FARGO — Grilling season has arrived, and I am here for all of it. We had a crew of friends and family at our house last weekend helping us to prepare for Giovanni’s high school graduation today, and to show our appreciation we threw a bunch of sirloin steaks on the grill and served them with this amazing Blue Cheese Steak Sauce.
This is a simple recipe that is easy to prepare in about 10 minutes with just a handful of basic ingredients. But don’t be deceived by its simplicity — this sauce is downright delicious. In fact, it might even rival my all-time favorite steak accompaniment, Horseradish Cream Sauce (another easy-to-make steak sauce). But while the horseradish sauce is served chilled, this Blue Cheese Steak Sauce is best served warm atop sizzling steaks or burgers.
I use an entire 5-ounce tub of blue cheese crumbles for this recipe, and my favorite brand is the AmaBlu crumbles made in Minnesota by the Caves of Faribault. This cheese is wonderfully creamy with a gentle tang that doesn’t overpower the cheese. I use it in a variety of dishes, and it is the perfect complement to grilled red meat.
Heavy cream is the other main ingredient, and it enhances the sauce with a rich and almost velvety texture. The cream is cooked over medium-low heat for about three minutes until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling or burning on the bottom of the pan. I keep stirring throughout most of the process to keep the sauce smooth and free of clumps and burns.
Once the cream starts to thicken, I add half of the blue cheese crumbles and use a wooden spoon to break down the crumbles so that the cheese can easily melt into the cream. A fork or stiff spatula would also work well for this task.
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Next, for a touch of umami, I add a splash of Worcestershire sauce (or W sauce, as my husband calls it, because he can’t pronounce Worcestershire), a dash of Tabasco and a pinch of garlic powder to the sauce once the cheese has mostly melted, and let the sauce continue cooking until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. To test for thickness, dip a spoon in the sauce and run your finger down the back side — if it leaves a visible streak, it is ready.
To finish, I pull the saucepan off the burner and stir in the remaining blue cheese crumbles. Removing the pan from the heat keeps the additional crumbles from melting and disappearing into the sauce. At this stage, the sauce is ready to be served immediately over steaks or burgers, or on the side. You can also make it in advance and refrigerate it for up to five days, then reheat it just before serving.
No matter whether you are celebrating a graduation or just the end of a very, very long winter, this Blue Cheese Steak Sauce will take your steaks and burgers to the next level. Congratulations to all the graduates in the Class of 2023 — you did it!
Blue Cheese Steak Sauce
Makes: about a cup of sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup heavy cream
5 ounces crumbled blue cheese, divided
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (a good pinch)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions:
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Add the heavy cream to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the cream thickens, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
Add half of the blue cheese crumbles and use a wooden spoon or a fork to mash the cheese until only a few lumps remain. Cook, stirring constantly, until most of the cheese has melted — there will still be small lumps throughout.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, Tabasco, and stir to incorporate. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium-low heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Stir in the remaining blue cheese crumbles just until incorporated. Serve immediately over hot steaks or burgers.
To store:
Let the sauce cool to room temperature then pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Serve at room temperature or warm it up on the stove over low heat or in the microwave. If the sauce gets too thin, add more blue cheese crumbles to thicken it.
Recipe Time Capsule:
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