I love using my grill to prepare most of our meals in the summer.  Not only that it seems appropriate to give the air conditioner a little break by not turning up the oven unless I absolutely have to; the meal preparation is usually simple. I usually make burgers, and rotate the variety (using either beef, or turkey, and then chicken) from time to time, and add some fresh salad, and it’s done. After a successful introduction with flank steak making this Grilled Steak with Balsamic Teriyaki,  I wanted to find a new recipe using flank steak. I really love simple recipes that have a little touch of something special like this one.   The shallot-mustard sauce was easy to put together, yet so delicious, and have the “restaurant” quality that can make dinners at home feel a little bit more special.  The steak can be grilled or cooked on the pan; and the sauce was definitely the key that made the difference here. I think I may consider using this sauce for other type of grilled steak in the future as well.

Adapted from Fine Cooking

Ingredients
1 flank steak, about 1-1/2 lb.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. corn oil
6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter (4 Tbs. cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
3 Tbs. finely minced shallot
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon

Directions
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof 12-inch sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add the oil to coat the pan and sear the steak on one side until well browned, about 1-1/2 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook until the second side is well browned, about another 2 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and roast until the steak is cooked to your liking, 5 to 7 minutes for medium rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest, lightly covered with foil, while you make the sauce.

Set the same skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbs. of the butter. When the butter melts, add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft and translucent but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium high, and boil until syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the broth and thyme and boil until about 1/3 cup of liquid remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the mustard. (Don’t let the sauce boil after the mustard is added.) Stir in the 4 Tbs. butter cubes, a few at a time. Stir in half the tarragon and season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

With a sharp knife, slice the steak thinly across the grain on the diagonal, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with remaining tarragon.

Yield: 4-5 servings