Day 185: Steak w/ Fontina, Garlic Broccoli, & Mustard Roasted Potatoes

Alright, don't get mad, but this is not a humid-weather-friendly cooking experience.  That's my disclosure.  I know some people hate to have the oven on at all during the summer, or use the stove for that matter, and this dinner requires both. :/  I know, I know.  I have a small air conditioner in the living room, but it certainly doesn't feel like it reaches the kitchen (unless, of course, I walk outside and then come back in).  But I also have one in our bedroom and I keep our bedroom door closed so it gets nice and cold in there.  On nights like this, I often take "bedroom breaks" while cooking so I can cool off! :)  Anyway, I hate to sacrifice all delicious dishes during the summer months, so I grin and bear it occasionally and cook up a nice meal like this one.
Yesterday was Day 184 and we ended up having leftover pizza for dinner.  But I also made my classic margaritas which are always a huge hit on hot evenings!




Steak w/ Fontina Sauce
Fontina cheese is a soft Italian cheese that melts beautifully!  It makes a great fondue and a great cheese sauce.  If you've never had a cheese sauce on a steak, you don't know what you're missing!  (Plus, it's a great way to get the kids to eat their meat.)  I choose a London Broil because it's nice and thick and makes great-looking slices.  We like our steak cooked medium-rare.  And let me also say that I photographed the steak with the sauce "elegantly" drizzled on top, Randy and I both added an extra few spoonfuls of the sauce to our steak--it's that good!

1 London Broil steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil (or extra virgin)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper
steak seasoning of choice
4 oz fontina cheese, grated or shredded
3 TB butter
3 TB flour
1/2 cup whole milk
salt & pepper for the sauce

In the morning, marinate the steak in the soy sauce, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and steak seasoning.  Don't use too much salt, or you might cause the meat to seize--about 1 tsp for the whole steak is good.  Keep the steak in the refrigerator for the day but take it out about 30 minutes before you want to start cooking so it can come to room temperature.  Grill the steak on a grill pan to get good grill marks on each side and finish in the oven for desired doneness.  For information about cooking steak and cuts of meat, read here.
For the cheese sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk.  Cook 1 minute.  Add the milk and bring up to a boil, stirring constantly.  Once it bubbles, reduce the heat to low and add the cheese.  Stir in a figure-eight pattern until the cheese is melted.  You should have a nice, thick sauce at this point.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When the steak is done cooking, give it time to rest and let the juices absorb back into the meat.  Slice the steak on a diagonal in thin slices.  Drizzle the cheese sauce over the top.

Garlic Broccoli
This is a great and flavorful vegetable dish.  Even if you don't love garlic, try it!  The garlic infuses the oil that the broccoli cooks in and gives a subtle flavor, not too strong.  You add the garlic back into the pan, but they are large pieces so they are easy to "pick off" if you're not a garlic person.

2 bunches of broccoli
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
salt, pepper
sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Pour the oil into a pan and cook the garlic over medium heat.  When the garlic turns brown, remove it with a slotted spoon.  Add the broccoli to the pan and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for about 8 minutes or until desired softness.  Turn off the heat.  Add the garlic back to the pan and squeeze half a lemon over the broccoli and garlic.  Stir, serve hot.
With the steak and broccoli, I also served mustard-roasted potatoes and paired it with a petite sirah red wine.  Bon apetit!