- 12 Scallions or new onions
- 4 (8 ounce) New York Strip steaks, cut 1 inch thick
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 pound Fresh shiitake (or oyster) mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1/3 cup Cognac or brandy
- 2 cups Beef Stock, reduced by half (in a skillet)
- 1 (3 ounce) package Enoki mushrooms, stemmed (available at many supermarkets)
- Heat a grill. When hot, grill the onions for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are tender but crunchy.
- If you don't have a grill, blanch the onions in boiling salted water.
- Drain and keep warm.
- Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Reserve.
- In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter until bubbling slightly.
- Cook the shiitakes over high heat until they begin to brown slightly.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- Carefully pour the Cognac or brandy into the hot skillet and ignite.
- Let the flame die out naturally.
- Reduce the Cognac to 2 tablespoons, scraping any loose bits that cling to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the reduced beef stock.
- Reduce the sauce until slightly thickened, but still very light.
- Return the mushrooms and their juice to the sauce and reduce more if necessary.
- Correct the seasonings.
- Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, a little at a time.
- Stir in the enoki mushrooms.
- Set the sauce aside and keep warm.
- Grill the steaks on the preheated grill for 3 minutes on each side, or saute them in a very hot skillet with a little oil for 3 minutes on each side, or until the meat is medium rare.
- Remove from the heat.
- If necessary, reheat the sauce very gently.