Holland America Recipe: Grilled Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Butter

Grilled Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Spicy Pear Salsa

(from A Taste of Elegance, Rudi Sodamin)
Yield: 4-6 Servings

New York strip steak is a very flavorful top loin steak that’s sometimes called Kansas City or ambassador steak. (Bone-in strip steak is commonly known as shell steak.) Here it’s topped with the luscious Blue Cheese Butter; Spicy Pear Salsa is served alongside.

Directions

In a large glass baking dish, combine olive oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add the steaks and turn to coat. Let marinate for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature or chill for up to 6 hours, turning occasionally. (Bring to room temperature before grilling.)

Preheat a grill on medium-high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Season with salt. When the fire is hot, place the steaks on a lightly oiled grill rack; cook uncovered, turning once, about 7 minutes per side for medium rare. As an alternative, cook the steaks in a grill pan or skillet.

Transfer the steaks to serving plates. Top each steak with a piece of Blue Cheese Butter. Let stand until the butter softens, about 5 minutes. Spoon the spicy Pear Salsa alongside and serve immediately.

Charcoal-grilling the perfect steak

When grilling steaks, the rack should be set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals. The coals are hot enough when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the rack for only 1 to 2 seconds. Place the steaks on the rack and turn occasionally with tongs until cooked to the desired doneness:

• For steak ½ to ¾ inch thick : rare (6 to 10 minutes), medium (10 to 14 minutes), well done (14 to 18 minutes).
• For steak 1 to 1¼ inches thick : rare (10 to 14 minutes), medium (14 to 18 minutes), well done (19 to 22 minutes).