Get a little saucy for restaurant-quality meal
I don't eat a great deal of red meat these days, so when I do I tend to buy the very best I can afford and cook it as simply as possible.
Eye fillet is not cheap, but there is zero waste, and it can be pan fried in minutes. If you keep a supply of flavoured butter in the freezer, it becomes a simple matter to slice off a piece and top a cooked steak while it is resting, creating a delicious sauce with no effort at all.
Cafe de Paris butter is just one version; I make up a large-ish quantity and roll it into a log in foil. Frozen, it will last three months and I can have a restaurant-quality meal on the table in minutes.
CAFE DE PARIS BUTTER
Makes 20 serves
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 small white onion, minced
1/2 tsp indian curry powder
2 anchovies, drained and patted dry
2 tsp capers, drained
200g salted butter, at room temperature
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives
METHOD
Heat oil in a small non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook gently for a few minutes until it is transparent.
Add curry powder and cook for another minute. Allow to cool.
Finely chop anchovies and capers together until they form a paste. In a small bowl, beat soft butter with an electric beater until fluffy.
Add onion mixture, capers and anchovy paste, garlic, mustard parsley and chives to butter and mix until combined.
Turn out on to a rectangle of foil and, using a spatula, form into a rectangular shape. Using the foil, roll up to form a log.
Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
To use: Cut a 1cm slice for each serve and place on top of cooked steak; the butter will melt to form a sauce.
maggies.column@bigpond.com
