Desperate times call for desperate measures . . .
Yes, I've spent most of the afternoon packing up pressies to pop into the post tomorrow for Christmas overseas . . . (I hope that they get there in time . . . please pretty please, fingers crossed!)
Not to mention the oodles and oodles of Christmas Cards that needed to be handwritten and addressed.
I fear I have writer's cramp and dead head now . . . I fear my penmanships is deteriorating actually into an illegible scrawl . . . dare I blame too much typing on the computer instead of wrestling with a pen??? Every year I swear that I am going to get it all done nice and early . . .
and every year, it ends up being the last minute. I am such a procrastinator! Bad me.
After the penmanship workout I just had, I need sustenance . . .
I need a tasty steak, oh and a baked potato and salad. T'would do very nicely I think.
I already told you how to cook the perfect steak . . . HERE.
Now here's a recipe for a tasty sauce to go with it. Oh, you just can't beat grilling a delicious steak for your supper. mmm . . . it's the best!
(My brain cells are too fried to be witty today . . . just like the steak . . . fried to perfection?)
*Steak with Bearnaise Sauce*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
This is one of our favourite special dinners. You just can't beat a nice steak with a tasty sauce. mmm...mmm...good!
2 x 200g/7oz sirloin steaks, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp butter
For the Bearnaise sauce:
250g/8¾oz butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
2 egg yolks
splash of water
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
First make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Place the lemon juice and vinegar into a small dish and bring to the boil in the microwave by blitzing on high for about 1 minute depending on the strength of your microwave. Whisk this into the hot butter. Place the egg yolks and the water in an electric blender or in the cup of your stick blender. Blend the ingredients together, slowly adding the hot butter to the mixture, a little at a time. Continue to blend until the sauce thickens. Stir in the tarragon and the parsley.
Sprinkle the steaks with the salt, pepper and some Worcestershire sauce, patting it into the steaks with your fingertips. Melt the butter in a skillet until foaming and hot. Add the steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Hold them up with the fat down on the pan with a pair of tongs for several minutes, to crisp up the fat. Remove from the heat to heated plates and serve with the bearnaise sauce.
By the way someone asked the other day what I used to substitute for alcohol in recipes. I am a Mormon as you know and we don't really do alcohol. Often, if it is a sweet dish or dessert where the alcohol is not heated or cooked, I will use fruit juice. Apple, pear, pineapple etc. In a savoury dish Isometimes use fruit juice as well. Apple juice goes particularly well with pork as does most citrus juices. Also, to counter balance the sweetness, I will add a bit of balsamic vinegar . . . red for meat dishes and white for poultry and fish. Sometimes I just go ahead and add the wine, be it red or white, because the alcohol cooks out right? (Don't burst my bubble if it doesn't. I don't want to know. In this case ignorance is bliss.)
