- The Lazy Gastronome - https://www.lazygastronome.com -

A Guide to the Perfect Steak Dinner

This post has been contributed –  All opinions are mine alone 

You can’t beat a delicious steak dinner. However, you can fail to make a delicious steak dinner if you’ve never made one before!  The key to remember is that it’s about more than the steak. The flavor of that cut of meat is vital in itself, but it’s affected by the flavors of the food and drink you have with your meal; it’s also affected by the preparation process. Be it date night, a dinner party, or just a nice family dinner, this guide to the perfect steak dinner will go through all the above-mentioned points and help you become a master of this recipe.

Basic preparation.

It’s important that you choose the cut of steak carefully, first of all. Make sure you weigh up flavor against chewiness and texture; at the end of the day it is a matter of personal preference. You could check out this list at bbcgoodfood.com [1] for information on choosing different cuts of meat. Cooking the steak is the important part (after you’ve chosen your cut), and it’s not just about cooking the meat safely; it’s about cooking until you reach the taste which suits your palate. Again, preference counts.  Here is an easy method on determining the desired doneness [2] of your steak.

Complement the food.

It’s very important to complement a steak dinner well, as its taste only works harmoniously with certain other flavors. The steak itself is the most important and delicious component of the meal, of course, but that can either be changed for better or worse depending on the food you choose to complement that steak. A baked potato never goes amiss, but roasted vegetables and even kale can work beautifully too (these are also far healthier side dishes).

The drink is also crucial to your steak dinner, of course. In fact, it can make or break the dish; remember, flavor is everything. You could check out this guide to best cheap wine from withmywine.com [3] if you need somewhere to begin because nothing beats a good glass of red to accompany an even better steak. Beer can work too, despite some contrary schools of thought; the caramel in port can provide a flavorful contrast to the charred texture of a grilled steak. It’s all about personal preference, at the end of the day, so listen to what your taste-buds are telling you. 

 

Dessert.

20151105_071003_resized

Once you’ve got the main course out of the way, you’ve conquered the tricky part; hopefully you managed to actually enjoy the steak once all the stressful preparation was finished. Still, you might not want to stop there in terms of courses, and it’s important that you opt for the right dessert flavor-wise following a steak dinner. Mini pecan pies are an absolute classic, as the contrast between savory and sweet is a stroke of genius; you could check out this recipe [4] if you wanted some help with making it. Tiramisu is also a great option as it’ll go well with the wine you bought for your steak dinner, and it’s a soft, sweet come-down from the overwhelming main course.

So get start planning an exquisite meal!