Recipe of the Week: Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Guinness Cream Sauce

Martin Luther King said “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness”. I guess he didn’t have a taste for greens or a hoppy beer. I love bitter and it is too often ignored in our quest for sweetness and salt.

This dish really plays with bitter flavors, especially when served, as pictured, with some chard. But the rich fat of the beef keeps the bitterness in check.

Coffee and beef can be a controversial pairing. In the south, coffee is often used for brisket rubs, but Niki Segnit’s Flavor Thesaurus warns against it. I happen to like the combination. It gives the beef subtle bitter undertones and if the rub has other ingredients to keep the coffee from being distracting it really enhances the beefy flavor.

The sauce, using a stout beer, introduces more bitterness to the dish. It’s balanced by cream. You can add a little sugar to cut the bitterness if you want, but I prefer to let the beef do its job.

Feel free to experiment with the cream to achieve a sauce that is balanced for your palate.

Here is the recipe.