This recipe column will be my last, as I will be leaving the Macdonald Hotel Group as Chef Director of Paul Tamburrini at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel on the 17th of June.
I will be embarking on a six-month culinary research trip to Singapore, New York and Dubai when the restaurant closes, to experience and learn about some exciting international cuisine. The restaurant will be rebranded with the groups ‘Surf and Turf’ concept, following the success of the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel. The Surf & Turf restaurant concept will initially be expanded to the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh, and then Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa in North Berwick, under the stewardship of Macdonald Rusacks’ executive chef Glenn Roach.
I have hugely enjoyed the partnership with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, which has given me the chance to put my own individual stamp on the restaurant and I am particularly grateful to chairman Donald Macdonald and deputy chief executive Ruaridh Macdonald for having such faith in me – and wish the group the best of luck with the new restaurant.
As an entry into the new concept, this week’s column will be all about how to cook the perfect steak. At the restaurant we use 48 days dry aged steaks from ScotBeef; as it is always good to source a nice quality meat from your local butcher or deli. I use Scotbeef because they are renowned for their quality Scotch beef. Their attention to detail is second to none.
We also use water baths for larger cuts off meat which helps cook the meat slowly and more evenly, and a Josper Grill for individual steaks which gives the steaks an amazing smoky flavour and surprisingly keeps the meat really tender. For this recipe however, we will stick to a trusty griddle/frying pan.
SIRLOIN STEAK
INGREDIENTS
• 2cm thick sirloin steak
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
• Garlic cloves x3
• Rosemary sprig
• 3 tablespoons of butter
METHOD
1. Begin with the steak at room temperature.
2. Season the steak with a little bit of salt and black pepper.
3. Finely chop one clove of garlic and crush the remaining two.
4. Heat your griddle or frying pan.
5. Add in 1 table spoon of butter until melted, and the chopped garlic.
6. Add seasoned steak to the frying pan.
7. Avoid turning the meat until you can see there are good seared markings.
8. It is best to avoid overcrowding the pan with too many steaks as this will bring the temperature down and the steaks will stew rather than fry.
9. Add in remaining butter, rosemary and crushed garlic cloves.
10. For a steak that is 2cm thick, cook to your liking with the timings below
• Blue: 1 minute each side
• Rare: 1 ½ minutes each side
• Medium rare: 2 minutes each side
• Medium: 2 ¼ minutes each side
• Medium-well done: 2 ½ – 3 minutes each side
• Well done: 3-4 mins each side.
11. Place crushed garlic and rosemary on top of the steak.
12. Baste the steaks with the melted butter.
13. Remove garlic and rosemary once cooked.
14. Once cooked, season again with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt and leave the meat to rest for at least three minutes before serving.
RED WINE STEAK SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 125ml red wine – we recommend a nice Merlot
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Sweat the onion and garlic in a saucepan until soft.
2. Whisk in the wine and the Dijon mustard and reduce by 2/3 over medium heat.
3. Slowly whisk in butter, remove from heat and add the parsley.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with your tasty Sirloin steak.
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