We surprised Alyssa—a 19-year-old culinary student and aspiring chef who survived multiple strokes—with a cooking lesson from her idol Emeril.
Tri-tip steak is a tender, flavorful and affordable cut, perfect for entertaining a crowd—and Emeril's bearnaise sauce adds a little something extra.
Serve this with Emeril's Pommes Frites for the ultimate steak frites dinner.
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 pounds tri-tip steak
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pommes Frites, for serving
In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, wine, 2 tablespoons tarragon, shallots, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce mixture to 2 tablespoons, about 7 minutes. Strain liquid and discard solids. Cool slightly.
Place egg yolks in a metal bowl over a double boiler, add vinegar reduction, and whisk for 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in melted butter in a slow and steady stream. Add remaining 2 tablespoons tarragon and 1 teaspoon salt, and whisk rapidly until thickened, another 45 to 60 seconds. If bearnaise sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon very hot tap water. The sauce can be kept at room temperature for up to an hour before serving.
Season steak on both sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the black pepper.
Heat a large grill pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil begins to smoke, add steak and cook for 10 to 12 minutes per side, depending on thickness, for medium-rare. (If you like yours more or less well done, check out our tri-tip temperature guide here.) Remove steak from grill and rest for at least10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.
Serve steak with Pommes Frites and bearnaise sauce on the side.
