I'll steak my reputation on this!

There are so many fantastic dishes out there from all over the world. Some complicated, needing dozens of ingredients and hours, if not days, of preparation, whilst others can be made faster than picking up the phone to the take away! One thing I have discovered during many years of cooking and working in restaurants and hotels is that to a certain extent you can hide behind the larger dishes, that is certainly not to say that they are easier to produce, just that they are more forgiving to cock-ups as there is room to manoeuvre amongst all the ingredients. To really test a person in the kitchen, give them a piece of meat that needs to be grilled or fried. You are left hideously exposed with nowhere to run. One slip up and the bin is the only one to eat!

I always remember being told from an early age that there are only two sure fire tests for a restaurant. Wine and steak. The house wine on offer should be able to tell you about the owners. A good wine tells you that they know a little about wine, or at least know how to listen to and take advice from those who do. Some punters will not drink from the larger selection, they trust an establishment to understand this and offer a good plonk that doesn't burn the back of the throat like vinegar. A poor house wine, not including corked ones as this is no one's fault, is bad for one of two reasons. The owners either want to force you to buy a more expensive wine, or they don't know about wine and won't listen to opinion. Either way, leave and never, ever go back. Also there is not point in complaining, an owner like this will never take on board comments, they simply don't believe anyone knows their business better than them.

A tender, juicy and red steak is a thing that legends are built on. We can all remember the good ones, where we were, who we shared the moment with and maybe even what we were wearing! St. Lucia, my best man, a loud flowery shirt!! A bad steak is unforgivable. If you are home and it ends up a little over done or under seasoned, fair enough. If you are out, paying good money for what is no doubt one of the more expensive choices on the menu, you have expectations. My belief is if the guy standing over the cooker can make a balls-up of a steak, what chance is there for something more complicated!

I was asked recently for my thoughts on the perfect steak. I will happily give them, however please note (and yes, this is my get out clause just in case!) that this is for my taste, so please adjust seasoning and cooking to personal preference.

The perfect steak should have some fat to help in the cooking and to add flavour. For me, a ribeye is the only choice, followed closely by sirloin. If neither of these are available, go for chicken! Don't settle for mediocre, settle for a different night! Some of you will no doubt be screaming at your computer "what about fillet"? A fantastic cut of beef, but needs the fat that the others have. Leave fillet for stroganoff, wellington or just a bloody good roast! Rump is good, I grant you, but I am a steak snob and it just never matches the experience that the others will give you.

1.    You need to give thought and time to your meal. A decent steak cannot just go from the fridge to the pan without some preparation. Would you go out for the evening in the same state you were in earlier in the day?

2.    In the morning take the steak and rub with decent olive oil but don't drown it, imagine you are applying your own suntan lotion and treat the steak the same. It, like you, only needs a thin layer, well rubbed in. Season it well on both sides with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Put in a dish large enough to lie it flat and small enough to fit in the fridge! Crush a clove of garlic and throw it in with a bay leaf. Cover in clingfilm and leave in the fridge until supper.

3.    At least an hour before you will be cooking, take the steak out of the fridge and leave to get to room temperature. This means that you won't need to cook it for as long and you won't end up with either a cold middle or an over done steak.

4.    In this day and age of diets and healthy eating and George Forman Grills, the instinct is to turn the grill on. Don't! Please! Get out the frying pan. A steak should be well seared, almost crispy on the outside and a grill just can't acheive this quickly, it will over cook the meat before it gets anywhere near browned. Put your pan on the heat until red hot. Leave it on full for the length of time it takes to make a gin and tonic!

5.    Your steak will not need any more oil, what you used earlier will be enough. Pop it in the pan, turning occasionally until it is done to your taste. I like mine blue, or as a waiter once said to me "Shall I ask Chef to cut it's head off, wipe it's arse and put it on the plate!" I also love Steak Tartare, but I shall leave that for another time!!

6.    Knowing when your steak is done is a minefield, however always under estimate the time. It can go back for more, not for less! The temptation is to cut into it to see how the middle looks. You will end up something Hannibal Lector might produce. The best way is to gently push the steak during cooking to gauge what stage you are at. This sounds odd, but it really does work. All you need is faith in your own fingers! You will need the hand that you do not write with. As I am right handed, the following instructions will be for a left hand. Simply reverse if you are left handed! Look at it palm up. The bit you need is the drumsick of your thumb, the bottom left of your hand, about half an inch from the knuckle. Push this part with your right forefinger. It is soft and squishy, just like your raw steak.  Now touch your left thumb and forefinger together and feel again. It is firmer, more rare. Touch the middle finger and sqeeze, now its medium. The next finger is medium well and your pinkie is well done. Don't shake your head in disbelief, it does work. Just think about it, how often do you have a steak in a restaurant that looks as though Sweeney Todd has been at it!?

7.    When your steak feels like the ball of your thumb touching which ever finger you choose, you can take it out of the pan and pop it on a warm plate.

I have not given you any ideas on what to put with your steak, the list is limitless so you go with what you like. I always enjoy flat mushrooms, a tomato and shallot salad and a few chips with a good dollop of mustard.

Clearly your should wash all this down with a glass of something red. If you like your wine to have balls, go for an Australian or South American shiraz, for a robust but not as brash choice go claret, and if you are entertaining a lady, go softer, say Burgundy or Beaujolais, but not the nouveau, the proper stuff, such as Brouilly or Fleurie!! If you are reading this at some point in the future and it is now summer, you may want to head outside and stoke up the BBQ. The same cooking principles apply, however you may want to go pink. Pick a young rose, I shan't make recomendations as the choice is so varied year on year, although a white Zinfandel or pink Pinot Grigio always go down well.

I hope this given you some food for thought and next time you walk past the butcher you go in and get that piece of steak you so richly deserve! Enjoy!!

No animals were harmed in the production of this blog.