Grilled Steak w/Bleu Cheese Figs

I love to give Brownie cooking challenges!  No, I'm sadistic; I love to watch him create!  Giving him ingredients that seemingly don't go together traditionally and watching what he comes up with ... it's a fascinating process, let me tell you.

He's been wanting to utilize figs since they're in season, so on my way home last night, I bought some gorgeous grass-fed beef steaks and got him some figs!

Yes, it was just as delicious as it looks!!!!  You have to try this one while figs are in season!!!!

When Brownie does cooking challenges, the end result is always a surprise for me, so I didn't get to watch him cook.  When I was finally presented with the final product and took my first bite ... I would have sworn he put chocolate in that sauce!  It was so good!

A few tips:  Figs are best when they feel mushy and 'overripe.'  They are also incredibly sweet on their own - in this recipe, you're adding honey to an already sweet fruit.  Our suggestion is not to be shy with the bleu cheese or the rosemary - both help cut that sweetness!

So if you're feeling ambitious, here's your recipe:

Ingredients:

• 9 or 10 Ripe Figs
• 2 Top Loin New York Strip Steaks (we bought McK Ranch grass-fed steaks that we find at our local Co-op.
• Garlic Powder
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Truffle Salt (we find this at Market of Choice up near the cheese section - the sample sizes are amazingly inexpensive and fun to play with)
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Rosemary Sprigs (we just snip a few from the garden)
• Raw Honey
• 1 Vanilla Bean (our Co-op has these fresh in bulk)
• 1 Bottle Pinot Noir (more about the wine we used later)
• Bleu Cheese crumbles

Directions:

Always drink wine while cooking!

• Marinate steaks w/garlic powder, truffle salt, fresh ground black pepper, EVOO and fresh rosemary sprigs - set aside while they come up to room temperature
• Half 4 of your figs and scoop out the insides into a saucepan with 1 Tablespoon EVOO
• Start reducing over medium heat
• Add 2 tablespoons raw honey, insides of 1 vanilla bean, 1/2 cup pinot noir and 1 rosemary sprig
• Reduce to desired thickness of sauce - remove rosemary sprig
• Half 5 figs and place in baking pan (a pie plate will work)
• Sprinkle figs with bleu cheese crumbles and put in the oven at 375 Degrees until cheese is melted
• Grill steaks to medium rare and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing
• Plate your sliced steak and bleu cheese figs, drizzle sauce over the top
• Optional - garnish with fresh rosemary and fresh bleu cheese crumbles

Now the wine.  Pino Noir is Brownie's wine of choice, and I grabbed a bottle of Fractal Cellars 2011 Pinot Noir on my way out of the store.  In hindsight ... I should have considered the flavors Brownie would be cooking with while I chose the wine.  Whoops!  I'm not the wine palate in this house.

This wine IS delicious, but it didn't pair well with the figs, which was the main flavor in this plate.  Remember that figs are actually an inverted flower! So a wine with less berry flavors and more of a flowery essence would have been a better choice.  Maybe even a white wine?

We still drank the bottle! hahaha  But it wasn't a stellar pairing with our food.  Just a head's up!

Try this recipe at home and share with us!!!!