Powered By Blogger

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Blue Bearnaise Steak with French Fries

This is pure sophistication, and possibly one of the best meals I've ever cooked. A thin, rare steak crusted with crunchy salt and pepper corns, an elegant buttery sauce to douse everything in, and crunchy chips to stop everything getting too misty-eyed. However, delicious though this is, you are entering restaurant territory at home, and that is always a treacherous area. The main issue with recreating a dish that seems so at home in a posh French restaurant is that you find yourself disappointed with the lack of efficiency and perfection. It feels like this dish should be turned out one after the other, each plate identical and piping hot, but that is near enough impossible to create in your own kitchen. You will have to come to terms with the food being slightly lukewarm (to try and rectify this you can heat the plates in a warm oven before serving) as you need a restaurant kitchen-sized amount of hands to have everything made simultaneously so it all remains hot. This isn't a problem, this is quite a summery dish, and sort of evokes a cooling barbecue, where the delicious juicy steaks leach their heat in the breeze. Talking of steak, the variety you have is up to you- I tend to go fairly basic and have rump, better than sirloin and slightly more tender, but if you feel like being a bit more adventurous have the chewy skirt or muscular filet mignon.
For the chips, I've tried to cut out as much faff as possible by cutting these super finely in the food processor so they don't need twice frying. Thick cut chips require twice frying, once to cook them through and the second to crisp up the outside, these French (or rather Belgian) fries cook much faster so all you need to do is cook them in oil over a low heat, then ramp up the temperature to get them crispy and golden. If you want to forgo the chips do, and just have some good bread alongside. 
1)Take about 1 kilo of red skin potatoes, unpeeled, and either chop them very finely yourself or send them through the coarse chopping attachment on a food processor (often called julienne). Pat them dry with kitchen paper then leave them in the fridge whilst you prepare the sauce.
2)Bearnaise is made the same way as hollandaise, but I don't bother to make a vinegar reduction or infuse it with only half a shallot. Simply take 4 egg yolks (freeze the whites in plastic bags) add 1 tbsp dried tarragon, the finely chopped white and light green parts of 3 spring onions, and 2 tbsp white wine vinegar. Take a pan of gently but insistently simmering water and place the bowl containing the egg yolks etc over it. Have on hand a bowl of iced water to dunk the bowl in if the sauce overheats, plus 200g unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly. Whisk just like mayonnaise, starting with a steady tiny flow of butter then slowly up the amount going into the egg yolks when the sauce is hot and stable. If the sauce thickens too fast and looks like it's splitting, throw in more butter to dilute it and bring the temperature down and, just to be safe, dunk in the ice bath briefly. When all the butter is incorporated, take off the heat, and whisk in a little salt and white pepper, to taste. Also bung in a finely chopped bunch of fresh tarragon. Leave to cool.
3)Using a heavy duty frying pan or a wok, heat some vegetable oil (about 2 pints) over the lowest heat, when the oil makes a chip bubble gently, throw a handful in and leave for about 4 minutes, until they seem to curl and feel soft when you take one out to taste. Increase the heat until the chips sizzle fiercely and go golden, then lift out with a chip basket or tongs  (I have one of those Asian ladels that look a bit like a rustic, flat colander). Serve in newspaper in a basket, or whatever your heart desires. Continue until all batches are done, then move onto steak.
4)Cover 4 steaks in clingfilm, then bash them with a meat tenderiser until about an inch thick. Cover in good olive oil and coarsely ground salt and pepper.
5)Have a griddle or frying pan smoking hot and ungreased before the meat goes on, then cook the steaks very briefly. I like it so rare it nearly has a pulse and this happens to be called blue, so I cook them for barely 30 seconds a side. Wrap in foil to rest before serving with the chips and sauce.

No comments:

Post a Comment