Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

If I recall correctly, this is the very first "fancy" thing that Steph and I cooked together when we were housemates. We first made it to pair with the 2000 Curtis Crossroads Syrah (which was wonderfully earthy and barnyardy), but have made it countless times since. This recipe originally came from Food & Wine, and the only real modification we made was to double the anchovies. (The first time we made this dish, we read the instructions as "2 anchovies" rather than the actual "2 anchovy fillets," but it was so delicious that we've made it with double the anchovies ever since...) This is an easy dish to make and is fairly impressive, but should probably only be served to people who enjoy strong flavors (garlic, blue cheese, and anchovies) and don't mind having some serious garlic breath...

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
   12 large white mushrooms (about 1 pound), stemmed
   3 tablespoons dry white wine
   3 tablespoons olive oil
   Salt and freshly ground pepper
   4-6 ounces Danish blue cheese
   2 tablespoons heavy cream
   4 large anchovy fillets, minced
   4 large garlic cloves, minced
   1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
   1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
   2 boneless rib-eye steaks
   2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
   1 tablespoon soy sauce
   1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large baking dish, toss the mushroom caps with the wine and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the caps stemmed side down and roast for 10 minutes, or until they release their liquid. Pour the liquid into a small skillet. Turn the mushrooms over (stemmed side up) and roast for 10 minutes longer, or until well browned on the bottom.

Remove mushrooms from the baking dish and add a splash of wine to the dish while still very hot to deglaze. Pour the liquid into a the skillet with the original juices and combine with the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, then keep warm.

Return the mushroom caps to the baking dish, stemmed side up. In a bowl, combine the blue cheese with the cream, anchovies, garlic and mustard. Stir in the bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each mushroom cap with the filling.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Grill to desired level of doneness. Allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Return vinegar mixture to a boil. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the butter. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour it into warmed ramekins for each serving. Broil the mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until browned (rotating the baking dish as needed). Serve the steak with stuffed mushrooms, with the sauce on the side.

Serves 2.