Beef Oscar with Bearnaise Sauce

By Cindy RabbittPublished On: January 12th, 2025Categories: Meals, Sauces6 Comments

Beef Oscar is a twist on an old recipe dating back to 1897–Veal Oscar. Originally created and named in honor of King Oscar II of Sweden whose favorite ingredients were veal, crabmeat, asparagus and Bearnaise sauce. This is close to the dinner I made for my husband, Jerry and me, for New Year’s Eve. I thought I came up with something new when I switched the veal to beef and the crabmeat to lobster, but apparently that’s the modern day version of Veal Oscar. I thought Veal Oscar was out of vogue and no restaurant was serving it anymore. Guess I was wrong on that count!

I used Wagyu beef sourced from D’Artagnan. I have never had Wagyu beef and was thrilled to try it. Truly, it lived up to its reputation!

Does that look like a happy and contented beast?!

I also got these beautiful Maine lobsters from D’Artagnan.

Lobsters from icy cold waters are the best!

Wagyu beef started in Japan several centuries ago. Wagyu literally means “Japanese cattle”. These cows have more intramuscular fat; meaning more marbling so offers a distinctly rich, buttery taste and tenderness.

The cattle are treated very gently; are given more room to move around than other cows. They are raised on spacious ranches with pastures for grazing.

Wagyu cows are fed a healthy diet of rice straw, maize, barley, whole crop silage, and concentrate. Calves are hand-fed a special milk compound and alternate between grazing and being hand-fed milk replacer until they are seven months old.

Wagyu cows are brushed daily to increase blood circulation and relieve stress. Some farms pipe in music to help reduce stress and create more tender meat. Some experts massage the animals’ musculature to improve tenderness and marbling. In hot weather, sake is fed to the cows to stimulate appetite.

This may be way more than you want to know about how Wagyu beef is raised, but I find it fascinating! This also is a clear explanation as to why this beef is a bit pricier than your standard cow, but well worth it for special occasions!

The Bearnaise sauce recipe came from Tyler Florence, which he serves with his recipe for classic Veal Oscar. I have blogged Bearnaise in the past (I made a similar New Year’s Eve dinner back in 2020, which I had totally forgotten!), but this Bearnaise recipe is much better.

The wine I used was a Baron de Barbon Albarino, which is a white wine from the Rias Baixas region of Spain, but any good, dry white wine will work.

To make the Beef Oscar, start by blanching some asparagus and setting aside. Make sure you don’t overcook as it will be reheated just before serving. I cooked and pulled the meat out of the lobster the day before I made this dish, so it was ready to go. Bring the cooked lobster out of the fridge to room temp as that will also be reheated.

TO MAKE THE BEARNAISE SAUCE:

In a small saucepan, combine tarragon, shallots, white wine vinegar (Tyler uses champagne vinegar, but I didn’t have any and this works very well) and wine over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half; about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed skillet melt 1 stick of butter. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place a stainless steel bowl in a larger saucepan containing simmering water, or use a double boiler. Whisk the egg yolks until doubled in volume.

It seems like this will never happen, but be patient and watch how they thicken.

Once the eggs have doubled in volume, slowly add in the melted butter, beating continuously until the sauce has thickened.

: Eggs and melted butter just starting to thicken.

: Reserved shallot reduction mixed into the egg/butter.

: Bearnaise sauce completed.

Next stir in the reserved shallot reduction. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside wrapped in a warm spot.

Finally, we’re ready to cook the beef! Bring the beef to room temperature. Liberally season both sides of beef with salt and a little freshly ground pepper at least 30 minutes before cooking. In the same pan you melted the butter add another 3 Tbsp. of butter and heat until foaming.

Drop the beef in and cook at high heat spooning butter over as it cooks.

Wagyu beef cooks more quickly than other cuts because of its higher fat content. Cook until nicely seared; about 3 minutes per side. You want the marbling to soften, but not melt away. The cook time will depend on the thickness of the cut. Temperature should be approximately 120 degrees for very rare to 129 for rare meat. Remove to a platter and tent with foil. Remember it continues to cook even when off the heat. It’s important to rest the beef for redistribution of moisture throughout the steak before serving.

Gently reheat the Bearnaise in the double boiler until warm, but not bubbling. Reheat the lobster pieces and asparagus in a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Lay some Bearnaise sauce on the plate. Top with the Wagyu, lobster and asparagus spears. Pour some Bearnaise in a small pitcher to add more if you wish while you are feasting! I would be happy drinking it on its own!

My husband, Jerry was very pleased with his holiday meal!

Me, too!

Once, again Happy 2025 and wishing you all the best for a year filled with

happiness, good health and lots of fun times in the kitchen!

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