As a result of my “oops, the Cabernet wine has turned again in the heat,” moments, I served this summertime staple in several restaurants. Usually, this is the meal, however there could also be a salad appetizer. In my restaurants, I offered it in both forms. I frequently prepare the dressing and pecans in quantity in preparation for multiple dinners because they last for a few weeks without refrigeration. It is a straightforward dish that can be prepared by any level of cook and is a chic, lovely, and delicious dinner salad suitable for guests.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon grainy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons port wine
- 1 pound beef top sirloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 4 portions
- 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon wine
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces mesclun salad greens with spinach and/or arugula
- 1 carrot, peeled and shaved
- 4 radishes, thinly shaved
Instructions
- Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, cracked pepper, and port wine in a bowl; pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Add the beef, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (up to 5 days if necessary).
- Bring Cabernet wine and dried cherries to a boil in a saucepan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine has reduced to about 1/3 of its original volume, about 20 minutes. Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the wine mixture and pour in extra-virgin olive oil. Remove from heat and let dressing cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a sheet pan.
- Toss pecan pieces in a bowl with water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl until thoroughly coated. Spread coated pecans into the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake pecans in the preheated oven until the coating adheres to the nuts and pecans are fragrant and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately transfer to a large heatproof plate to finish cooling. Be careful, candied pecans are extremely hot. Set pecans aside to cool.
- Preheat an outdoor grill for very high heat and lightly oil the grate.
- Remove steak pieces from marinade, shake off excess marinade, and grill until steaks are seared and done to your desired degree of rareness, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a steak should read 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium-well. Discard used marinade. Let steaks stand for 5 minutes after grilling before cutting into thin slices.
- To serve, mix baby greens with shaved carrot and radishes in a salad bowl and divide onto 4 large serving plates. Lay slices of beef in a spoke pattern on top of greens and sprinkle each salad generously with candied pecans. Whisk dressing and drizzle over salads, distributing a few cherries onto each salad.
- Pecans and dressing can be made ahead of time. Store pecans in an airtight container to prevent them from getting stale.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 800 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 49 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 996 mg |
| Sugars | 16 g |
| Fat | 56 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Had some Radishes from the garden and wanted to try something new. I tried this recipe and was impressed. Everyone loves it. My daughter is already asking when we can have it again
Simply awesome as is. Everyone loved it and I had no leftovers.
We Loved this! Just Watch those pecans, l almost burned them. Next Time I’ll take the temp down a notch. Great Way to use up not so great cab. Delicious!
I agree with the other poster that this is not a difficult recipe…just more steps (which is great because it breaks it down and therefore easily manageable). I have been experimenting with microfarming here in the city and I enjoyed using my fresh mesclun salad mix that I just harvested the day before.
Absolutely amazing.
Outstanding recipe, worthy of any Five Star restaurant! The cabernet-cherry vinaigrette is absolutely delicious. This really is NOT a complicated recipe. It looks like there are a lot of steps, but you can be doing more than one step at the same time. I was a little concerned about the marinade ingredients not being enough to marinade 4 steaks, so I added an extra tablespoon of EVOO & porto, which was a good call. I also didn’t have any radishes on hand, so I used 3 green onions instead. Other than those changes, I followed the recipe to a “T”. Just an awesome salad, and one that I won’t forget!