Cranberry Sauce and Pork

With this gourmet recipe for cranberry steaks adapted from The Cranberry Cookbook try a new and exciting way to enjoy sirloin steaks. In this recipe, to seal in their juices sirloin steaks are seared until browned on all sides then cooked in the oven with a rich, tangy and savory sauce made with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh cranberries, beef (or vegetable) stock, red wine vinegar, and cranberry sauce. The sauce is reduced later and combined with heavy cream and cornstarch and seasoned with salt and pepper to accompany the juicy and tender steaks.

Sirloin is a steak cut from the rear back portion. It can take the form of top sirloin, which is the most prized, the bottom sirloin, which is less tender and larger, and the sirloin tip roast. It is a fine choice of meat with a great flavor and wonderful succulence that when cooked just right melts in the mouth. A good sirloin steak will have a good amount of fat and substantial marbling.

Choose those that have been aged a minimum of 21 days and no longer than 36 days when buying sirloin steaks. This hanging process is a crucial step in tenderizing the meat and developing its flavor. It gives more depth and intensity to the meat. Good sirloin beef has a beautiful deep red color and has a good amount of marbling which are the little streaks of white fat running through the meat. These little streaks of white melt when heated and help keep the meat moist and juicy. They also help baste the steaks as they cook and give them tremendous flavor. You can trim off the creamy white fat around the sirloin steaks if you like but leaving them on will make a more flavorful and juicy dish. In a frying pan on high heat sear the steaks. Before you brown the steaks the pan should be smoking hot to seal in their natural juices.

Ingredients
4 sirloin steaks (about 6 oz. each and an inch thick)
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 fresh cranberries (crushed)
¾ cup vegetable or beef stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Then season the steaks with salt and pepper.

2. Place a skillet over medium high heat and melt the butter in it. Then add the steaks and brown on each side. Move the steaks to a casserole dish using tongs,

3. To the skillet add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cranberries, stock, vinegar, and cranberry sauce. Then bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Boil for 3 minutes. Then season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour this sauce over the steaks. Cover, and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the sauce from the steaks and pour into a saucepan. With foil cover the steaks to keep them warm.

5. Combine the cream and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan, along with the cranberry mixture. Stir. Boil for 1 minute. If desired, season with salt and pepper. Serve steaks with sauce on the side.