For two good eaters:
1-¼ pound hanger steak
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons cognac
½ cup reduced sodium beef broth (see tip)
two teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon freeze-dried chives
1 teaspoon dried Italian flat-leaf parsley
½ tablespoon low-sodium white miso
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons truffle butter1
Tip
I don’t buy stock because I never get through a whole carton before it goes bad. Instead, I buy Better Than Bouillon Base and make up small amounts of stock when needed. A jar of the base lasts a long time in the refrigerator. The soft paste blends smoothly and instantly into hot water, sauces, gravies, or marinades. It includes yeast extract, which naturally enhances umami savory notes. It’s mainly natural ingredients. The reduced sodium varieties are especially good. (AMAZON LINK)
Trim the hanger steak of any large pieces of fat or silverskin, being sure to remove the tough connective tissue that runs down the middle of the steak.
Season the two resulting steaks with salt and freshly ground pepper. Vacuum seal each of the steaks in their own BPA-free, food-safe plastic bags. I use Weston 6” x 10” Pint Vacuum Sealer Bags (AMAZON LINK) and my Weston 65-0501-W Vacuum Sealer (AMAZON LINK).
Put the bags into a large water bath with your sous vide machine (I use the Breville BSV600PSS Joule Turbo Sous Vide Machine (AMAZON LINK)). Set the temperature to 133°F and cook for two hours.
Remove the bags from the water bath, cut them open and transfer the steaks to a cutting board, and reserve any juices in a cup.
Pat the steaks very dry with paper towels.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. I prefer my All-Clad D3® Stainless Steel 10” Fry Pan for this purpose (AMAZON LINK). Add a tablespoon of a neutral, high smoke point oil, such as saffron or avocado oil. When it shimmers, add the steaks. Sear for a minute or two per side. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add a ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the minced shallot and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed garlic clove. Cook 30-45 seconds.
Raise heat to high. Add the cognac and (VERY CAREFULLY) ignite with a long fireplace match or lighter. When the flames die down add the stock to finish deglazing the pan. Add the chives and parsley. Add the juices from the sous vide bags. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-high. Allow sauce to reduce by half.
Reduce heat to low.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in the sour cream, white miso, and Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine. Return pan to burner and keep warm.
Sliced the hanger steak thinly against the grain.
Add any accumulated juices to the sauce and then spoon the sauce over the slices.
I served the steak with some Lamb Weston Hand Cut Style French Fries I cooked in my air fryer. (AMAZON LINK)
We drank a 2022 Duckhorn Merlot (Napa Valley) that I had double decanted about 45 minutes before service. Raspberry and cherry aromas, along with floral notes. Flavor associations raspberries, black cherry, and plums. Smooth tannins. Nice match.
I happened to have some truffle butter in the refrigerator from a prior use a couple of weeks ago. I usually have some truffle oil in the pantry, which I would have used as a substitute—along with 2 tablespoons unsalted plain butter—if necessary. If you have neither, leave it out and bump up the mustard. It’ll still be yummy.