Steak Maître D’hôtel

What is Steak Maître D’hôtel? Simply put it is a steak, either grilled or pan-seared, that is served topped with Beurre Maître d’hôtel. So what is  Beurre Maître d’hôtel? It is a type of Beurre Composé, French for Compound Butter.

The name Beurre Maître d’Hôtel is derived from the manner in which it was commonly prepared from scratch by a restaurant’s maître d’hôtel at the diners’ tables. It is also referred to as Maître d’Hôtel butter. As far as Compound Butters go, Beurre Maître d’hôtel is one of the easiest, which explains the table-side presentation.

When you have the time, go in search of Compound Butter Recipes. I like to do several at a time, formed into butter logs that are then labeled and placed in my freezer. That way, I only need cut off a few rounds whenever I want to elevate my meal just a little. Two of my favorites are Porcini -Red Wine Butter and Tarragon-Shallot Merlot Butter. But those are posts for another day.

When you read over the recipe, you are bound to ask why fry up the fat from the steaks? For one thing, fat is very flavorful. By using the fat to prime the skillet, you will get all the flavor without have a big hunk of fat in your mouth.

Steak Maître D’hôtel
4 New York steaks, about 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 teaspoon Olive Oil
Smoked Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons softened Butter
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh Parsley, finely minced
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Garlic Clove

Remove steaks from the refrigerator. Trim any excess fat and set fat aside.

Season steaks generously with smoked salt and black pepper. Let rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat almost to the point of smoking. Drizzle pan with a little olive oil.

Fry the reserved steak fat in the hot skillet to season the pan. Cook until very crisp ole frying bacon. Remove fat pieces with a slotted spoon and discard.

Place steaks in the skillet, lower heat to medium-high. Sear undisturbed for 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn steaks over, continue to sear another 6 minutes or until the desired doneness is achieved.

While the steaks are searing, place butter in a small bowl. Chop parsley, scatter over the butter. Add lemon zest. Finely mince garlic, add to the butter.

With a fork, mash the flavoring agents into the soft butter. Form a small log. Refrigerate until hard.

When ready to serve, slice the butter into four pats and place one pat each on top of the steaks. Let the butter melt into the meat and enjoy.

For a complete supper, serve steaks with Braised Green Asparagus and New Potatoes with Béarnaise Sauce.

Oh, and in case you were wondering why no pictures of the butter prep, I keep a variety of butters in the freezer, and simply cut the pats when needed.

No Steak Maître D’hôtel could be the star without a delicious supporting cast of New Potatoes Béarnaise and Char-Braised Basil Asparagus.