Pan-Seared T-Bone Steak with Creamy Portobello Mushroom Sauce

No need for a grill to make a delicious steak, especially when it's topped with a delicious mushroom sauce.  I served this with a variation on Roasted Romaine Hearts.  Instead of just using olive oil, salt, and pepper, I also added a little crumbled bleu cheese in between the leaves before broiling and drizzled it with balsamic vinegar afterwards.  Yum!

Just to warn you, this makes a lot of sauce, so you may want to halve the recipe if you are only planning on serving two people.  I don't mind the leftovers myself as I'm sure I'll find some other use for this awesome sauce (maybe an excuse to make more steak?).  

What you need:

2 T-Bone steaks (not sure how much they weighed, but they looked pretty average, other than being on the thin side)
1-2 tablespoons butter
1 small-medium onion, finely diced
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely diced
2 medium-large portobello mushrooms, diced
Salt and pepper
1/2-3/4 cup red wine (I used a Merlot)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup milk or cream (I used 1 % milk)
3-4 tablespoons light cream cheese
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Olive oil

Take the steaks out of the frig about half of an hour before you'll be cooking them (I took mine out at the same time I started the sauce).  Melt the butter in a pot over medium-low heat.  Add the onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt.  Stir and let cook for a few minutes until they start to become translucent.  Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.  Add some pepper and the red wine.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the milk and beef broth.  Turn heat to low and continue to simmer as you cook the steaks.

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Heat a large saucepan over high heat and add a teaspoon or so of olive oil.  When oil begins to pop, place steaks in the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side (My pan was actually only big enough to do one at a time, so I did them one at a time).  Place steaks on a baking sheet and then put in the oven.  Cook for 4-10 minutes, depending on thickness and how well done you want them to be (my steaks were thin- about 1/2 inch thick.  Since I like mine rare, I skipped out on the oven finishing, but put Rob's in for 4 minutes while mine was still searing).  Take out of the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

While the steaks rest, finish the mushroom sauce:  Add the cream cheese and stir to mix.  Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir until there are no clumps.  Add this to the sauce and let cook for a minute, or until nicely thickened. Add the parsley.  Done!

Serve with the sauce spooned over the steak.  Enjoy!