Blackened Steak
Paul Prudhomme popularized the blackening process. The process of heating a black iron skillet to very hot and quickly cooking meat coated with his signature spices most of the time with butter. The theory was the thick coating of spices would quickly caramelize protecting the meat and creating a delicious outer crust. I have been blackening both fish and meat for many years. I always blacken meats outdoors because of the huge smoke cloud the process created. Recently I ordered blackened beef tenderloin at Prudhomme's restaurant, K-Pauls', in New Orleans and it was delicious! The spice mixture I used on the steaks pictured was as follows: granulated garlic, granulated onion, freshly ground tellicherry pepper corns and pink Himalayan sea salt. I used about 1/3 of a stick of Kerrigold butter. Enjoy!