We are proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Carman Ranch for Ambar Circle members. You can now access the same high-quality cuts of beef that Chef Heidi loves, for your own kitchen.
Use code Ambar+CR at checkout for $10 off your first order of $100 or more. Or spend $200 or more for free delivery to customers in our Portland Metro delivery zone.
Carman Ranch’s regenerative, grass-fed, and grass-finished beef reflects the quality, care, and landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Their approach to ranching prioritizes soil health and biodiversity, supports producers in adopting regenerative practices, and creates a direct relationship between people and the food they enjoy.
Chef Heidi selected Carman Ranch’s Ribeye specifically for this recipe, where its rich flavor and exceptional quality pair beautifully with the structure and depth of our new Pinot Noir.
“This is a show-stopping dinner to impress friends or make for a date night. It’s hearty, cozy, and filling, making it perfect for a fall meal. It’s also a special meal and a great opportunity to enjoy a glass or two of Ambar Pinot Noir.
This recipe serves four, and I listed the components in the order I would prepare them myself, when making this dinner. Everything about this dinner is intentionally designed to pair with a full-bodied, robust Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, such as our 2024 Block 1 – Pommard Pinot Noir and 2024 Ambar Estate Pinot Noir.
The cherry in the beurre rouge emphasizes the cherry and overall red fruit notes of the wine, bringing those characteristics to the forefront.
The butter and fat content of the ribeye help soften the tannins, making the wine and steak especially pleasant together. The acidity of the sauce, which comes mostly from the red wine vinegar and tart cherries, also helps the food and the wine’s tannic structure come together.
The salt on the potatoes and steak, as well as in the butter, helps emphasize the fruit notes of the wine. Salt stimulates the taste buds, making them more receptive to the overall flavors, especially the fruit notes.
The mushrooms add earthy depth to the dish and help bring out the subtle umami and earthy character of the Pinot Noir that comes through in the background and finish. They make those notes more noticeable while also helping to ground the dish and wine, really solidifying the pairing.”
– Chef Heidi Whitney-Schile
Fall Ribeye with Beurre Rouge
By Chef Heidi Whitney-Schile
Serves: 4 people
Recommended Equipment: Medium Pot, strainer, measure cups, fry pan or cast-iron pan, small saucepan, whisk, knife, cutting board, fine mesh sieve.
1. Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1lb chanterelles or your favorite mix of seasonal mushrooms.
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs thyme
1 lemon wedge
1 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat your fry pan over medium-high heat until hot.
- Add the oil to your pan and allow it to heat until rippling. Then add the mushrooms, thyme, and salt, and sauté until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and are golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze a lemon wedge over the mushrooms. If needed, you can hold the mushrooms in a 350°F oven until you are ready to serve.
2. Carman Ranch Ribeye
Take the time and season your steaks the night before. If you forget, you can shortcut the seasoning to a couple of hours prior to cooking; but I can’t emphasize enough what a difference it will make.
Ingredients:
4 Carman Ranch Ribeye Steaks
2 Tbsp Salt
2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil (or preferred oil)
Directions:
- The night before you plan to cook this meal, take your ribeyes and generously salt and pepper them. Place them on a covered plate and place them in the fridge overnight.
- Pull your steaks from the refrigerator two hours before you plan to cook them and let them come up to room temperature on the counter.
- Preheat a sheet pan to 400°F.
- When your steaks are tempered, preheat a fry pan (I prefer cast iron at home) until it is very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat until the surface is rippling, but NOT smoking.
- Place your steaks into the hot pan and cook on one side for approximately 2 minutes, until a nice dark crust has formed. Flip the steaks and repeat on the other side.
- Remove the steak from pan and set aside. Continue this process with the remaining steaks until they are all crusted.
- Once all the steaks have been seared, remove the preheated sheet pan from the oven and place the steaks onto it. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 4–6 minutes, until the steaks reach an internal temperature of approximately 115°F.
- Once finished, remove steaks from the oven and transfer them to a cutting board. Allow them to rest for approximately 10 minutes, then they’re ready to slice and serve.
3. Crispy Salt Potatoes
To save time, you can make the salt potatoes the night before then crisp them just before dinner.
Ingredients:
2 lbs new potatoes (pick small ones about the size of a golf ball)
1 c salt
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
Directions:
- Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. The water should completely cover the potatoes by a couple of inches.
- Add salt to the water and turn the heat to medium-high, bringing the water to a light boil.
- Allow the potatoes to boil until fork-tender.
- Strain the potatoes from the water then cool them in the refrigerator (if making the night before, they can sit in the refrigerator overnight).
- Remove the potatoes from the refrigerator and smash them flat. You can use your hand or a small plate.
- Preheat a saucepan with grapeseed oil (or your preferred oil) until the oil is hot and shiny, but not smoking.
- Place your potatoes in the hot pan and cook on one side until golden and crispy, approximately 4–5 minutes. Then flip all the smashed potatoes and cook the other side, repeating this process.
- Now they’re ready to eat! If needed, you can hold them in the oven at 350°F for up to 10 minutes before they start losing their crispiness.
4. Beurre Rouge Sauce
This sauce can seem a little tricky, but once you finish it, it will quickly become your absolute favorite sauce to make for red meat dishes.
Ingredients:
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
1 clove garlic (smashed)
¼ cup dried tart cherries
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 cups Pinot Noir
1 pound butter
Directions:
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the shallot and garlic until the shallot is translucent.
- Add the tart cherries, Chinese five-spice, red wine vinegar, and Pinot Noir. Simmer until the mixture reduces to approximately ⅓ cup.
- While the base reduces, cut the remaining butter into ½-inch chunks.
- Once the base is reduced, turn the heat to low and begin adding the butter cubes. Add one ½-inch chunk at a time, allowing the butter to emulsify and melt into the sauce.
- Continue adding the butter and whisking until all of the butter has been incorporated. The resulting sauce should be silky, shiny, and smooth.
- Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
- Strain the sauce to remove the cherries and shallots.
- Serve the sauce immediately.
Dinner Assembly
This is a choose your own adventure. The Carman Ranch ribeye is so beautiful that I prefer to place my sauce under the steak. That way I can use as little or as much as I like to each bite. Top it with the sauteed mushroom and potatoes on the side but follow your heart and enjoy with the 2024 Block 1 – Pommard Pinot Noir or 2024 Ambar Estate Pinot Noir.
