Lucca Cafe Ribeye Steaks with Tomato Bearnaise

Two months ago I attended a culinary demonstration held at Bloomingdales in South Coast Plaza. I hate this mall because of all the crazy hype and O.C. MILF-ers out there...but for the love of food, I ventured out there with my girlfriend, Monica. We fell in love with the fresh & simple flavors of Executive Chef & Owner, Cathy Pavolos. She did a cooking demo on her beef hanger steak, yukon gold potatoes, crispy artichoke, tomato béarnaise and her swiss chard soup - which is to die for!!! We received handouts on all of the recipes. I knew this would be the perfect recipe for our BBQ steak dinner to test out on my family!

Ribeye Steaks, Yukon Gold Potatoes & Tomato Béarnaise

Adapted from Lucca Cafe - Executive Chef/Owner - Cathy Pavolos

Serves 6 **We served 8**

Ingredients:

2.5 - 3 lbs Certifed Angus Beef Hangar Steak or Tender Rib Eye Steaks *We bought an 8 lb rib eye roast, and cut the slices up ourselves.*

5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes

Beef Marinade: *I doubled the recipe to serve 8 or more*

Juice of 2 oranges

3 tablespoons of Fresh oregano

6 garlic cloves

***Optional: Zest of 2 oranges
1. Put all ingredients in a food processor, and mix. Marinate the beef with the marinade for at least 2 hours, and remove the beef from the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes. *Tip, we used large plastic ziploc bags to marinade the meat, and flipped them over after 1 hour.*

Fork Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes:

Steam or boil the peeled potatoes until tender, mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher while warm. Mix in warmed heavy cream, melted butter, salt & white pepper to taste. **ADD lots of BUTTER!*

Easy Tomato Béarnaise in Two Steps:

The Reduction:

3 tablespoon Fresh Tarragon, minced

3/4 teaspoon Dried Tarragon

5 each Dried Green Peppercorns, crushed

1/2 cup White Wine

1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar

3 Shallots, peeled & minced

3 Garlic cloves, peeled & minced

The Completion:

6 Cage Free egg yolks

1 1/2 tablespoon Tomato Paste

3/4 lb Salted butter, melted

Preparation:

Add all of the Reduction ingredients into a small saute pan and simmer until reduced to about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons - usually about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Then in a blender, blend the egg yolks, tomato paste, and the reduction together. With the blender running, take the center part of the top out and add 1/3 of the butter in a slow steady stream. Once the sauce emulsifies, turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter. It should thick and creamy and ready to go.Review: My cousin loved the Tomato Béarnaise sauce so much, that he used it to dip his bread...like 4 or 5 rolls!!! Eric said Chef Cathy did a mistake by handing out her recipe to me, because I made it better than her!! YEAH!