Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

ABOUT THIS SERIES

PORTLANDERS CAN learn more about the city's sous chefs and what they do through a new booklet Oakhurst Dairy is distributing through November called "Salute to Sous." The booklet profiles 14 Portland sous chefs and includes a recipe developed by each chef. Six of the recipes, along with a Q&A with each chef, are running in the Food & Dining section of The Portland Press Herald each week through the end of November.

INFO: www.oakhurstdairy.com

NOSH CHEESE STEAK

By ROBERT PIEPER

Sous Chef, Nosh Kitchen Bar

The ultimate cheese steak made with all-natural Maine beef and a beer-cheese sauce.

Servings: 8 to 10

FOR BEER AND CHEESE SAUCE:

1 quart Oakhurst heavy cream

6 ounces quality pale ale

1 white onion, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

2 ounces roux (1 ounce melted Oakhurst butter with 1 ounce flour, cooked until it is golden brown and smells like hazelnuts)

½ pound white cheddar cheese, diced

¼ pound white American cheese, diced

Salt to taste

Add the onions, bay leaves, beer and nutmeg to the cream in a medium stockpot over high heat, and bring to a rapid boil or scald. Remove pan from heat. Let the cream sit for about 20 minutes to absorb the flavor of the bay leaves, onions and nutmeg. Strain the cream and return to medium heat until cream mixture reaches about 140 degrees.

Mince the roux mixture into small pieces and slowly whisk into cream mixture, making sure all is absorbed before adding more. Cook cream and roux, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, until there are no visible chunks of roux and cream has begun to thicken. Remove cream from heat.

Put about ½ cup of cream mixture into a blender with about 1½ ounces of cheddar and ¼ ounce of American cheese, and slowly bring blender up to high speed until all of the cheese is blended into cream.

Continue adding cheese to this mixture until cheese sauce will no longer be moved by the blade of the blender. Continue this process until all of the cheese is emulsified into all of the cream.

If you find your cheese sauce is too thick for your blender, feel free to add some warm milk to loosen the mixture until it is workable for your blender.

FOR EACH STEAK SANDWICH:

1½ ounce all-natural Maine beef (top round)

Hot cherry peppers

¼ medium onion

Fresh bulky roll

Slice onion thinly. Saute in butter at medium heat in heavy pot until golden and sweet. Saute beef in same pot until seared on both sides. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice thin across the grain.

To serve, place slices of beef, cherry peppers and caramelized onion on roll. Top with beer cheese sauce.