STEAK WITH DIJON CREAM SAUCE

Back in our careless days, I used to make a steak with a Pierre Franey sauce involving a succulent blend of heavy cream and Dijon mustard. We've pretty much pulled away from that kind of cooking in recent years, but the combination of a beautiful 2-inch (1.5 pound) T-bone in the almost-too-old bin and a new product, Land-O-Lakes NONFAT Half and Half, prompted me to replicate the old favorite in a slightly lower-calorie rendition. Worked fine, too. I'm not sure that the non-fat H&H would pass muster alone, but as an ingredient, it works just fine.

The recipe's as simple as this: Fire up a black-iron skillet painted with just a skosh of olive oil; when it's sizzling, throw in a thick steak, sear on both sides, then reduce heat and cook for about 4 minutes on a side or until it's just au point. Put it on a serving plate and pop it into a warm (170F) oven to keep while you're working on the sauce.

Pour off any excess fat from the skillet, then deglaze with a shot of quality Bourbon (or Cognac, etc.), stirring and scraping until the liquid is reduced to a thick glaze. Pour in 1/2 cup nonfat Half and Half (or, if you must, heavy cream), bring to the boil, and cook until it thickens. Turn off heat, and stir in 1 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard, Gulden's Spicy Brown, or equivalent. Pour over the steak, and serve.