This came to me from my friend Dean, who previously worked in catering and restaurants. He started salivating while trying to tell me how to prepare this, and while it wasn’t written down, I made a mental note of the ingredients and it turned out quite well!

I used shoulder tender steaks, but any grill steak would work for this, and I also used a simple marinade of oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, but feel free to use whichever marinade you like, if any.

I say it’s a “faux” demi-glace because there was no way I had time to roast beef bones and boil them for hours after being at work all day unless we wanted dinner at midnight, so I found the base for the sauce online from the Sun-Sentinal.

• 2 pounds, marinaded and grilled beef steaks, (such as shoulder tender, strip steak, sirloin fillet, or tenderloin)  

For the faux demi-glace:

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 3 tbsp cold water
• dash balsamic vinegar

For the gorgonzola crust:

• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crushed buttery crackers
• 2 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

In a small stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another stockpot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, and stir in beef stock. Salt and pepper to taste. When heated through, combine the cornstarch with water, and add to beef stock. Add onions to stock mixture, along with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Bring to a gentle boil and continue to cook and stir for 30 minutes, until reduced by half.

In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs). Add gorgonzola to breadcrumb mixture, and use a fork to break apart any large pieces of cheese.

Place grilled steaks on a baking sheet and press breadcrumb mixture onto the top and sides of steaks. Place under a broiler until topping is nicely browned. Remove steaks from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve, slice steaks into medallions and ladle sauce generously over steaks.

Great with oven roasted asparagus and potatoes!