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Cooking with Raymond

Steak 'Maman Blanc'

The best steak in the world, cooked the way my Mother would do it. These great women cooks understood an important basic technique; pan-frying meat in such a way that you can create the most delectable juices with a simple medium - water.

Name of dish:Steak 'Maman Blanc'
Preparation time:20 mins
Cooking time:4-8 mins
Serves:2 people
Steak 'Maman Blanc'

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Raymond prepares Steak Maman Blanc.

Ingredients

  • 2 x 225g rump or sirloin steaks (preferably organic (Chef's note 1), 2 cm thick
  • 1g/1 pinch sea salt
  • 2g/1tsp pepper, black, coarsely ground
  • 15ml/1tbsp olive oil
  • 30g/2tbsp butter, unsalted
  • 100ml water

Method

  1. Season the steaks with the salt and scatter the black pepper over them, pressing it firmly into the steaks on each side.
  2. On a medium heat, in a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter until the butter is foaming (Chef's note 2). Don't let the butter burn or it will become carcinogenic and indigestible, besides tasting unpleasant.
  3. Raise the heat to medium high (Chef's note 3), lay the steaks in the foaming butter and cook for 1½-2 minutes on each side for rare, 3 minutes for medium rare, or 4 minutes for medium. To test if the meat is done, press it gently with your forefinger (Chef's note 4).
  4. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate with tongs. Pour the water into the hot pan; there will be a lot of sizzling, and the water and butter will create an emulsion. Scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the caramelised residue, which will give taste and colour to this succulent juice. Pour the juice on to the steaks and serve immediately.

Variations

  1. You can easily replace the steak with any meat you can think of - veal, pork, lamb, etc, however the cooking time will be slightly longer.
  2. You can finish the jus with additional flavourings; a little mustard, some tomatoes, herbs, a little wine etc.

Chef's notes

  1. The success of the recipe will depend on the quality of the meat you buy. Look for aged beef hung on the carcass for a minimum of 21 days with good fat marbling.
  2. The foaming butter should turn light brown and smell very nutty. It is important to let it reach this stage, so that it will slowly caramelise the surface of meat. The liquid will then create deposits on the pan, which will form the base for the most marvellous pan juices.
  3. You raise the temperature briefly to account for the cold mass (the steaks will reduce the temperature of the surface of the frying pan).
  4. For a rare steak, the meat should feel soft and your finger will almost leave an imprint; medium rare will be far more resistant and your finger will not leave an imprint; medium will feel quite firm, because the fibres are cooked.

The Menu

Raymond Blanc

A recipe for success

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