Recipe of the Week: Blue Cheese Crusted Striploin

I’ll be honest, I’m a steak purist. A little salt and pepper is normally all I need on my steak to let the beefy flavour sing. However, even I like to mix it up sometimes and enjoy a steak with a little something extra. Blue cheese and beef work well together. They are both umami-rich ingredients, and the saltiness of the cheese is tempered by the overall “meatiness” of the steak, and neither overpowers the other. It’s an uncommon pairing that deserves to be appreciated.

Blue Cheese Crusted Striploin Steak

Serves 4 (this recipe calls for 4 striploin steaks, but you can halve the recipe and share two steaks)

Ingredients

4                            striploin steaks, approximately 12oz each
to taste                salt and pepper
2 tbsp                   vegetable or olive oil
1 cup                    blue cheese, crumbled (I would recommend a Danish style blue cheese like Castello)
¼ cup                   panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup                   unsalted Butter, melted
2 tbsp                   parsley, chopped

Method:

1) Season the steaks with salt and pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour (this allows the steaks to dry brine).

2) While the steaks are seasoned, make the crust. Mix the blue cheese, panko, butter, and parley together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. It should have the consistency of peanut butter when finished.

3) Preheat your BBQ to high. Turn the broiler of your oven on to high at the same time, setting the oven rack to the highest slot.

4) Rub the oil over the steaks, then grill over the high heat, flipping often, until the steak is cooked to your preferred doneness. Medium rare should take about 8-10 minutes altogether, depending on the thickness of the steak. Your best bet is to use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the right temperature is reached.

5) Place the cooked steaks on a baking sheet and divide the blue cheese crust mixture on the top of each one. Use a spoon to spread the crust over the surface of the steak, then put the steak in the oven to brown – this should take about a minute. You’ll want to keep an eye on the crust so that it doesn’t burn at this point.

One brown, remove the steaks for the oven and allow to rest for five or so minutes before serving.