Steak is a quick, versatile and nutritious meal when you are in a hurry and by adding a knob of compound butter, melted only by the heat of the cooked steak, you have a perfect garnish and an instant sauce.
When buying steak, I often like to buy a larger piece of rump, sirloin or fillet, around 1kg. I then place it in a bowl, drizzle over 80-100ml of vegetable oil, add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, cover with plastic wrap which I press down on, to remove the air. This can be refrigerated for over a week and cut into slices to sear when needed. The meat becomes more tender as it ages in this wet marinade.
Ingredients
| 1 clove | Garlic, crushed |
| 200 g | Beef fillets, rib-eye or sirloin steak (Main) |
| 1 splash | Canola oil |
| 1 pinch | Salt, to season |
| 30 g | Cafe de Paris butter, recipe below |
Cafe de Paris butter
| 1 clove | Garlic, crushed |
| 60 g | Shallots, diced |
| 1 pinch | Dried thyme, dill, marjoram, rosemary, paprika, curry powder and cayenne |
| 1 tsp | Ground pepper |
| 15 g | Capers |
| 25 g | Fresh parsley |
| 25 g | Fresh chives |
| 4 | Anchovy fillets, roughly chopped |
| 1 Tbsp | Brandy |
| 1 Tbsp | Port, or madeira |
| 15 g | Dijon mustard |
| 3 Tbsp | Tomato sauce |
| 1 Tbsp | Worcestershire sauce |
| 2 Tbsp | Lemon juice |
| 1 | Lemon, small, use the zest only |
| 1 | Orange, small and zest only |
| 500 g | Butter |
Directions
- Marinate the steaks in oil and garlic. Massage by pressing and rubbing the meat for 2 minutes. It can be refrigerated at this point for later use.
- Remove the steaks from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a heavy frying pan until nearly smoking. Add the steaks and season with salt.
- Resist the temptation to move the steak around as you break the seal and caramelisation process.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending how thick it is. Turn, season and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes.
- Gently touch the middle of the steak with your fingers to evaluate its level of doneness:
Very soft to the touch = rare
Medium soft = medium rare
Medium to the touch = medium
Firm to the touch = well done - Turn off the heat and place the butter on top of the meat. Cover with a pot lid or metal bowl to allow the meat to rest and the butter to melt more. Rest for 4-5 minutes. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve on warmed plates with vegetables of your choice.
Tip
Meat takes less time to cook than you think. I prefer to cook it quickly in a frying pan and then turn off the heat and cover it with a lid to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Cafe de Paris butter
- Place all the ingredients, except the butter in a bowl. Cover and leave on the bench to marinate overnight.
- The next day, cut the butter into cubes.
- Puree the herb mix in a blender, then add the butter gradually so that it combines evenly.
- Roll in plastic film in a cylinder shape and twist the ends like a Christmas cracker.
- Refrigerate or freeze until needed.
