Instructions:

Carpetbag Steak

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

4 large oysters, shucked
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 inch-thick sirloin club steak*
2 strips bacon
salt
black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 oz dry Sherry
2 tbsp butter

Put the oysters, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a small bowl. Cut a deep pocket into the side of each steak. Spoon in two of the oysters and their seasoning mix into the pocket in each steak. Stretch a strip of the bacon around the perimeter of each steak and secure with toothpicks, skewer or tie with twine. Salt and pepper each steak to taste.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and cook the steaks over high heat for three minutes on each side for medium rare. If you prefer them cooked past medium-rare, reduce heat to medium and cook another three or four minutes or to your liking. Remove the steaks to a warm platter. Return heat under the skillet to medium high and add butter and shallots, cook for 15 seconds and then deglaze quickly with the lemon juice and wine, cooking until it reduces to a fairly thick glaze. Turn off the heat and then whisk in the butter; serve this as a sauce with the steaks.

* Many get the definition of Club Steak wrong, saying it's a first cut bone in strip steak, which is partially true. Having worked with really old time butcher's who plied their trade in the 1930's and 1940's, they instructed me how to cut them. A Club Sirloin is the first to third cut, 1 ½ inch thick, from a boneless sirloin strip on the rib end. It's trimmed closely to appear somewhat round, in the shape of a filet mignon. The gristle, fat and the tail end are removed, it weighs about 10 ounces. Then it's tied with twine to hold shape during cooking.