perfect steak with garlicky herb butter

Hello and good Monday-back-to-work morning to you! I am just psyching myself up for the mountain of work I need to get through before flying to Shanghai/Berlin/Amsterdam in about 10 days, and in the meantime breathing through the fact that Henry is mid-pack for his big move to Melbourne and Rich is filling in time before his move to Welly. Bloody hell!

Happily, I can at least start the week on a calm note by sharing this simplest of recipes I recently put together for the good people at Sileni Wines in Hawkes Bay, as a showcase for their delicious Cellar Selection 2014 Merlot. In the latter stages of last year I had a lot of fun creating and photographing recipes to match several of their wines, and those recipes are now available on their website, as well as printed on coasters and in-store in China (I’ll be on the look-out in Shanghai!). The thing that I love about this recipe is that if you follow the steps exactly you will be guaranteed a perfectly cooked medium rare steak, and the butter that melts decadently into it is packed with herby flavours and garlicky grunt. Seriously, with a glass of Merlot and a green salad on the side, it doesn’t get much better!

Anyhoo – better get cracking on my to-do list…have a great day! (PS – more Sileni wine match recipes to come soon!)

2 x 200g eye fillet steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
1 cup loosely packed mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, chives, basil

1 big clove garlic

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. In a food processor blend the butter, herbs and garlic. Brush steaks with oil and season with pepper. Heat a frying pan over a medium/high heat, add steaks and cook (sear) for 3 minutes each side. Transfer to an oven tray and cook in the oven for 5 minutes exactly. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, lightly covered in tinfoil then serve with a big dollop of herb butter and your favourite simple green salad.
(Optional extras for the butter if you fancy – 1-2 anchovies and a teaspoonful of dijon mustard…for mega-grunty!)

5 comments

  1. One of my favourite meals.
    I am going to pinch your herb butter recipe for my first attempt at cooking some WA lobsters as think it will go beautifully.
    Hope al went well with your results ☺☺

    1. Hi Deb – oh brilliant idea! Yes, thank you so much – results now all clear, so the melanoma was totally excised – yay! 🙂

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