Grilled Steak with creamy Garlic Mushroom sauce.

To be able to cook steak properly is a skill.
Many people think they can but fail.
You have to be able to identify the correct degrees of doneness of the steak as it is cooking.
Here are some simple rules to help you master the art of cooking steak.

1. Meat needs to be at room temperature. Cold meat does not cook well. Pull the meat out of the fridge an hour before cooking.
2. Pan/grill needs to be clean, hot and oiled.
3. Flip only once. Wait for the blood to come through before flipping.
4. Test the degrees on doneness by poking with your finger (remember the finger-thumb squeeze indicator).
5. If you are wanting a well done steak, cook to medium in the pan and finish in the oven (10-15 minutes at 150 degrees).
6. Let the meat rest before plating up and eating.

Grilled Steak with Garlic Mushroom sauce

Equipment

·      Small fry pan

·      Chopping board and sharp knife

·      Measuring spoons/cup

·      Tongs

·      Serving plate

·      Mixing bowl

Ingredients

·      Rump steak, 2 portions, needs to be trimmed of fat and silver skin

·      Mushrooms, 2-3, sliced

·      Garlic, 1 clove or ¼ tsp, crushed and diced finely

·      Cream, 1/4 cup

·      Seasonings (salt/pepper/herbs)

·      Butter for mushrooms.

·      Oil for frying

Method

1.    Slice up the mushrooms and crush/dice the garlic.

2.    Heat up the small fry pan (medium heat) and add butter.

3.    Quickly add garlic, then mushrooms.

4.    Toss and fry until soft.

5.    Add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer until thick.

6.    Pour out the sauce into a mixing bowl and keep warm. Season if required.

7.    Clean the fry pan and reheat.

8.    Wait until the pan is hot before adding a small amount of oil.

9.    Fry the steak one piece at a time, waiting for the blood to come through before turning over.

10.  Test for “degrees of doneness” before removing from pan. Poke the meat with your finger.

11. Rest the meat on a plate for 5 minutes before serving with the sauce.

Degrees of Doneness

1.    Blue (very rare)

2.    Rare

3.    Medium rare

4.    Medium

5.    Well done

6.    Very well done

See the pictures for a better idea. Also use the finger poke test.

Resting the meat for 5 minutes after cooking allows the muscle fibres to relax which means the meat is more tender and easier to cut/chew. This should be applied to all meats after cooking.