Rosemary Flank Steak with Bleu Cheese Cream Sauce

Y'all.  Seriously.  This has got to be one of the BEST things I've ever put in my mouth!  The tenderness of the flank steak paired with the creaminess and strength of the blue cheese cream sauce was the PERFECT combination.  I used to HATE blue cheese.  I still don't like really strong blue cheeses, but this sauce takes a lot of the usual "kick" away from just plain blue cheese, yet keeps enough of the "kick" to know you're eating bleu cheese in the sauce.  This really couldn't be any easier to cook either.  I marinated the steak for an hour, but the actual cook time was less than 20 minutes!  Uhh, talk about an amazing but quick week-night dinner!  This would be the perfect "stay in" date night meal.  Marinate the steak all day while you're at work (I only had an hour to marinate it- it won't hurt to marinate it longer!), come home and heat up the grill pan, season the steak a bit more, throw it on the grill pan (or grill) for 8 minutes (4 minutes on each side- gives you the perfect medium rare steak), let it rest for 5 minutes and cook the sauce all in one pot while the steak is cooking. That's it!  So. Easy.  I guarantee your taste-buds will NOT be disappointed.  I paired this with my loaded mashed cauliflower- steak and "potatoes" made for another perfect combination.  This was the third entry I did for the Away From Home Cooking contest, and I just hope the picture's good enough to make the judges see the amazingness this dish has to offer! (I thought the picture quality was better than it turned out to be :/ )  It's a winner in my book...I just hope it's a winner for the challenge too!  Enjoy!

Rosemary Flank Steak with Bleu Cheese Cream Sauce

Serves: 4

For the steak:

• 1 pound flank steak
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (plus 3 sprigs, whole)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce:

• 4 ounce block extra creamy Danish blue cheese, crumbled by hand
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Method:

1. In a Ziploc bag, add oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 2 cloves garlic and 3 sprigs of rosemary and mix until combined.  Add flank steak to bag, coating mixture on steak.  Marinate mixture in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or more), turning bag over every 30 minutes-1 hour (if able- if you're marinating it while you're not home, no worries, it'll still be fine!).  
2. Heat a grill pan (or grill) on medium heat.  Remove steak from marinade and discard remainder of marinade.  Season steak with remainder of salt, pepper, garlic, and the chopped rosemary on both sides, lightly pressing seasonings into the steak with a fork.
3. Add steak to grill pan (or grill) and cook for 4 minutes.  Turn steak and cook another 3-4 minutes for medium rare.  Remove steak from pan and let rest on a plate or cutting board for 5 minutes.
4. While the steak is cooking, in a small saucepan, add heavy cream and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Let mixture simmer until thickened (it should coat a spoon), about 4 minutes, whisking frequently.  Once thickened, reduce heat to low and whisk in bleu cheese until melted (but it's okay if a FEW crumbles do not melt).
5. Slice steak against the grain in thin slices and top steak with blue cheese cream sauce.  Serve remainder of sauce in a bowl on the table in case more is wanted!

Bon Appetit,