Grilled Peppercorn Steak and Caramelized Pecan Salad with Cabernet-Cherry Vinaigrette
Description
A company-worthy salad of warm grilled steak on baby greens with pecans and a wine dressing will make your guests 'ooh' and 'ah.' Marinate the steak and make the dressing and candied pecans ahead of time so assembling the salad will be a snap. You can use old, turned wine for the dressing.
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1 tablespoon grainy brown mustard
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1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
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1 teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
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2 tablespoons port wine
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1 pound beef top sirloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 4 portions
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2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon wine
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1/2 cup dried cherries
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1 teaspoon white sugar
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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1 cup pecan pieces
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1 tablespoon water
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1 tablespoon white sugar
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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7 ounces mesclun salad greens with spinach and/or arugula
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1 carrot, peeled and shaved
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4 radishes, thinly shaved
Directions
1
Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, cracked pepper, and port wine in a bowl; pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Add the beef, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (up to 5 days if necessary).
2
Bring Cabernet wine and dried cherries to a boil in a saucepan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine has reduced to about 1/3 of its original volume, about 20 minutes. Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the wine mixture and pour in extra-virgin olive oil. Remove from heat and let dressing cool.
3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a sheet pan.
4
Toss pecan pieces in a bowl with water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl until thoroughly coated. Spread coated pecans into the prepared sheet pan.
5
Bake pecans in the preheated oven until the coating adheres to the nuts and pecans are fragrant and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately transfer to a large heatproof plate to finish cooling. Be careful, candied pecans are extremely hot. Set pecans aside to cool.
6
Preheat an outdoor grill for very high heat and lightly oil the grate.
7
Remove steak pieces from marinade, shake off excess marinade, and grill until steaks are seared and done to your desired degree of rareness, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a steak should read 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium-well. Discard used marinade. Let steaks stand for 5 minutes after grilling before cutting into thin slices.
8
To serve, mix baby greens with shaved carrot and radishes in a salad bowl and divide onto 4 large serving plates. Lay slices of beef in a spoke pattern on top of greens and sprinkle each salad generously with candied pecans. Whisk dressing and drizzle over salads, distributing a few cherries onto each salad.