Thursday, March 02, 2006

I've got those dirty, low down, blue cheese blues...

After I mentioned my steak with blue cheese sauce a few weeks ago, several of you asked me for the recipe. It's a remarkably easy recipe to make, and I often serve it at dinner parties because it is simple, delicious, and looks awesome on the plate. Bon Apetit.

Grill your steak. Use a thick steak. It matters. Trust me. Heavily marbled, full of fat. It will kill you, but you should already know that no one gets out this world alive.

If you like your steaks rare or medium rare like I do, I recommend cooking over an open flame. If you have a charcoal grill, set your grill several inches above the coals, and use real mesquite, hickory, or oak (if you don't have firewood, or your grill isn't very large, you can usually buy wood chips at the grocers). Cook when the flames are dancing. This will char the outside of your meat, but leave the inside pink and juicy. If you want your steak well done, don't use open flames because the outside will burn long before the meat gets done. You can add wet wood chips on top of your coals to get the smoky flavor.

To make the sauce, you'll need some freshly chopped chives, a clove of garlic, a cup of blue cheese (8oz.), and two cups of heavy cream. If your grocer doesn't carry heavy cream, look for whipping cream. Not whipped cream, certainly not non-dairy whipped topping, but cream. It will come in paper milk carton. I've never used half-n-half, but if that is all you can find, add a stick of melted butter to the sauce at it heats, and you should be fine. Butter. Not margarine. It matters.

I was once a saute chef, and I still like to use a hot saute pan (round bottomed frying pan or skillet) to start my sauce. You can start with a cool pan, but it will take longer, and you will need to mind your sauce to avoid burning the cream. I pour the cream into the saute pan, and when it is hot (if you start with a hot pan, this won't take long), I add the crumbled cheese, the freshly chopped chives (about an 1/8 cup), and the entire clove of diced garlic. Toss (stir) until the cheese is melted, then pour over your steak, and serve hot.

For a truly Texas twist, you can substitute freshly chopped cilantro for the chives, and add a teaspoon of diced jalapeno. I recommend using mesquite chips when you do this version of the sauce.

I know this has happened to some of you, but its a first for me - an agent I queried handed my query off to another agent. The second agent wrote and asked me to send her some sample chapters. I've got a good feeling about this one.

Enjoy your steak. May I recommend a fine petit sarah to accompany your meal?

p.s. Have any of you read We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates?

Mark Pettus,
Thursday, March 02, 2006


13 comments so far. Thank you, Blogger Rene, Blogger Erik Ivan James, Blogger Amie Stuart, Blogger anne frasier, Blogger Moni, Anonymous Anonymous, Blogger Shesawriter, Blogger Jeff, Blogger Mark Pettus, Blogger Kelly (Lynn) Parra, Blogger Moni, Anonymous Anonymous, Blogger Mark Pettus,


Let me know what you think

Leave a comment

13 Comments

at 11:33 AM Blogger Rene said...

Ooh, thanks for the recipe. I might try it this weekend. Good news on the agent, hope you hear good news. And no, I've never read anything my Joyce Carol Oates.

 
at 11:37 AM Blogger Erik Ivan James said...

(mouth watering)

Thanks Mark. This is gonna be good.

My wife and I do a lot of camping during the few days of summer we have here in northern Michigan. On our first trip this summer, steak with blue cheese sauce will be the season opener.

 
at 4:37 PM Blogger Amie Stuart said...

YUM .........sounds so good! Haven't read the book......

Good luck with the agent hon!

 
at 7:21 PM Blogger anne frasier said...

the agent thing sounds VERY promising...

didn't read the book, but when it came out i said thank god somebody's writing a book that doesn't romanticize farm life.

 
at 8:09 PM Blogger Moni said...

Congrats on an agent asking for chapters from your book. :)

Thanks for the recipe. I wouldn't like an accompanyment of a petite sarah. How about a nice bottle of Chardonay and a tall strapping 'William'? Ahhhh hahaha! (sorry) ;p

I haven't read We Were the Mulvaney's, but it was on Oprah's book list so it MUST be good. Is it?

 
at 8:41 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is Petit Sarah open minded?

 
at 1:41 AM Blogger Shesawriter said...

Mark,

Congratulations on your request!! This is exciting news. I'm pulling for you, bud. And thanks for the recipe. That sauce sounds delicious!

Tanya

 
at 9:08 AM Blogger Jeff said...

Sounds like good news about the agent. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Mark. :)

 
at 9:51 AM Blogger Mark Pettus said...

Rene - You're welcome, and thank you.

Erik - I'm a camper, myself. Your summer is like our winter - beautiful camping weather.

Cece - Thanks, and congrats.

Anne - You thought the stalker was a good sign - I'm trusting your judgement on this one.

Moni - Thanks. I misspelled Petit Sirah (my daughter's name is Sarah, and when her grandfather brought me my first bottle of Petit Syrah, it was following my daughter's birth - so the two have always been tied together in my mind.) The only strapping William I know is fifteen. I'll be glad to give him your phone number, I hope you won't mind if his mom chaperones your dinner party.

;)

E.Ann - Read my comments to Moni. Now, to answer your question, yes. Very. Where do you think I got all of these grey hairs?

Tanya - Thank you. The phrase, "I'm pulling for you," always reminds me of PeeWee Herman. :)

Jeff - Thanks. I wrote the entire manuscript with my fingers crossed. Thang koorness fot spell cjeckers.

 
at 12:13 PM Blogger Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Mark, man, now I'm hungry for a steak. =D

Awesome of the query and request. I want details!

kel

 
at 6:34 PM Blogger Moni said...

Ha! Mark I figured you mispelled it. Because I'm a pro at mispelling things, that was my attempt at being funny. Notice I used the word, "attempt". I think Sarah is a beautiful name.

And no thanks on the William, I like younger men, but not THAT young! ;P lol

 
at 5:44 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, as a veggie I might well commandeer the sauce recipe as I can think of a number of dishes to which that can be usefully applied! That sounds delicious (to me, obviously, the steak sounds anything but!). x

 
at 8:50 AM Blogger Mark Pettus said...

My little girl ^^^^^

Hi Muffin. You don't really want me to tell these people what you did to give me grey hair, do you?

I've got some baby pictures around here somewhere, too.

:)

 

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