Chef Kevin Fink, of Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Kalimotxo, Henbit, and TLV, is one of the most innovative and skilled chefs in Austin. As a two-time James Beard Award finalist and one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend a day cooking with him, and learn how he crafts his famous steak sandwich—and eat a few in the process.
Kevin told us that the secret to his steak sandwiches is open-fire cooking, as the smoke and char you get on the peppers, onions, and steak deliver a flavor you can’t replicate on your stovetop. So we built a fire, heated our Carbon Steel Grill Frying Pan, and got cooking.
Steak Sandwiches
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Anaheim chiles
1 red onion
1 (16-ounce) ribeye steak, preferably Wagyu
4 small baguettes
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 (8-ounce) ball queso Oaxaca
½ cup fresh herbs such as mint, basil, tarragon, or parsley
1 lime
Arugula or crunchy lettuce, for serving
Preparation:
1. Place your Grill Frying Pan over the fire and allow it to pre-heat for 2 minutes. Add in your Anaheim chilies. Cook until blistered and charred all over, remove from the heat, and allow them to cool.
2. Once cooled, slice the peppers lengthwise. You can use a paper towel or cloth napkin to rub the char off the skin first if you would like, but it’s not necessary.
3. Slice your red onion into rings, place in your Grill Frying Pan, and cook until soft and charred. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Liberally season your steak with salt and pepper and place in your preheated Grill Frying Pan. Cook until a perfect sear has developed, and then flip and cook the other side until it achieves the same sear, around 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your steak.
5. Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest. In the meantime, prepare the sandwiches.
6. Slice your baguettes lengthwise, but not all the way through. Open them up and toast them in your Grill Frying Pan.
7. Spread a layer of mayonnaise on the baguette, followed by the sliced steak, chilies, and red onions.
8. Slice your queso Oaxaca and place your slices of queso Oaxaca on your Grill Frying Pan and cook until they start to melt.
9. Top your sandwiches with the queso Oaxaca, arugula, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lime, and enjoy!
S’mores with Peanut Butter and Banana
Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph, of Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Kalimotxo, Henbit, and TLV, is extremely talented and creative when it comes to crafting desserts for his restaurants. He was named as one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2020, and there is no wonder why. When he found out we were cooking over an open fire, he insisted he bring along s’mores ingredients so he could indulge us with his riff on the childhood classic.
Makes 6 s’mores
Ingredients:
6 graham crackers
Peanut or almond butter
2 Hershey’s chocolate bars
1 banana, cut in half lengthwise and cut into thirds
6 large marshmallows
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Preparation:
1. Set up your s’mores station. On a plate, table, or cutting board, lay down two graham cracker squares.
2. Spread one graham cracker square with peanut butter and then top it with two rectangles of Hershey’s chocolate. Top the other graham cracker with a piece of a banana.
3. Roast your marshmallow until it is charred and black on the outside. This is the only way to roast a marshmallow. No further questions.
4. Place your marshmallow on top of the chocolate, sprinkle with some salt and top it with the banana and graham cracker. Devour and enjoy!
