Grilled Porterhouse Steak

Well, I tried to talk O'Malley into Clam Pizza for dinner, but this 14 year-old was having none of it.

"What do you want then?" I asked.
"Steak," was his reply.

I looked through The Gourmet Cookbook to see what they might have in the steak arena, and they have a lovely, simple recipe for Grilled Porterhouse Steak. I've never actually purchased that cut for myself, but I've made it dozens of times at work--it's the favorite cut of some of the kids.

The lovely, simple recipe calls for three things--four if you count the grill: steak, mixed peppercorns, and kosher salt.

Reader, this gave me pause.

I am one of those folks in restaurants who waves away the pepper-grinder. For some reason, freshly-ground pepper makes me cough. Back in my dating days, this tended to break the mood during romantic dinners.

So you know where this is going, right? The recipe calls for crushed peppercorns and kosher salt. Three tablespoons of crushed pepper, to be exact, all of which is to be rubbed and pressed into the steak.



This was a moment where I put my faith in the higher wisdom of Ms. Reichl and countless other gourmands who have safely combined steak and peppercorns throughout the ages. Reader, I prepared and grilled those steaks just as suggested, and I am happy to report that not only was there no coughing, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how well those two ingredients really do go together. I can see why it's a steakhouse standard, and I'm embarrassed that I never tried it before.

As for the rest of the meal, my son wanted only artichokes. With real hollandaise sauce. Yes, of course I made it, with much pointing out of how awesome a mother I am.