Ridiculously Easy Recipe: Blue Cheese and Chive Steak Butter

My husband turned 26 this month and for his birthday I made bacon-wrapped steaks and macaroni and cheese for his special dinner. I’m a sentimentalist, and I can’t help thinking about the very first meal I made for him, back in the summer of 2004.

It was the weekend before he moved away to college, and my wonderful older sister offered us her apartment (She even bought us the beer to use as a base for the cheese). I made grilled steak strips and cheese fondue in one of those fondue pots with the little Sterno cans people used to give to one another at Christmas. By the end of the meal, the cheese was burnt to the bottom, but my, it was delicious! Years later, I realized that wasn’t exactly how fondue is done, but Jeff appreciated my efforts to woo him with food.

The steaks were a little pricier than I would normally buy, but it was a special occasion and still less expensive and more special than if we had gone to a local steak house. They were pre-bacon wrapped, seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic, then quickly seared in butter on the stove top, and finished in a 400-degree oven to a perfect medium-rare for ten to fifteen minutes.

What really made these steaks pop was the blue cheese and chive butter I prepared in the morning. Creamy gorgonzola cheese with tangy chives is the perfect complement to the savory, rich taste of these steaks.

Spoiler alert! You will need at least 2 hours (prep plus chill time) to prepare this recipe!

Plan accordingly.

Blue Cheese and Chive Steak Butter

Makes (roughly) 12 servings

½ cup or 1 stick salted cream butter, softend

¼ cup gorgonzola, or other blue cheese

2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or 2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp chopped chives

Sprinkle kosher salt

Ground pepper

1. In a small bowl or food processor, combine all ingredients but chives and mix until well blended and most of the blue cheese chunks are smoothed out. Stir in the chives last.

2. Spread butter into plastic wrap or parchment paper and twist into a log shape- about 6” long. Twist and seal the ends, then refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

3. To serve, remove from the fridge and cut into ½ inch coins. Float on top of fresh-cooked steaks. The residual heat from the meat will melt the butter. Use one coin per 4 ounces of steak, or to your taste (we love butter!)

4. Re-wrap and use within a week, or freeze for up to a month.

Questions? Comment below!

XOXO

Shauna E!

Quick and Dirty Q&A

Q. I can’t find blue cheese or chives/ I don’t like blue cheese or chives. Any other suggestions?

A. If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese or onions, there are many other variations you could do. Try adding prepared horseradish and bacon bits (stir in at the end as if they were chives). Sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese would be another great flavor combination. Replace the chives for parsley, dill, or rosemary. Replace the blue cheese with feta or finely shredded cheddar. The trick is to add each ingredient slowly and taste occasionally until you find a ratio that works for you.

Q. I don’t eat steak, but this butter sounds delicious. Any other uses for it?

A. Tons! You could use this butter to finish off grilled veggies, fish, chicken, or even pork. Replace it for normal butter (1-to-1) in recipes for pasta or rice. If you do choose to use it as a replacement, make sure you omit or adjust any garlic or salt so you don’t over season!