Grilled Steaks with Béarnaise Butter

Ingredients
For béarnaise butter:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons shallot, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

4 (1-inch-thick) steaks (The original recipe calls for rib-eye, but this would work well for any good cut of meat.)
Vegetable oil for steaks

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, mix together butter, tarragon, shallot, lemon juice, and salt.  Transfer to a sheet of wax paper.  Using wax paper as an aid, shape butter into a 4-inch-long log and wrap.  Chill butter for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days. 

2. Prepare grill.

3. Bring steaks to room temperature and rub lightly with oil. Season steaks with salt and pepper and grill 3-4 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness are achieved.

4. Serve steaks topped with slices of bèarnaise butter.

Comments
When we found out we’d be having company over for dinner, Art suggested that we grill.  Remembering that my butcher now carries rib-eyes, I found this recipe for rib-eye steaks, Art’s favorite cut, at Epicurious.com.  Sadly, even though I ordered rib-eyes, I believe that I got strip steaks instead.  Sad. 

However all was not lost!  This recipe worked fantastically for strip steaks and the butter was fantastic.  While a good steak truly needs nothing, a little butter never did any harm.  (And Béarnaise butter is a whole lot easier to make than Béarnaise Sauce!)

Shown here with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Internet - Epicurious