Cook time 60 min
Serves 6 people
Napa cab and steak- a classic, if a little cliche, pairing. However, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! We experimented with different styles, methods, and pairings and discovered that there can be a world of nuance when pairing steak with cabernet.
Now to dispel a myth about the powerful, overbearing Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. Napa Valley is home to 14 distinct American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs. Even within these AVAs there exist microclimates that produce cabs of unique character and expressions of terroir that run the gamut of body and flavor. Even two cabernets from neighboring vineyards can have two opposite styles depending on farming and winemaking techniques.
The same thing can be said about cooking steak. Yes, steak is steak, but most experienced chefs and home cooks know that technique and seasonings can yield dramatically different results. Smoking, herb basting, sous vide, reverse searing, dry aging, pan searing, gas grill, charcoal grill, open fire grill- all of these techniques can yield different expressions of steak. In many ways, a chef can bring out the flavor of a steak just like a winemaker can bring out the potential of a vineyard.
All of this brings us to Kanpai Wine’s winemaker Steve Matthiasson. Having farmed the vineyard for over a decade, we started with Steve’s tasting notes for the 2017 Kanpai Wines Hi No Tori cabernet sauvignon. Let’s see what Steve has to say about Meadowbrook Farm vineyard.
Our vineyard lies in the mouth of the Dry Creek canyon, in the Oak Knoll AVA. The cool air rolls down from Mount Veeder, shielding the grapes from the intense afternoon sun. Harbored by the coolness of the vineyard, the fruit develops a uniquely strong backbone of acidity and tannin. The vineyard produces in our wine complex savory flavors of olive, tea leaf, and tobacco.
Winemaker’s notes: Beautiful Damson plum and blackberry fruits accented by earthy black tea and cigar box lead into a juicy and lip-smacking palate, with silky tannins and a refreshing finish of cedar and red cherry.
Steve mentions cherries, plum, and blackberry in his notes. On a spectrum from the sweetness of raisins to the acidity of grapefruit, these fruits fall somewhere in the middle, closer to the acidic. Trying to match the boldness of the wine to the richness of the steak, the “strong backbone of acidity and tannin” mentioned by Steve led me to choose prime grade New York strip.
Outside of the fruit for the vineyard and wine notes, we see common tasting notes emerge highlighting olive, tea, and tobacco. This leads me to think: “In relation to steak, what are flavors that are similar and complementary to those listed by Steve?”
First up is olive, which is relatively simple because almost everyone tends to think of olive oil when they hear olive. This makes me think of the most classic steak sauce.
Next up is tea, which is technically considered to be a herb. In fact, the two herbs most commonly used to season steak, thyme and rosemary, are often also steeped for tea This led to my decision to season the NY strip with Rosemary and Thyme.
Lastly, the way in which Tobacco can relate to steak lies in the cooking method. Since in many people’s minds, tobacco has a direct correlation to smoke aromas, it only makes sense to sear the steak over an open fire of oak.
That’s enough theory- in the video below our team put both methods to a blind taste test. Steak A uses fresh herbs, a cast iron skillet, and an oven while steak B uses dry herbs, a sous vide machine, and an open oak wood fire for the final sear.
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
4 cups Italian parsley, leaves and stems
1 large shallot
2 small cloves of garlic
1½ cups olive oil
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp cumin
½ tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp honey (optional)
½ tbsp red chili flakes
Equipment
food processor
Recipe
Step 1
Very roughly chop or cut the parsley with scissors to fit better in the food processor.
Step 2
Slowly add olive oil while paying attention to the consistency. Use more or less olive oil depending on how tightly packed your parsley was. It should resemble thick green salsa at this point.
Step 3
Add in the remaining ingredients and season according to taste:
- If too spicy or bitter, add slightly more honey.
- If too acidic, add slightly more olive oil.
- If too oily, add more sherry vinegar.
- If not spicy enough, add more chili flakes or cumin.
Step 4
Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving to allow the onion and garlic to mellow.
Dry Herb Steak Over Open Flame
Ingredients
Dry herb steak:
1 prime New York strip
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
open fire grill
- sous vide circulator
To Drink
Recipe
Step 1
Preheat a sous vide circulator to 135 degrees F for medium rare (recommended). Season both sides of the steak with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. Note that listed ingredients are approximate seasoning is more based on feel and personal preference.
Step 2
Vacuum-Seal or place seasoned steak into a ziploc bag and lower into preheated water bath. You may leave the steak in for as little as one hour or up to 2 hours.
Step 3
Start your fire, as soon as it is at its peak (flames should be rising above your grill grate), remove the steak from the sous vide circulator and the ziploc or vacuum seal bag. Sear your steak over the fire for 90 seconds on each side or until a satisfying dark crust has been created.
Step 4
Pour yourself a big glass of 2017 Kanpai Wines Hi No Tori cabernet sauvignon and congratulate yourself on a job well done!
Fresh Herb Steak on Cast Iron Skillet/Oven
Ingredients
Fresh herb, cast iron skillet steak:
1 prime New York strip
1 whole head of garlic
2 large sprigs of thyme
2 large sprigs of rosemary
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup clarified butter
Recipe
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and Preheat a Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat. You will want the skillet to come up to temperature for about 5 minutes before starting to sear. Season both sides of the steak with salt and black pepper. Note that listed ingredients are approximate seasoning is more based on feel and personal preference.
Step 2
Add your clarified butter to the hot cast iron skillet. Sear both sides of the steak for approximately 90 seconds each or until a satisfying mahogany brown crust is created. Once the steak is properly seared, remove the steak from the skillet and turn off the heat. Allow your skillet and clarified butter to cool for 30 seconds and add in the fresh garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Allow the flavors to infuse into the clarified butter for 90 seconds while moving the herbs and garlic around to avoid burning.
Step 3
Put your steak back into the pan and place your thyme, rosemary, and garlic on top of the steak. Tilt the skillet downwards and move the steak to the high end. With a large spoon, baste the flavored butter over the herbs and garlic and onto the steak for 2 minutes. Turn your steak over and repeat this process.
Step 4
Put the entire skillet into your pre-heated oven for approximately 5 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 130 degrees fahrenheit for medium-rare. Rest for at least 5 minutes before serving or eating. Carry over cooking will bring the steak up to the target 135 degrees fahrenheit.
Spoiler alert: all three of us hands-down preferred the dry herb steak cooked over an open fire. This method is more cost effective as dry herbs are much less expensive than fresh. It’s also easier to prepare when hosting many people since there’s no managing of multiple heavy skillets, leaving you more time to entertain your guests rather than constantly attending your steak. We highly recommend the open fire steak, but don’t get us wrong, the iron skillet steak was still absolutely delicious. Trust us- either method is going to make for some happy guests.