The menu: a simple steak, truffled potato skins, cauliflower roasted with pearl onions and green olives, and a Shore-evoking version of shrimp cocktail to start. Salted caramel brownie ice cream sandwiches don't take chocolate too seriously (nor do they require real baking). Save the wine for Saturday - we've got some special beers to match with the meal. Feel free to drink them straight from the bottle. No one will tell.
Most of this meal can be prepped the day before, so getting this together on a Tuesday night, after a long day, is a cinch. (Check out the Game Plan sidebar for a timeline.)
Let's start with the steer. When steak is done right, it can stand on its own. I suggest using a New York strip. It has more marbling than a tenderloin, which means more flavor and more beef for your buck.
Chef Chris Scarduzio, of Table 31, has had plenty of experience perfecting his technique. There are just a few important things you need to know about getting a steak-house-worthy strip at home.
First, it's worth making the trip to a butcher. The quality will be superior and the cut will be thicker. A strip that is 11/2 to 2 inches thick is ideal.
When it comes to cooking, these are the few Culinary School 101 techniques worth keeping in mind (and the only things separating you from an Iron Chef):
Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Use a cast iron or stainless-steel pan. Nonstick pans just do not get hot enough to give you that great crust. You'll want to use a vegetable oil for your sear, or a combination of vegetable and olive oils, and you want that oil to get hot. Really hot. Smoking hot.
