I was participating in a Microsoft Teams chat with some colleagues, and the subject of “butter making everything better” came up (again). Friends at work know I’m fond of butter.

One friend (BC) said she feels the same way about cheese. I agreed and mentioned how I like a soft cheese with steak.

Another friend (ER) queried the combination, to which BC specified blue cheese (also BC) with steak.

As much as I’m happy to place a hunk of blue cheese next to a steak, tonight I thought I’d go a step further and make a blue cheese sauce with cream (also known as pre-butter) plus actual butter.

Tonight I served myself the blue cheese sauce with a piece of Coorong black angus rump cap, which I cooked sous vide for approximately 3 hours at 57 °C. The steak weighed approximately 320 grams.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 60 mL (¼ cup) cream
• 30 g (2 tablespoons) blue cheese crumbles
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
• 15 g (1 tablespoon) of butter (optional — but not)

Instructions

1. Place the butter, cream and blue cheese crumbles in a small saucepan.
2. Warm over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the cheese begins to melt.
3. Continue to cook for 3–5 minutes, until the mixture bubbles gently and thickens to a saucy consistency.
4. Remove from heat, season with a crack of black pepper, and spoon directly over your cooked steak.

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Net Carbs	Total Carbs	Fat	Protein	Calories
2 g	2 g	26 g	4 g	254 kcal

This recipe yields approximately 2 g of net carbs per serving, making it suitable for a ketogenic way of eating (assuming the daily intake of carbohydrates remains <20 g).

Tips and Variations

• To serve two people, double the amount of all ingredients.
• For extra richness, whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 g) of unsalted butter along with the cream.
• Stir in chopped chives or a dash of white wine vinegar at the end for freshness.
• Best served immediately—if reheated, the fats may separate.

Pairing Suggestions

• A juicy scotch fillet steak, cooked to medium-rare, amplifies the creaminess of the sauce. Cooking meat too rare can result in an unattractive mix of red meat juices and pale sauce. While choosing well-done is an option, I do not like well-done steak. I find for a fat-rich steak, 57 to 58 °C a good temperature. You’ll find a lot of sous vide experts who recommend 55 °C. The fat doesn’t render as well at that temperature in my experience.
• Pair with a low-carb side, such as garlic and butter sautéed spinach or roasted asparagus.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meal

I enjoyed tonight’s meal. Cutting the steak into slices so I could dip each piece into a small pot of blue cheese sauce felt luxurious. The umami-rich, beefy, thick, and juicy steak pairs perfectly with the salty-umami and funky flavours of the blue cheese, creating a harmonious blend of flavours and textures. It was almost Holy Matrimony. Being a lover of fat, the fat and the blue cheese also combined well.

Questions

• Have you tried blue cheese and steak? What did you think?
• Do you have any tips on making a blue cheese sauce?
• How would you serve blue cheese and steak if you were cooking?