Sandi's Black Pepper Cube Steaks & Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients

FOR THE MEAT

• 4 cube steaks
• 3-4 tablespoons cracked black pepper (Please use McCormick's Cracked Black Pepper or equivalent, regular black pepper is NOT workable here)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soft butter

FOR THE CREAM SAUCE

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (the Italian brown ones, or use small portabellas)
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped (fresh only or it won't taste the same)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

Directions

1. 1

   Season both sides of the cube steaks with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

2. 2

   Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.

3. 3

   Sauté the steaks for 4 minutes, then turn and finish cooking for 3 more minutes or until done to your liking. Move steaks to a plate and cover with foil.

4. 4

   Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over med-high heat and loosen any stuck bits of meat with a spatula.

5. 5

   When hot, add the shallots and mushrooms with a loose attempt to keep them in a single layer as much as possible. Don’t stir for the first 2 minutes to give them a chance to caramelize on one side, then stir periodically for another minute or two until mushrooms are deep golden brown.

6. 6

   Add the minced garlic and sauté until it becomes soft, about one minute.

7. 7

   Add the cream and the steak juice from the cube steak plate and reduce the mixture by one-third. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. 8

   Finally, add the basil, stir briefly, then plate the steaks with a generous portion of sauce on top.