Pan-Seared Rib Eye with Tamarind-Date Steak Sauce

Place the dates in a bowl and add hot water to cover. Let them soak until very soft, about 1 hour. Drain the dates, discarding the water. Set aside.

Pat the steaks dry, place on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and bring to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt the ghee. Add the garlic cloves and gently simmer until the cloves are very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep until the dates finish soaking, about 25 minutes. Strain the garlic through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, reserving the garlic-infused ghee in the bowl. Return the garlic to the saucepan.

Add the dates, shallot, tamarind paste, tomato paste, 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) of the stock and 2 of the rosemary sprigs to the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the ingredients come together and the mixture begins to reduce slightly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Discard the rosemary sprigs and stir in the date syrup. Transfer the date mixture to a high-powered blender and add the remaining 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) stock. Blend on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. With the blender running on medium-high speed, drizzle in 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./44 g) of the reserved garlic-infused ghee. Continue blending until the sauce is very smooth, about 3 minutes, stopping the blender to scrape down the sides as needed. At first the texture will look broken, so be sure to blend until it is velvety. Set the sauce aside. The sauce can be made in advance; let cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Season the steaks on both sides with kosher salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the garlic-infused ghee until smoking. Add the steaks and cook, without moving them, until a deep brown crust forms, about 3 minutes. Add about 1 Tbs. of the ghee to the pan, then turn the steaks and cook until a brown crust forms on the other side, about 2 minutes.

Using tongs to hold the steaks upright, sear the sides, including the fat cap, until nicely browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each steak, away from the bone, registers about 118°F (47°C), about 2 minutes. Lay the steaks down in the pan and add the remaining 4 rosemary sprigs.

While tilting the pan, use a large, shallow spoon to baste the steaks with the ghee and rosemary, cooking each steak until the internal temperature registers about 125°F (52°C) for rare, about 1 minute. If the rosemary begins to burn, place the sprigs on top of the steaks.

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes (as they sit, they will continue cooking to medium-rare, 129°F/54°C), then cut into slices and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and garnish with pink peppercorns. Serve the steaks with the steak sauce and a few grindings of pepper. Serves 4.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen