Pan Seared Garlic Butter Steak & Mushroom Cream Sauce

Comments
From cafedelites.com I used tarragon in stead of thyme and loved it.
Ingredients
For Steaks:
4 7-ounce New York strip steaks, 1-inch thick
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter, divided
6 cloves garlic lightly crushed with the back of a knife, divided
6-8 thyme sprigs, divided (or rosemary or parsley)
For Mushroom Sauce:
2 cloves garlic crushed
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (or Worcestershire sauce)
1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
1/2 cup light cream or reduced fat cream (or heavy cream)

Directions
  • Before cooking, allow steaks stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Then season all sides with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large cast-iron skillet or pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil in and swirl to coat.
  • When pan begins smoking, lay the steaks into the pan away from you, in batches of two and cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low; add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3-4 sprigs of thyme, and 3 garlic cloves to the pan.
  • Allow the butter to foam a little and baste the steaks (use an oven mitt, hold pan handle and very carefully tilt pan toward you so butter pools in the pan, and baste steaks with a large spoon).
  • Baste constantly while cooking for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the steaks are done to your liking. (For well done steaks, flip them a couple more times while cooking until done to your preference.)
  • Discard the thyme and garlic from the pan and transfer steaks to a plate.
  • Pour the pan juices over the steaks and let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Repeat with the remaining steaks, then remove them and let rest. (Discard the thyme and garlic, but leave the second lot of pan juices in the pan.)
  • While steaks are resting, add the crushed garlic to the buttery juices in the pan.
  • Sauté on medium heat for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add the vinegar and mushrooms and cook until soft, then add the cream.
  • Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
  • Serve steak with the mushrooms sauce and garlic roasted potatoes.

Serves 4