If I had to choose a last meal, and hopefully I won't ever have to (what a macabre thought) I think steak and Bearnaise sauce might feature in there somewhere. Primitively meaty and straight to the point, a great steak, for the committed carnivores among us, is hard to beat.
y steak of choice is a sirloin - in my opinion it has more flavour than fillet - but I'll often order a rib-eye steak if I see one on a menu. I go into Frank Murphy, our local butcher in Midleton, and ask him for a nicely aged bit of beef, which will help to ensure a rich flavour and succulent texture. Also, I generally get my steaks cut quite thickly, about 2.5cm thick.
The trick when cooking steak is to start with a really hot pan, and, preferably, a heavy one. I always season the steak with some freshly ground black pepper and a rub of a cut clove of garlic, then I cook it in butter or extra-virgin olive oil. Once it is a deep, dark golden colour on one side, I'll turn the steak, but not before. Really allow the caramelisation to occur rather than tossing and turning the steaks continuously. As the steak cooks, I'll season it with flakes of sea salt, then, once it is out of the pan, it need to rest for a few minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves, rather than escape the second you cut into the steak.
Depending on what you're serving with your steak, you can divide a couple of steaks between three or four people (certain males in my house don't agree!) by cutting them in slices that are ½cm or 1cm thick before serving.
This black pepper, brandy and cream sauce, right, is wonderfully rich, as is the Bearnaise sauce, below. The garlic and anchovy butter, far right, is a cinch to make and is equally delicious with lamb chops or pan-fried fish.
Steak with Bearnaise sauce
Serves 4
You will need:
4 rib-eye, sirloin or fillet steaks
1 clove of garlic, cut in half
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
A few pinches of coarsely cracked black pepper
A sprig of rosemary
Sea salt
For the Bearnaise sauce, you will need:
4 tablespoons tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cold water
2 egg yolks
125g butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon chopped French tarragon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 If possible, prepare the steaks an hour or two before cooking. If you are using sirloin or rib-eye, trim off a bit of the excess fat and score the remaining fat - aim to leave about 5mm of fat on the steak. Put the steaks in a dish and rub both sides with the cut clove of garlic, then drizzle them with the extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the coarsely cracked black peppercorns. Place a couple of sprigs of rosemary and the cut cloves of garlic underneath and between the steaks and leave them to sit. If you won't be cooking the steaks for half and hour or longer, put them in the fridge.
2 Next, make the Bearnaise sauce. Put the tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar, whichever you're using, in a saucepan along with the dry white wine, the finely chopped shallots and the freshly ground black pepper. Boil over a medium heat, uncovered, until the liquid has completely reduced to 1 tablespoon.
3 Add the tablespoon of cold water and take the saucepan off the heat. Allow it to cool for 1 or 2 minutes until the side of the pot is warm but cool enough for you to hold your hands around it.
4 Place the saucepan over a very low heat. Whisk in the egg yolks and add the cubed butter bit by bit, whisking all the time. As soon as 1 or 2 pieces of the butter melt, add the next 2 pieces; the sauce will gradually thicken. If it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove the saucepan from the heat immediately and add a spoonful of cold water if necessary.
5 Do not leave the pan unattended or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally, add the tablespoon of freshly chopped French tarragon and the Dijon mustard and taste for seasoning.
6 Keep the Bearnaise sauce warm by pouring it into a heatproof jug and sit it in hot, but not boiling, water. If it gets a bit thick, thin it out with a small splash of water.
7 When you are ready to eat, place a grill pan or a heavy frying pan on a high heat. Allow the pan to get very hot (it may take 10 minutes). Just before the steaks go in the pan, season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the steaks on one side to a good deep-golden colour before turning them just once. When the steaks are cooked, place them on an upside-down warm side plate that's sitting on a large main-course plate. This will allow the meat to rest, but it won't be stewing in its own juices, which can toughen the steak.
8 Serve the steak either whole or cut into slices, with the Bearnaise sauce.
Rachel recommends
When adding alcohol (as in the recipe, above) to a hot pan, particularly if you're cooking on gas, make sure to pre-measure the alcohol and pour it in quickly, as it might flame.
Essential ingredients: steak with pepper sauce. Photo: Tony Gavin
Steak with black pepper, brandy and cream
Serves 2
You will need:
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 x sirloin, rib-eye or fillet steaks
15g butter, cut into cubes
Sea salt
4 tablespoons brandy
100ml cream
Chips or a green slad, to serve
1 Crush the black peppercorns coarsely in a pestle and mortar, then put them into a sieve sitting over a bowl. The powder that goes through the sieve is the spicy pepper and can be used for seasoning something else. The coarsely crushed peppercorns in the sieve will have great flavour but not too much spice, so are perfect for coating the steaks.
2 Use your hands to press the crushed peppercorns into both sides of each steak.
3 Place a frying pan over a high heat until it is hot. Add the cubed butter, allow it to melt and foam, then place the steaks in the pan. Cook them on one side until they are a deep, dark golden brown. Turn the steaks over and turn the heat down to medium. Season the cooked side of the steaks with sea salt, and finish cooking the meat to suit your taste, sprinkling the second side with sea salt when it's cooked. Baste the steaks with the buttery juices as they cook.
4 Remove the steaks and put them on warm plates. Add the brandy to the pan (see Rachel Recommends), it will probably flame for a few seconds if you're cooking over gas, so beware! Allow the brandy to bubble and boil for half a minute, then add the cream and allow it to bubble and boil again for 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning, and pour the sauce over the steaks. Serve with chips or a green salad.
Garlic and anchovy butter
Serves 6
You will need:
100g butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated
1 x 50g tin of anchovies, drained and chopped
1 Put the butter in a bowl and use a wooden spoon to cream it until it’s soft.
2 Mix in the chopped parsley, half of the lemon juice, the crushed or finely grated garlic, whichever you’re using, and the chopped tinned anchovies.
3 Taste flavoured butter and add more of the remaining lemon juice if necessary.
4 Use some parchment paper to roll the flavoured butter into a salami shape, twisting the excess paper at each end so that it looks like a cracker. Put the wrapped butter in the fridge to set, then cut it into slices to serve on top of steak.
5 This butter can be frozen for 3 months, and can even be sliced from frozen if you use a very sharp knife.
Rachel's top tip
When cooking sirloin or rib-eye steak, I like to score the fat before cooking. Then, after the steak has been cooked on both sides, I stand it on the fat side in the pan until it turns golden.
October 11, 2020 at 08:30AM
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Rachel Allen: the top chef cooks her death-row steak and sauces - Independent.ie
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Steak
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