Sandi'S Black Pepper Cube Steaks & Mushroom Cream Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE MEAT
4 cube steaks
3 -4 tablespoons cracked black pepper (Please use McCormick's Cracked Black Pepper or equivalent, regular black pepper is NOT workable here)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soft butter
FOR THE CREAM SAUCE
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (the Italian brown ones, or use small portabellas)
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon basil, chopped (fresh only or it won't taste the same)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

Preparation

Season both sides of the cube steaks with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.
Saute the steaks for 4 minutes, then turn and finish cooking for 3 more minutes or until done to your liking. Move steaks to a plate and cover with foil.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over med-high heat and loosen any stuck bits of meat with a spatula.
When hot, add the shallots and mushrooms with a loose attempt to keep them in a single layer as much as possible. Don't stir for the first 2 minutes to give them a chance to caramelize on one side, then stir periodically for another minute or two until mushrooms are deep golden brown.
Add the minced garlic and saute until it becomes soft, about one minute.
Add the cream and the steak juice from the cube steak plate and reduce the mixture by one-third. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, add the basil, stir briefly, then plate the steaks with a generous portion of sauce on top.