipe.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides, then add it to the hot skillet. For medium rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side, or 3-4 minutes for a thicker steak. (Use a meat thermometer to determine when steak has reached your desired degree of doneness.)
When the steaks were done, I spooned the Pioneer Woman’s yummy sauce all over.
Then Farmguy took a bite.

Then his eyes rolled back in his head and I didn’t hear him say anything for 15 minutes while he devoured his food. It was very, very good.
One thing to note: Be sure and let your steaks rest a few minutes before adding the sauce and cutting into them. I forgot. As you can see, the juices didn’t have a chance to redistribute in the steak and instead, they ran all over the plate. Not that it affected the taste … mmm.
Next up:
A recipe from Prairie Home Cooking — 400 recipes that celebrate the bountiful harvests, creative cooks and comforting foods of the American Heartland.
But don’t worry, I won’t be making all 400.
Tags:American Angus Association, beef, Certified Angus Beef, Certified Angus Beef brand, Choice grade, cookbook, cowboys, Jim Beam, Marlboro Man, Mustangs, Prairie Home Cooking, Prime Grade, recipe, Ree Drummond, ribeye, sear, skillet, steaks, The Pioneer Woman, USDA, whiskey
Filed Under: Food