dinner party: grilled rib-eye ssam night
for the love of fire, sodium, and pistachio tiramisu
The last time I grilled steaks on my rooftop was last August. It was a balmy summer day, and I had spent it relaxing with my friends in Central Park. As the day slipped by toward the late afternoon, the dinner plans coalesced somehow around me cooking everyone dinner. I usually plan my dinner parties a bit more in advance but my dehydrated and recently-at-zen self said sure and went to Whole Foods.
The menu: grilled rib-eyes au poivre, bruleed cream corn, watermelon feta salad.
I started prepping the ingredients as my friends arrived. Since it was already 7pm by this point, I entrusted a few of my friends to grill the steaks on my rooftop. Division of labor never hurt, right? That was a mistake. Lesson #1: never trust your friends to do anything a) involving fire b) involving steak.
As I was cooking the corn in my apartment, my friend Matt comes bursting in through my front door and runs right to my kitchen sink to douse his forearms in water, avowing he just got third-degree burns. My first question naturally: “What happened to the steaks?!” He says he dropped one on the ground (???) and the other two were still on the grill. While he continued to drown his “burns” (there were like two small marks; he was being dramatic), of course I had to go to the grills to finish the job.
It ended up being a delicious albeit eventful meal. I’m still at a loss as to what happened on my rooftop. Some say the steaks erupted in a fireball (I disagree because the steaks didn’t have enough color on them). Some say Matt lost his grip on the steaks with his tongs (more believable).
I think this story speaks to the joys of grilling steaks. Sure it can be a bit of a show, but isn’t that why we cook? Shockingly, I think it’s the easiest way to cook a steak. As long as your grill is hot enough (not too hot) and you cook the steaks until they’ve browned on each side, you’ll be fine. Just make sure you have a pair of sturdy tongs, a cooking thermometer, and a little courage. The key to great steaks is always to let them rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
The recipe below for grilled rib-eyes with ssamjang is my preferred way to have grilled steaks. Ssamjang is a salty, slightly spicy Korean spread that pairs beautifully with any red meat. Crafting your own lettuce wraps with a little fresh rice, a little veg, the beautifully charred steaks, and the ssamjang is my ideal summer entree. It’s fresh, not that rich, and completely satisfying.
And to accompany, a chili oil panzanella salad with big crusty sesame croutons and a luxe pistachio cherry tiramisu (bonus points if you make your own chili own and cherry compute).
For the love of fire,
Ryan
the recipes
grilled rib-eyes with ssamjang
serves 6
ingredients
for the steak / marinade
3 lbs. boneless rib-eyes, about 1 1/2 in. thick (you can also use flank, skirt, or hangar steak — cook time will vary)
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 white onion, thinly sliced
for the ssamjang / presentation
1/4 cup miso
1/2 cup gochujang
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
6 scallions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp sesame seeds
Large lettuce leave from 4-5 heads little gem, for serving
sliced cucumbers and/or radishes, for serving
sushi rice, for serving
instructions
In a large bowl, add apple juice, soy sauce, white onion. Drop in the steaks and cover. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the miso, gochujang, honey, toasted sesame onion, scallions, garlic, and sesame seeds. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Preheat grill to medium-high and preheat until hot. Remove steaks from the marinade (they will look grey; that’s fine). Pat dry with paper towels.
Spray grill grates with oil spray. Then add steaks. Grill on each side until well-carmalized, about 8 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 130F for medium-rare. Let steaks rest covered with foil for at least 10 minutes. Then thinly slice.
Have your dinner guests assemble their own steak ssam wraps at the table with a little ssamjang, rice, 2 pieces of steak, cucumbers or radishes inside of lettuce leaves.
chili oil panzanella with sesame croutons
serves 6
ingredients
1/2 loaf sourdough bread
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
kosher salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
6 medium-sized beefsteak tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 large cucumbers, cut into chunks
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup chili oil (I make my own by heating 3/4 cup olive oil until hot and pouring over 1/2 cup gochugaru, 1 tbsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns)
instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Tear your sourdough bread into large-ish croutons. Add to a baking sheet. Toss with the toasted sesame oil and season with salt. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, add the tomatoes and cucumbers together in a large bowl. Season with 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and toss. Let sit for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Then tip out any of the accumulated juices at the bottom of the bowl.
Add the scallions and vinegar to the salad and toss. Then add croutons and the chili oil. Continue to toss. Taste for seasoning. Add to a serving dish to serve (the croutons will continue to soften the longer you leave them in the salad fyi).
cherry pistachio tiramisu
serves 8
ingredients
5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided (100g)
8 oz mascarpone cheese (226g)
1/4 cup pistachio paste (60g)
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
20-24 lady finger biscuits
1 cup cold brew
3/4 cup store-bought cherry jam or homemade compote (you can cook frozen cherries with some sugar / lemon until broken down and thickened)
garnishes: whipped cream, fresh cherries, chopped pistachios
instructions
In a large bowl, add the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar. Using a hand mixer, whisk on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the mascarpone, pistachio paste, 1/2 tsp salt. Continue to whisk until combined.
Clean and dry the beaters. Add the egg whites to a medium bowl. Using the hand mixer, whisk on medium-high speed, streaming in the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in 2-3 additions. Set aside.
In a 2 quart casserole dish, add about 1 cup of the pistachio filling and spread. Then dip lady finger biscuits for 1-2 seconds into the cold brew and align into the casserole. Dollop some of the cherry jam over the lady fingers and spread a bit with a spoon. Add about half the remaining pistachio filling, followed by more coffee-dunked lady fingers, cherry jam, and then the remaining pistachio filling.
Set in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. Then garnish how you would like.