By Tracey Ceurvels (thebusyhedonist.com)

One night when I must have consumed too much caffeine during the day, I was tossing and turning, thus turned on the TV to a cooking show. The man on the screen was making a rub for steak using ground espresso beans. Even in my over-caffeinated state I thought: what a great idea. Espresso is the perfect texture to form a crust on a hearty steak. And the flavor, well, I’m a coffee aficionado so I was certain I’d love it—and indeed I did. Hope you enjoy this caffeine-buzzed steak as much as I did.

Ingredients

2 bone-in rib-eye steaks (about 2 1/2 inches thick)

1/4 cup finely ground Dean & DeLuca Espresso

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons cayenne powder

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Make the steaks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all dry ingredients then rub 3 tablespoons of mixture into both sides of each steak.  Let sit for 30 minutes, at room temperature, prior to cooking. Over high heat in an oven-safe pan, coat pan with olive oil and heat. Add the steaks and sear for about 1 minute on each side, until the mixture sets on the steaks.  Turn over and transfer directly to the oven.  Cook for 15 minutes then turn over again. Cook for an additional 15 minutes for medium rare, or until desired doneness. Remove from the oven and allow steaks to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board prior to serving.

Should you want to spice up other meats with espresso – try the Dean & DeLuca Espresso Brava Sea Salt.

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