san juan steaks

This past Monday was great. No, really. It was! It was MLK day which meant I was thankfully home from work enjoying a completely lazy afternoon. The sun was shining and I spent most of my morning simply being quiet, enjoying some coffee and the beautiful view my oversized living room window had to offer. As I sat there reminiscing a bit, I was reminded of a weekend spent on San Juan Island last March and the amazing steaks that happened while I was there....well, maybe not just the steaks.

The trip was my first to the islands. Surprising, considering I have an odd affection for ferry boats and had lived in Seattle for almost 2 years at that point in time. I stumbled across the recipe in an adorable bookstore on San Juan after exploring the town in a light morning drizzle. Food wasn't on my mind as my friend, whose family owns the cabin we stayed in, and I poured over antiques and other odds and ends. Then I found myself in said bookstore faced with one of my biggest weaknesses, cookbooks. Suddenly all I could think of was dinner. Well, maybe not so suddenly having had only pancakes for breakfast; turns out stores close early the night before when you miss the ferry boat by one car. I suppose suddenly envisioning steak for dinner in the middle of the afternoon wasn't much of an epiphany after all. I started flipping through books and almost immediately found this recipe which was quickly committed to memory. While I wouldn't recommend eating these steaks at 11 p.m. as we did that night, I would recommend the roasted garlic mashed potatoes we had with them; recipe forthcoming. I guess the beautiful cabin, along with the beachside hot tub, great company and um....wine tasting (we'll call it that), proved to be quite a distraction from dinner. The steaks themselves were a hit and have been every time I've served them since. I suppose that's why the name has stuck.

Tip: If you don't want to spring for filet mignon, even though you should, sirloin steaks work well too. The balsamic "nap" will make almost any cut tender. Enjoy!

san juan steaks
serves 2

2 filet cuts
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt & fresh ground pepper
4 tablespoons flour
olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup sweet vermouth
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Pat steaks dry and let them rest for approximately 5 minutes in the balsamic vinegar to tenderize. Salt and pepper both sides. Coat one side of each steak in flour. Heat olive oil and garlic over medium - high heat in a skillet. Add steaks to skillet flour side down. Add vermouth and Worcestershire sauce to skillet. Cook steaks approximately 5-7 minutes on each side depending on how well you want them cooked (7 minutes should be medium). Remove steaks from skillet and allow them to rest. Add butter, lemon and parsley to the skillet; reduce to a sauce and serve over the steaks immediately.