Classic steak with shallots and cognac

Everyone loves summertime grilling. But there's a big benefit to preparing a steak on the stovetop–the easy addition of a genius shallot and cognac reduction. Your friends will be blown away by your culinary brilliance, especially if you don't tell them how easy it is. And of course, with the Frywall, cleanup is easy.

Watch Frywall inventor Yair Reiner prepare this recipe:

Classic steak with shallots and cognac

You'll need:

• A cast-iron skillet
• A Frywall that fits (see our sizing guide)
• 12 oz. New York strip or other choice cut of steak
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp. shallots, diced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup stock (chicken or beef)
• 2 tbsp. cognac or bourbon

Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides of the steak. Preheat the skillet and place the Frywall. Add the oil then the butter and let melt. Place the steak in the pan and cook on both sides for about 3 minutes. Remove the steak and let it rest on a plate.

To make the sauce, add the shallots to the pan and stir to loosen the bits of crystalized steak juice. Add the cognac about a minute later; if it flames up, stand back but don't worry about the Frywall – it won't burn. Stir for a moment and add the stock.

When the liquid reduces to about a third of its original volume, turn off the heat and thicken the sauce by adding the remaining butter. You can remove the Frywall at this point, and when the last bit of butter has melted, pour the reduction onto the steak.

In this recipe, we used the black Frywall 12 to keep the splatter in the pan.