Grilled Tri-Tip with Mushroom Balsamic Butter

School’s out for the summer (in two days)! The end-of-the-year commitments are winding down and I can feel my shoulders loosening as the mad sprint to the end-of-the-year finish line finally comes into view.

But let’s not forget we’ve got some serious celebrating to do this weekend. Father’s Day is Sunday. I hope whatever you have planned, it includes good food and a relaxing moment or two. Even better if it includes bad ties and homemade cards, a perfectly cooked steak and an ice-cold beer.

For us, well, we’ll be watching a whole lot of baseball as our boys have tournaments all weekend. It doesn’t look quite like the weekend I had envisioned but somehow, it’s perfect.

It will be my husband who sets up the sun shade and fills the car with gas. He’ll hold our daughter when she gets sleepy and cranky and guaranteed he’s the one cheering loudest, standing at the fence offering a thumbs up and a nod to our boys, reminding them he’s right there. He’ll schlep all our gear back to the car and unpack it when we get home. He’ll play catch in the grass and at least 20 rounds of Old Maid and Go Fish. If anyone deserves a special day, its him (and all the dads out there, loving their families well).

And it just wouldn’t be a celebration without a mouth-watering steak. Make your dinner a little extra special with this easy mushroom butter compote to crumble over the steak when it comes off the grill. I can guarantee you won’t want a steak without it once you’ve tried it. The recipe calls for tri-tip but a flank steak or ribeye work great. Use whatever cut of meat you prefer.

Grilled Tri-Tip with Mushroom Balsamic Butter

·         1 2-pound tri-tip

·         ½ cup salted butter, softened

·         1 shallot minced

·         2 cloves garlic minced

·         4 ounces button mushrooms minced

·         2 tablespoons olive oil divided

·         1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         2 tablespoons chives minced

Drizzle tri-tip with one tablespoon olive oil. Salt and pepper meat liberally on all sides. Allow meat to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

In a large sauté pan, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add shallot and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. When onion is translucent, and mushrooms are tender, add garlic to the pan and cook for an additional minute. Splash balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and salt and pepper liberally. Cook for 2 more minutes until the balsamic vinegar is fully incorporated into the vegetables, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the heat and scoop compote onto a piece of parchment paper (foil works too). Allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, incorporate the softened butter and mushroom compote. Once well-combined, return mixture to the parchment paper. Wrap the parchment paper around the butter mixture and form into a log. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. (If the butter is very soft, place in the freezer for 30 minutes).

Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill meat about 10-12 minutes, flipping once for medium-rare. Remove meat from grill and cover with foil, allowing the meat to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.

To serve, slice tri-tip and crumble mushroom balsamic butter over the meat. Garnish with minced chives and a sprinkle of coarse kosher salt.

*Save mushroom butter in an air-tight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.