Only had time to practice one dish, the hanger steak. Hanger steak seems like all the rage now, as a cheaper cut of meat that's very flavorful, but can be tough if not cooked correctly. I've been wanting to try it ever since Kirk raved about cooking it with his sous-vide machine.
However the cheaper part seems to be a myth, as it was $12 a pound at whole foods. I think it was pasture-raised or something. The guy behind the counter was mildly surprised I asked for it, and also that he had some available.
The marinading and grilling of the meat was all pretty straight-forward. I did take the cooking time way-down from 6-8 minutes per side (as stated by the recipe) to 3 minutes per side. It was definitely at least medium-well all the way through, so time could probably be even shorter as these were not very thick. They steak remained fairly tender enough though and was pretty tasty, with a distinctive flavor (probably from the wine). Seems fairly forgiving as long as you cut it across the grain.
The béarnaise sauce was also interesting to make. It's basically a sabayon with lots of butter dissolved to finish. It took lots and lots of whisking to thicken up though, and there were times I was doubting myself whether it would ever come together. But after about 10 min (definitely more than 4-5 min as stated in recipe) it started to thicken up. Turned out quite lovely and rich, and the color made it feel like a "fancy" dish.
Overall this was not too hard to make, and had an unusual flavor different from everyday steak with some pan sauce, so I'm glad we tried this. I think it can be a fancier main dish when company's over.
