Creamy Mushroom Steak Sauce

I was in jury duty most of last week. This meant a lot of sitting around the courthouse, waiting, listening, waiting, considering, waiting. I came home each night mentally worn out. Since I didn't have a lot of time to cook and didn't really feel like spending too much time in the kitchen anyways it led to a lot of quick, no-fuss meals.

One of these meals included boneless rib-eye steaks and corn on the cob. Hardly any effort necessary and yet this meal always brings back memories of childhood summers and the parents grilling in the backyard. I decided to up the ante slightly by making a hearty pan sauce after searing the steaks in the cast iron skillet. Any leftover sauce can always be used over biscuits or pasta.

Creamy Mushroom Steak Sauce

2-3 servings

2 steaks of your choosing, seared to perfection in a cast iron skillet and sprinkled with salt and pepper

5 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/4 c. white wine or dry vermouth

3/4 c. heavy cream

3 TB butter

1 TB flour (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

After removing the steaks from the cast iron skillet, turn the heat to medium and toss in the mushrooms. Saute until cooked through and slightly browned, adding the garlic for the last minute or so of cooking.

Add in the white wine or vermouth to the pan, using a spoon to scrape up any meat or mushroom bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then add in the heavy cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened up slightly. If you want a thicker sauce mix 1 TB of the heavy cream with the flour in a small bowl and then add to the cream sauce at this time, and stir for about 4 minutes or until thickened. Then add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve over top of the steaks.