Grill up some steaks for an al fresco meal

What makes a good meal to enjoy with family and friends al fresco at this season? Let’s start with a main dish that doesn’t take too much time and work. Let’s also throw in that this centerpiece should be an easy-to-find standard, given a tasty presentation.

The solution proposed here is a recipe for grilled strip steaks (top loin steaks), basted with a savory apple juice-Dijon mustard blend, spiked with pepper and the smoky flavor of the grill. Half-an-hour’s prep and cooking time, and the meal is ready to serve.

This recipe is based on one steak per serving, since many people like a whole steak. However, each top loin steak usually makes two of the 3-ounce cooked servings recommended in some guidelines. If you serve 3-ounce portions, the nutrition figures can be halved, too.

Grilled vegetables make an ideal accompaniment to the steaks.

Grilled Mustard-Pepper Strip Steaks

Recipe developed for the Associated Press courtesy Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons coarse-grind Dijon-style mustard

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper

4 boneless beef top loin (strip) steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)

To make the mustard-pepper sauce, combine apple juice or cider, parsley, mustard, garlic and pepper in small bowl. Remove and reserve 1/4 cup for basting. Brush steaks with remaining sauce.

Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill 15 to 18 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Baste steaks with reserved 1/4 cup sauce during last 10 minutes of grilling. Remove steaks from grill; serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per steak: 451 calories, 20 grams fat (40 percent fat calories), 61 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 162 milligrams cholesterol, 236 milligrams sodium.