IKE - Spicy Ribeye Steak with Blue Cheese Butter

Complexity: ★★☆☆☆

Ike, the ever-popular protagonist of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, is no stranger to gourmet eating. In a conversation with his friend Titania, it is revealed that he has a great appetite, and is particularly fond of meat dishes like steak. In Path of Radiance, Soren reveals that Ike is a big fan of spicy food. So, a steak with a spicy marinade seemed like the perfect fit for Ike! A spicy dish is also rather appropriate considering his affinity for fire-based attacks, such as his Neutral Special in Smash, Eruption.

Speaking of Ike's fiery attacks, I thought that the perfect accompaniment to this sizzling-hot steak would be a blue cheese compound butter, as a nod to Ike being the "Hero of Blue Flames"! Blue cheese is often paired with steak - not to mention that blue cheese and spicy food is a classic combination.

Cook up a big ribeye to slice up and serve a crowd - or, devour the whole thing yourself! This hearty meal would surely satiate the appetite of the Radiant Hero of Legend.

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INGREDIENTS

Steak:

• Ribeye steak (the size of the steak and quantity is up to you. This quantities below are written for about two medium steaks, so if you plan on cooking a lot of steaks you may want to double the marinade)

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (or one whole chili pepper, thinly sliced)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp ancho chili powder

• 1 tbsp hot mustard

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• ¼ cup water

• 2 tsp salt

• ¼ cup neutral oil

• ¼ cup butter

Compound Butter:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

• ⅓ cup blue cheese such as Stilton or Roquefort

• 1-2 tbsp finely chopped chives

PREPARATION

For marinade:

1. In a large sealable freezer bag, combine minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, worcestershire, and water. Seal, and shake until thoroughly combined.

2. Add the steaks into the bag with the marinade. Seal up, squeezing out as much air as possible, and gently "massage" to fully coat the meat with the marinade. Store in the fridge for at least an hour, up to 8.

For compound butter:

1. In a small bowl, combine butter and crumbled blue cheese. Thoroughly mix until well combined. Fold in chives.

2. Form into a rough log shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preparation:

1. Place a medium cast-iron pan in an oven preheating to 450°.

2. Remove steaks from bag and dispose of excess marinade. Pat most of the marinade off of the steak with a paper towel (leave some of it on for flavor, but too much on the surface will burn).

3. Rub the steaks with oil, season generously with salt and pepper.

4. Remove hot pan from oven and place over a burner on high. Add the steaks to the pan and sear, untouched, for 2-3 minutes (it might smoke a little, so crack open a window or turn on your hood vent fan if you can!)

5. Flip steaks over and place pan back in the oven for about 6 minutes.

6. Remove pan from oven, place on a burner over low, and add butter. Baste the steaks by tipping the pan, scooping the melted butter with a spoon, and drizzling all over the steaks, several times.

7. Check the internal temperature of the steak for desired doneness: 130° for rare, 145° for medium, and 160° for well done. Be sure to account for the fact that the internal temperature can rise up to an additional 5-10° while resting.

8. Once the steaks are approaching desired doneness, turn off the burner and remove steaks from pan. Let rest on a cutting board or place for about 5 minutes.

9. Once well rested, serve with a side of the vegetables of your choosing (I went for asparagus). Slice off a medallion of the blue cheese compound butter and place atop steak. Alternatively, serve thinly sliced with crumbled blue cheese.