Steak with red wine jus: Raymond Blanc in The Times
What an excuse to remember the day we met Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and gifted him a Netherton pan
Sue "meets" Raymond at Le Manoir
This time, we are thrilled to see a Netherton pan sitting on the front page of The Times Easy French recipe special in which M Blanc shares his favourite dishes from home. An iron pan is the best possible kind of pan for cooking a great tasting steak – perfect for that beautiful crust created by the Maillard reaction.
This image was shot by one of our favourite photographers, Romas Foord. Find him on Instagram here.
Steak with red wine jus
Pan-fried steak was a monthly treat in my childhood home. Maman Blanc extracted the flavours of the meat and the herbs, then added a little water at the end to create the most delectable, perfumed jus. For a more stylish dining experience, you may also serve it with a red wine jus.
Prep: 5 mins. Cook: 8-12 mins
Serves 4
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x 225g sirloin or rump steaks, cut 2cm thick, fat trimmed
1 shallot
200g field mushrooms
Small handful of curly or flat-leaf parsley, stalks on (optional)
300ml inexpensive red wine (such as côtes du rhône)
Sea salt flakes
Coarsely ground black pepper
60g unsalted butter, cold
4 x 225g sirloin or rump steaks, cut 2cm thick, fat trimmed
1 shallot
200g field mushrooms
Small handful of curly or flat-leaf parsley, stalks on (optional)
300ml inexpensive red wine (such as côtes du rhône)
Sea salt flakes
Coarsely ground black pepper
60g unsalted butter, cold
Method
1. Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Finely chop the shallot. Wash the mushrooms by swirling them for 10 seconds in a bowl of cold water. Drain them, pat dry with kitchen paper and dice. Finely chop the parsley, if using, by rolling it and chopping with its stalks. Open the bottle of wine and, yes, taste.
2. Season each side of the steaks with the salt and grind the black pepper over them — be generous with it. Firmly press the salt and pepper into the steaks.
3. On a medium heat, in a large frying pan, add 40g butter and let it melt and foam. Then, when the butter starts to turn light gold and nutty, you know that the heat is just right to sear and slowly brown the meat. So now is the time to lay the steaks into the butter and increase the heat to medium-high to keep things nice and hot.
For rare: cook for 1 minute on each side.
For medium-rare: cook for 2 minutes on each side.
For medium: cook for 3 minutes on each side, turning twice.
When you turn the steaks, keep each of them in the same spot in the pan. To test if the steak is cooked to your liking, press the meat with your forefinger. For rare, it should be soft and your finger will not leave an imprint; medium will feel quite firm, because the fibres will be cooked.
4. Now, using tongs, transfer the steaks to a warm plate. Place the pan back on a medium-high heat and add the shallot and mushroom. Cook for 1 minute and then pour in the red wine and reduce by half. Whisk in the remaining 20g cold butter. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Spoon the mushrooms over each steak, pour the red wine jus on top and sprinkle over the parsley, if using. Serve with sauté potatoes.
1. Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Finely chop the shallot. Wash the mushrooms by swirling them for 10 seconds in a bowl of cold water. Drain them, pat dry with kitchen paper and dice. Finely chop the parsley, if using, by rolling it and chopping with its stalks. Open the bottle of wine and, yes, taste.
2. Season each side of the steaks with the salt and grind the black pepper over them — be generous with it. Firmly press the salt and pepper into the steaks.
3. On a medium heat, in a large frying pan, add 40g butter and let it melt and foam. Then, when the butter starts to turn light gold and nutty, you know that the heat is just right to sear and slowly brown the meat. So now is the time to lay the steaks into the butter and increase the heat to medium-high to keep things nice and hot.
For rare: cook for 1 minute on each side.
For medium-rare: cook for 2 minutes on each side.
For medium: cook for 3 minutes on each side, turning twice.
When you turn the steaks, keep each of them in the same spot in the pan. To test if the steak is cooked to your liking, press the meat with your forefinger. For rare, it should be soft and your finger will not leave an imprint; medium will feel quite firm, because the fibres will be cooked.
4. Now, using tongs, transfer the steaks to a warm plate. Place the pan back on a medium-high heat and add the shallot and mushroom. Cook for 1 minute and then pour in the red wine and reduce by half. Whisk in the remaining 20g cold butter. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Spoon the mushrooms over each steak, pour the red wine jus on top and sprinkle over the parsley, if using. Serve with sauté potatoes.
About Raymond Blanc.
In the summer of 1972, Raymond arrived in England to work as a waiter at the Rose Revived restaurant in Oxfordshire. One day, when the chef was ill, Raymond took over the kitchen. At that very moment, his career was born.
In 1977, Raymond opened his first restaurant, Les Quat’Saisons in Summertown, Oxford. It was an overnight success, winning Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year, and two prestigious Michelin stars within a couple of years.
Shropshire Made 10’’ (26cm) Spun Iron Steak Skillet © NFS-302
Heavy duty 3mm (1/8th inch) thick pan for very high cooking temperatures: Buy and find more details here.
