Steak with Vanilla Bacon Sauce

This Steak with Vanilla Bacon Sauce, which is sizzled and sauced all in the same pan, is to die for.  The dairy-free sauce shows how surprisingly complementary vanilla is to bacon! We know this sounds like an unusual flavor combination, but trust us! It proves that vanilla isn’t just a random ingredient at the end of a cookie recipe. It’s a true flavor enhancer.

This recipe proves that you can make restaurant-quality meals at home for way less money, without sacrificing flavor. Wendi recommends starting off the meal with a sparkling mocktail (like a no-alcohol Moscow mule) then moving onto something light, like a salad. Then for the main course, she recommends pairing this Steak with Vanilla Bacon sauce dish with AIP Mashed Potatoes (maybe you can try these mashed sweet potatoes? They might not meet your dietary needs, but they sure are good!)  Finally, end the meal with her Blackberry Lemon Panna Cotta.

This is another wonderful recipe from Wendi at AIP Kitchen.  This Keto-friendly recipe uses Vanilla Salt and a Whole Vanilla Bean both of which are AIP friendly. The dairy-free Vanilla Bacon Sauce will be a delicious keto sauce to set aside for many other dishes.  We hope you enjoy it!

Serves

2 People

Equipment

Cast Iron or Oven safe skillet

Prep time

 6m

Cook Time

 20m

Ingredients

2 5 oz. filet steaks 

3 pinches of vanilla salt 

2 slices bacon 

1 whole vanilla bean 

½ cup full fat coconut milk 

1 tbsp arrowroot starch

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley 

½ tsp sea salt 

Instructions

1. Bring steaks to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grind vanilla sea salt on both sides of each steak. Set aside.
2. In a cast iron or oven safe skillet over medium high heat, fry bacon until it is crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
3. Sear steaks in the reserved bacon grease on each side until they are browned, about 2 minutes per side. Place skillet in the oven, and finish cooking the steaks to desired doneness. (For medium rare, cook for about 8 minutes. Oven temps may vary.)
4. While steaks are cooking in the oven, carefully make a slit down the side of the vanilla bean, facing the knife away from your other hand. Using the back side of the knife, scrape out the tiny seeds from the inside. Reserve the scrapings, but save the pod for another use.
5. When steaks are cooked to desired doneness, remove them to a plate, and tent them with foil. Return the skillet to the stove. Add vanilla bean scrapings and coconut milk to the pan. Whisk, while adding arrowroot to the pan. When the sauce has thickened, add parsley and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Crumble the bacon into the sauce. Taste for salt, adjusting as necessary. Enjoy!