Porcini Crusted Fillet Steak with Parsley Garlic mash and a Red Wine Reduction.
Ingredients:
For the Parsley Mash
50g fresh curly parsley
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
900 g Desirée or King Edward potatoes
150 ml milk
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1. Use a potato peeler to pare off the potato skins as thinly as possible, then cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks –. Put the potato chunks into a large pan of boiling water, sprinkle 1 level dessertspoon of salt all over them, put a lid on and cook the potatoes until they are absolutely tender – they should take 20-25 minutes. The way to tell whether they are ready is to pierce them with a skewer in the thickest part: they should not be hard in the centre, and you need to be careful here, because if they are slightly underdone you do get lumps.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, place the parsley, with its stalks, into a small saucepan, add the milk and bring very slowly up to the gentlest simmer possible for 5 minutes or until the parsley is wilted and tender
3. place the whole lot into a liquidizer or processor and blend on a high speed until the parsley is blended into the milk and has turned it a bright green colour – 2-3 minutes – then strain it through a sieve to remove any bits of stalks and return to the pan to keep warm
4. When the potatoes are tender, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan and cover with a clean tea cloth for 4 minutes. Then, using a potato ricer or old fashioned masher mash the potatoes
5. gradually add the parsley milk and a good seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper. Mash until the mash is light and fluffy. Keep warm until serving .
For the Red Wine Reduction
250g shallots, sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
Sprig thyme
sprig rosemary
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
400ml red wine
400ml beef stock or brown chicken stock, preferably homemade
knob of butter
1.Sauté the shallots in a medium saucepan with the oil over a high heat for about 3 mins until lightly browned, stirring often. Season with ground black pepper and add the garlic and rosemary. Continue cooking for a further 3 mins, stirring often to prevent the shallots burning.
2.Pour in the vinegar and cook until evaporated away to a syrup.
3. pour in the wine and cook until reduced by two thirds.
4.Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until reduced by two-thirds again, to around 250ml. Remove the garlic and rosemary. Add a little salt to taste and finally ‘monte’ (whisk) in a knob of butter. Add any juices from the steaks just before serving.
For Porcini Crusted Fillet Steak
6 beef tenderloin steaks cut to 1 1/4″ thickness (32mm)
2 tablespoons dried porcini mushrooms (30 ml)
1 tablespoon olive oil (15ml)
25g butter
1 garlic clove, skin-on and crushed
1 sprig of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Take the steaks out of the fridge 2 hours before you’re planning to cook, and allow them to come to room temperature.
2. Using a coffee grinder dedicated to spices (or mortar and pestle) grind porcini mushrooms to a fine powder.
3. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the beef with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each side of the tenderloin with the porcini dust.
4. Heat a heavy-based griddle pan or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Place steak into the pan. Cook for 90 seconds on each side, pressing down with a spatula, until both sides are well browned.
5. Add the butter, garlic and thyme to the pan and, when melted, use them to baste the steak, turning it every minute until it’s done to your liking: a 4cm steak should take about 6 minutes for medium-rare, but always do it by eye.
6. Take out of the pan and leave somewhere warm to rest for 5–10 minutes, then serve.
And finally to plate up.
As an addition to the dish I added some sautéed mushrooms.
If interested I can always come and cook this for you
For more info mail or call: simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0642297107
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