Recipe: Cold Sliced Beef Sirloin with Herb Sauce

COLD SLICED BEEF SIRLOIN WITH HERB SAUCE

This is a great, light dinner for hot days. Best of all, it can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated. If you refrigerate the sauce, be sure to return it to room temperature before serving. This is excellent when served with cooked white beans, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarsely ground black pepper. The beef can be served rolled up and fastened with a toothpick, then drizzled with the sauce - or it can be served in overlapping layers which are drizzled with sauce. Try it with a crusty bread, chilled wine and tossed greens. If you have a bit of fresh basil left from the recipe, use it to garnish your platter of sirloin.

HERB SAUCE:
1 1/2 cups olive oil
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
8 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cloves garlic
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
BEEF:
1 beef sirloin steak, about 3 pounds, roughly 2 inches thick
1 tablespoon butter

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a coarse puree.

Sprinkle the raw beef with salt and pepper, then melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until desired doneness - usually about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Cool for up to two hours.

Slice very thinly and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the top.