Eating Butter in the Empty Nest
May 16th, 2008 by Marilyn
Josie has been in Chicago all this week on a class trip. So I have not seen this face for five days.
You know, the face that just ate the last piece of pizza.
There have been no socks in the hallway, no trail of half-empty Gatorades.
There were only two plates for her to forget to set.
Apparently all this order was too much for me, so I made some comfort food. Beef…and butter. You heard right, buttered beef. When I feel bad I move straight to extra crazy rich, please. I adore skirt steaks, but they can be hard to find around here, so that would be the treat. Beef lovers, prepare yourselves:
Yow! Carnivores, take a breath. Now about that butter. I mixed up three of my favorite things – butter, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar – spread it on parchment, and rolled it up tight like a sausage.
I also ground in a healthy dose of black pepper. You can experiment with your own favorite things, but clearly mine all begin with B. The BBB went to rest in the freezer, and when the marinated skirt steaks were sizzling, I unrolled it and cut slices.
At this point Greg came by and said “is that liverwurst?” And I said something like “no, it is the greatest taste known to man, and you my friend can only hope to have some.”
One week without a kid and we’re crotchety old people, eh?
Sliced rare steak, a little garlic spinach, some buckwheat kasha on the side and oh yes, a giant glob of spicy sugar butter. On beef. I missed Josie, I did…but buttered skirt steak proved a very fine mother’s little helper. Is your child going off to camp this summer? Pour some red wine and fire up the grill. I think you’ll feel a lot better.
Balsamic Brown Sugar Butter
2 oz softened butter (about 1/2 stick)
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 serious grindings of black pepper
In a small bowl, use a spoon to mix butter and brown sugar uniformly together. Add balsamic vinegar in about three parts, stirring to combine each time, then grind and mix in black pepper to taste.
Turn out butter onto a large square of parchment paper or plastic wrap, using spoon or spatula to make a short, thick sausage shape. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, twisting ends to tighten. Freeze or refrigerate until firm.
To serve, unroll butter and cut thick 1/2″ slices. Top the sizzling steak of your choice with butter and enjoy.
serves 2-4
SHE HAS BEEN MISSED! In fact, I have something “drying” on my dining room table to prove it! I had no idea that steak would make one feel better……… I don’t eat red meat but perhaps if I had grilled some earlier in the week, my ears would not be so tired right now………
Your butter recipe sounds good enough to snack on without the steak.
mmmmmmm…..yummy….
butter + steak = YUM!!!!
(or should i say steak + butter?? you can see which one i like best–haha)
B is for bacon, that’s good enough for me.
B is for bacon, that’s good enough for me.
B is for bacon, that’s good enough for me.
Ohhhh, bacon bacon bacon starts with B.
Yes, I suppose could have wrapped that steak in bacon for an All-Star B bonanza!