Scott Kroener knows beef. For more than two decades, the C.I.A trained executive chef has worked in some of the nation’s finest steakhouses, including the powerhouse Del Frisco’s in Rockefeller Center, New York.
Recruited by Indigo Road Hospitality, he arrived this past spring to helm Oak Steakhouse Nashville, lauded for its modern take on the American dining classic. He shares some tips for ordering the perfect steak.
“Here’s the thing about a good steak: you want consistency in the quality of cut and the seasoning and the char,” Kroener says. “It’s prime beef, well- aged—dry or wet—cooked just how you like. We’re not trying to change things. But we can step a bit outside the lines.”
In part, this means sourcing locally. Kroener relies on Farmer Dave for vegetables and Gifford’s for bacon. He’ll get mushrooms from Henosis and lettuces from Greener Roots. But Kroener also recommends indulging in his array of house-made sauces, butters, and jams to enhance the enjoyment of your steak.
“We do traditional emulsion sauces—hollandaise and Béarnaise. There’s nothing like the punch that the combination of tarragon and acid gives to meat, especially in our Oscar format with big chunks of King crab.”
Fresh grated horseradish is key to Kroener’s sour cream-horseradish sauce. For the holidays, he’ll offer his over-the-top caviar-champagne beurre blanc and his riff on peppercorn sauce, in which he replaces cognac with Tennessee bourbon.
Compound butters make terrific vehicles for boosting and balancing flavor. Kroener uses Burgundy truffles in his truffle butter. (The slightly under-ripened tubers do not overwhelm the meat.) He prefers Danish Bleu in his blue cheese butter, softened at room temperature to fully bloom its desired funk before being folded in. Kroener notes that something special happens when the blue cheese pairs with the fat in the beef and the tannins in a big red wine.
“It’s a case of 1+1+1=5,” he says. “That combination reinvigorates the palate with each bite.”
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Chef Kroener also has a “secret” off-the-menu item—NOLA butter. It’s a fantastic mix of herbs, garlic, cayenne, and lemon, in Louisiana fashion. With its brilliant orange color, it pops on the meat, brightens a piece of seared fish and makes grilled oysters zing.
Finally, Kroener recommends his onion-bacon jam, which you will want to spread on just about anything. It’s more than onions, caramelized slow- and-low, melded with finely diced and rendered bacon. It gets umami from Worcestershire sauce, an undercurrent of pungency from mustard and sweetness from maple syrup.
And while Kroener lives by the motto, “Come out! Be out! Experience other things,” he knows nightly visits to Oak Steakhouse aren’t realistic, so he was kind enough to share some of his recipes. To learn how to make his special sauces at home, visit nashvillelifestyles.com.
(Oak Steakhouse, 801 Clark Pl., 615-902-3111; oaksteakhouserestaurant.com)
BLUE CHEESE BUTTER
- 1 pound Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 pound high quality Blue Cheese, such as Danish Bleu, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- Using an electric mixer, whip softened butter on high until light and fluffy.
- Using a spatula, fold in the blue cheese crumbles, thyme, salt and white pepper, being careful not to fold so much, so you can still see small bits of blue cheese.
- Place on a sheet of parchment paper and roll up, forming a cylinder about 1 1/2” in diameter.
- Refrigerate until firm and cut into coins to place on top of grilled steaks.
BOURBON-PEPPERCORN DEMI-GLACE
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon smashed green peppercorns
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) bourbon (or cognac, if you prefer)
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) heavy cream6 ounces (3/4 cup) veal demi-glace
- Salt, to taste
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until translucent, but not caramelized.
- Add black and green peppercorns and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatic—about 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and deglaze the pan with bourbon, taking care that it does not flame up.
- Whisk in cream and veal demi-glace and reduce to sauce consistency.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Spoon over grilled filet.
NOLA BUTTER
- 1 pound Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Hot Sauce, such as Texas Pete
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 tablespoons minced fresh Garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh Rosemary
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh Thyme
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Using an electric mixer, whip the butter on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the speed, and slowly steam in the hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce until well incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and add the following ingredients: garlic, rosemary, thyme, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. Beat in slowly until well incorporated.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Terrific dolloped onto grilled steaks, fish or oysters.