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Steak Salad with a Creamy Cilantro Dressing Paired with Sterling Reserve Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon.
Approachable, quality recipes paired with Sterling wines.
Savoring September
September is California Wine Month and what better way to celebrate than with a bottle of Sterling Reserve Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon, the epitome of California’s winemaking excellence. Known for its soft tannins and a subtle herbal finish, this cabernet is a great wine for a late summer steak salad.
Hearty enough to pair with meaty New York strip steak but fruit forward enough to pair with peak season summer produce, this special wine goes perfectly with this entree salad that is easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for a dinner party.
Ingredients
- 2 – 1 pound New York strip steaks
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ½ jalapeño, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks scallions, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup mayonnaise or greek yogurt
- 5 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cobs of corn, shucked and kernels removed
- 4 heads little gem lettuce, leaves separated and washed or 2 heads romaine sliced into strips
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
Instructions
- Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Let come to room temperature while you prep the dressing and the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, scallions, lime juice, and olive oil to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, add the mayo, and blend again until smooth. Set aside.
- Pour oil to a depth of ¼ inch in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, working in batches, add the tortilla strips and fry until lightly golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, season with salt, and repeat until you are out of tortilla strips.
- Warm a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot, 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. When the oil begins to smoke, add the steaks and cook for 3 minutes on the first side or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip the steak and cook on the other side for 3 minutes. Flip in 1 minute increments or until the internal temperature reaches 120 for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate to rest for 5 minutes and then slice against the grain into thin strips.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce leaves with most of the dressing and toss to combine. Arrange the dressed greens in a large bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, cheese, corn, and crispy tortilla strips on top. Shingle the steak over everything and serve immediately with the extra dressing on the side.
For this Sterling Supper, we partnered with Emily Cooper, a classically trained cook, recipe developer, and wine lover based in Oakland. With years of experience in restaurants and culinary strategy for brands like Good Eggs and Momofuku, she loves creating delicious seasonal recipes from her California kitchen to enjoy with her favorite bottles. You can find more of her work at emilycoopercooks.com or on Instagram @emilycoopercooks.
2017 Reserve Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
The clarity of crimson red hues in the 2017 Calistoga Cabernet leads to open, appealing aromas of bright cherry and wild berry fruit sweetened with notes of cinnamon and cardamom. On the palate, flavors of black cherry, black currant and Kirsch accented with notes of vanilla, caramel and mint coat the mouth with velvety, cocoa-dusted tannins, the juicy acidity lifting the fruit for a lingering finish.
Vineyard
The fruit for Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced principally from the well-drained, gravelly loam of our Estate Vineyards in Calistoga Bear Flats and BV Ranch No. 12, with a smaller amount coming from Frediani Vineyard to add a layer of complexity to the wine. In these Calistoga vineyards, warm days cool down significantly at night by marine air and fog flowing in from Calistoga’s northwest corridor through the Chalk Hill Gap, as well as from nighttime slippage of cold air from the steep slopes and canyons on both sides of the valley. These diurnal temperature swings slow down ripening of the Cabernet Sauvignon to preserve freshness and exceptional balance in the fruit.