SparkPeople

Makes 4 servings: 3-4 ounces of meat per serving
Prep time: 30 minutes

You can eat steak while losing or maintaining your weight. It's all about moderation and balance. This recipe calls for one 12-ounce fillet, but it serves four. That's not a typo. You might be served that 12-ounce fillet as a single portion at a restaurant, and you'd be eating almost 80 grams of fat--more than what most of us eat in a day!

At many steakhouses, chefs finish steaks with a flavored butter to add richness and shine to the steak. Here we use an herbed blue cheese to achieve the same effect.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1⁄4 cup chopped parsley (1⁄3 of a bunch)
2 tsp of black, red, and pink peppercorns, cracked (see Note)
1 beef fillet (12 ounces), cut into 3-ounce steaks

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese and parsley and use a wooden spoon to loosely work into a paste. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Spread the cracked peppercorns onto a plate. Pat the meat dry and roll in the peppercorns to coat on all sides.

3. Place a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed ovenproof sauté pan over moderately high heat. (Do not use nonstick cooking spray or any type of oil to prepare the pan.) Once hot, place steaks into the dry pan and sear the top and bottom of each steak (see Note), 1 to 2 minutes per side.

4. Place 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese mixture on top of each steak and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast 6 to 7 minutes for rare, 7 to 8 minutes for medium.

Note:
To crack whole peppercorns, pour the desired amount into a sturdy plastic bag and then spread them flat on a dish towel or cutting board (to protect your countertop). Then, with the smooth side of a meat mallet, a rolling pan, or the bottom of a heavy pan, pound the peppercorns into a very coarse grind.

When searing a steak (or any meat), you want to achieve a nice, crispy, well-caramelized crust. To do so, don't be tempted to pull the meat from the pan's surface too early. The meat will release easily once completely seared; any resistance and it's not done yet.

Nutrition:
245.8 calories, 18.2 g total fat, 65.3 mg cholesterol, 159.1 mg sodium, 1.2 g total carbs, 159.1 mg sodium, 1.2 g total carbs, 0.4 g dietary fiber, 18.5 g protein

Photo by Handmade TV