Since first seeing this burger on Serious Eats, I’ve been quite intrigued by Modernist Cuisine, a series cookbooks by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet that focus on the science behind cooking (aka molecular gastronomy). Although modernist techniques and recipes seem interesting, most are highly inaccessible to the home cook. I mean, I don’t have 30 hours to make a burger. Or a vacuum sealer, immersion circulator, centrifuge, high pressure cooker, etc. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this article in The New York Times featuring several recipes from Modernist Cuisine adapted for the home cook! I decided to test out one of these recipes in my own kitchen.

This recipe starts with a beautiful slab of frozen porterhouse steak. The steak is seared in a screaming hot cast iron skillet then finished in a 200°F oven until done to taste. The whole process is quite easy and results in a perfectly cooked steak. The contrast of the salty, golden crust and the smooth, buttery center is just pure heaven. Freezing the steak in advance will ensure that you don’t overcook the meat while you achieve that perfect sear. This recipe is also easily scalable for a dinner party. Sear each steak one at a time and then finish them all off in the oven at the same time! Frozen Seared Steak may not be as grandiose as the burger mentioned above, but it is a mouth-watering treat made using some simple modernist techniques. Continue reading for the recipe plus a bonus video from my recent segment on San Diego Living.

I alluded to this Frozen Seared Steak during my recent segment on San Diego Living. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, these steaks can cook in the oven while you enjoy some stress-free apps and cocktails with your significant other.