Name: Coffee-Crusted Sirloin with Jalapeño Red-Eye Gravy
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup ground coffee beans; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 4 (4-ounce) all-natural sirloin steaks, trimmed; 1 teaspoon canola oil; 1 cup brewed coffee; 1 cup beef stock; 1/4 cup jalapeño jelly; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in a little additional coffee

Editor's note: The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Lake Austin Spa Resort.

Back in the 1800s, trail driving cowboys — some of the world's foremost experts at putting whatever was at hand to good use — made the first red-eye gravy by swirling some coffee, mixed with a little flour, in a skillet full of juices from pan-fried steaks. This concoction, along with pinto beans and Dutch oven biscuits, filled many a belly between Texas and the stockyards in Kansas City. Today, most of us are punching clocks instead of cattle, but a sizzling steak with red-eye gravy can still be mighty tasty. The dry rub for the steaks, made with ground coffee beans, doesn't taste anything like it sounds. Give it a try, lest folks take you for a complete greenhorn, podnah.

Recipe notes

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