Ditch the burgers and buns for a more robust, restaurant-quality cut of meat. This rib eye and polenta pairing will make a quality base for the day’s celebrations. By Patrick Feury, chef/partner of Nectar in Berwyn, Pa. and Danlu in Philadelphia — Serves 2-4.
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Ingredients
Steak
- 19 oz. high-quality rib eye steak
- 2 oz. sea salt
- 4 oz. olive oil
Nectar Bistro Butter
- 6 oz. unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, chopped fine
- 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
- ½ tsp. tomato paste
- ½ tsp. hot curry powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. chives, cut fine
- 1 Tbsp. sage, chopped fine
- 1 Tbsp. rosemary, chopped fine
- 1 Tbsp. thyme, chopped fine
Night Before: Let butter get soft, not melted. Combine softened butter with remaining ingredients. Put into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator until game day.
Creamy White Truffle Polenta
- 5 cups milk or chicken stock
- 1 cup polenta
- 4 oz. parmesan cheese
- 1½ oz. white truffle, chopped (or 2 oz. canned black truffles or 1 oz. porcini oil)
sea salt
Directions
Night Before: Bring milk or chicken stock to a boil, add the polenta, and stir frequently. When the polenta thickens, lower heat immediately and continue to cook, stirring frequently with a spoon. Make sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cheese. Finally, add chopped white truffle. Season with sea salt. Put into a heavy-duty zip-top bag and cool in a bath of ice water. Once cool, place in refrigerator until game day.
Day of: Rub rib eye with olive oil, then season with salt. Grill to desired temperature. Let sit for 10 minutes, then return to the fire just long enough to re-warm before slicing. Melt Nectar Bistro Butter (recipe above) on top of the rib eye slices.
Be sure to pack a pot large enough to hold the bag of polenta. Fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, then add the polenta (still in the bag). Simmer for 15 minutes, remove polenta from the bag, and serve. Garnish with shaved white truffle (optional) for the nicest tailgate meal in history.
