Editor’s Note: When Sprague sent us his recipe, he added a note with a smiley face emoji that said, “Very happy to share the recipe with you. Happy cooking! Get out your stretchy pants.”

“This recipe was my summer go-to recipe for 2020.  My tarragon plant in my garden has been coming back for the past couple of years in my vegetable garden. I believe tarragon is such an underused herb here in the United States.  I am working to ‘bring tarragon back’ one dinner gathering at a time.

“My béarnaise has become a hybrid….two very different methods: The traditional French method, from Epicurious, paired with the method of Pioneer Woman and her blender hollandaise. It’s so much faster and easy.  I have been able to show many of my friends how to make this sauce without all the intimidation of double boilers/whisking etc.

“2020 has made it tough on our celebrations. Something that I tell everyone that I cook for is, ‘my food is love.’ This year, as safety is paramount, I still wanted one of my best friends to feel the love, even though the gathering was kept very small. The photo was taken at our lakehouse. The guest list was small: the guest of honor was Lincoln, his husband and mine, our friend Lori and her wife, Jen.” – WAYNE SPRAGUE, Windham

Grilled Ribeyes Topped with Lobster and Béarnaise

I like to serve this with rosemary roasted baby potatoes and grilled asparagus. 

1 large or 2 smaller shallots, peeled and minced

¼ cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped, plus more to garnish

2 large ribeyes

Seasoned salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

½  – 1 lb. fresh-picked Maine lobster meat

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus a little extra for warming the lobster meat

3 farm-fresh egg yolks (save the whites for another use)

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

Get your grill ready to cook the steaks.

Add the shallots and vinegar to small saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture has reduced by half, add the 2 tablespoons tarragon and stir. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. (This can be done a day or 2 ahead.)

Bring the ribeyes to room temperature on the counter. Blot dry with paper towels and season with seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Grill the steaks to the temperature that you like. While they are grilling, gently warm the lobster meat over low heat in a touch of butter.

As steak is resting for 10 minutes (tented with a bit of foil to keep it warm), prepare the béarnaise. Put the 1 cup butter in another small saucepan over medium-low heat and melt until just barely sputtering.

Add the shallot-vinegar mixture to a blender or food processor with the egg yolks, the lemon zest and juice, and a little salt. Start the blender or processor and drizzle the warm butter in in a slow and steady stream. This may take 45 seconds to a minute. When you hear the sauce thicken/emulsify, stop blender or processor.

Slice the steak across the grain into ½-inch strips and arrange on platter or clean cutting board. Top the steak with the warm lobster meat. Drizzle with béarnaise and sprinkle with fresh tarragon and parsley.

Serve the remainder of béarnaise in a gravy boat.