Looking for the perfect “cook at home” meal for Valentine’s Day dinner? Why not try the perfect ribeye steak? This steak is simply perfection. It is quick and easy to prepare, so you are not spending the entire dinner date in the kitchen slaving over the stove.
I have a few favorites dishes for Valentine’s day, such as scallops, pasta, salmon, and steak. These dishes are elegant without being time consuming because let’s face it….we want to enjoy the time with our loved ones. The Perfect Ribeye is easy and indulgent. Basted in garlic, butter, and thyme, the steak has an amazing depth of flavor that will leave you trying to salvage every bit of juice from the steak.
Tips for Cooking Steak
I have a few cooking tips that I abide by every time I cook a steak. Ensure you pat the steak dry before seasoning and placing in the pan. My favorite pan for cooking steak is a cast iron skillet. I think it adds richness especially with a good seasoned cast iron skillet. Less is more. I don’t add a lot of seasoning to my steak. I keep it simple and let the steak speak for itself.
Heat the olive oil prior to placing the steak in the pan. The oil should be shimmering. When placing the steak in the hot skillet, gently press down on the steak to ensure the entire surface area is touching the skillet. This next one is tough….don’t just flip back and forth. Let the steak sear. Avoid the temptation to turn until the steak has seared for two to three minutes.
The part everyone fears when cooking a steak is reaching the correct level of doneness. To make the perfect ribeye, I use the finger test. There are certain points on your hand that are comparable to the cook of a steak. There are several resources out there but Simply Recipes has good step by step instructions with visuals. Click here to see the method.
Valentine’s Day Dinner
The perfect ribeye is delicious entrée idea for Valentine’s Day dinner. I served my ribeye with Charred Broccoli. I was never a fan of broccoli until I started making charred broccoli. It is simple and easy. I started the broccoli first and let it char while I prepared the steak. Place small broccoli florets in a single layer on a foil lined sheet pan. Toss the broccoli in salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cook for 17 to 19 minutes at 450 degrees on the top rack. Every good Valentine’s Day needs a good dessert. I like molten lava cakes. They are simple, decadent, and individually baked. Click here to see my experience with the molten lava cakes.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy!
The Perfect Ribeye Steak
Ingredients
- 2 12 ounce boneless ribeye steaks 1 inch thick
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat steaks dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in cast iron pan until oil is shimmering. Add steaks. Press to ensure all parts of the steak are touching pan. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place steaks in oven for 3 minutes.
- Remove steaks from oven and return to stove top. Add butter, garlic, and thyme. When butter is melted, baste steaks with juice for approximately 4 minutes until steaks reach desired doneness.
- Let steaks rest 10 minutes. Spoon some juice from the pan over the steaks for serving.
1 Comment
Joan
February 13, 2019 at 12:36 pmSounds wonderful. I always over cook steak.