INGREDIENTS
1” thick t-bone steak
2 C cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled + 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
6–8 stems
4 T unsalted butter
1 T coarse ground kosher salt
1 t cracked black pepper
METHOD
Unwrap steak and sprinkle all over with salt, then allow to rest at room temperature for about an hour
While the steak is coming up to temp, warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and tomatoes; toss regularly and sauté until the tomatoes start to blister and burst open. Add thin-sliced garlic and a sprinkling of fresh thyme and continue to toss until the much of the liquid has steamed out of the tomatoes to reduce by half, then remove from heat and wipe out the skillet.
Cherry tomatoes sautéd with thinly sliced garlic, fresh thyme and EVOO
Return skillet to stove and heat over medium to medium-high; add the room temperature steak to the pan and sear the first side, about 2 to 3 minutes – you want that side to be browned, not gray. Turn steak over to brown the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and repeat until desired doneness – feeling the steak with your finger to get to the consistency of the flesh between your thumb and forefinger for medium rare.
Remove steak from pan and let it rest on a cooling rack; return skillet to heat for 1 minute. Add 3 T butter, peeled garlic cloves and fresh thyme to the hot skillet and let butter melt.
Return steak to the skillet and tip the skillet to one side, letting the butter and aromatics collect, then – working quickly – use the spoon to baste the steak with the butter all over. Flip and repeat. You don’t want to let the butter get beyond a light brown.
Remove steak from skillet and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
To serve, spoon tomato mixture over the steak.
Butter basted bone-in steak with pan-blistered cherry tomatoes, garlic + thyme
TOOLS
Large skillet – stainless steel or cast iron
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Large soup spoon