Beef Steak with Mustard Sauce

Total Time: 10-15 minutes

I’ve never been a huge lover of steak – I often say I find it boring, and that I’d rather have the meat in a casserole or something. But occasionally I get tempted, and I think there is elegance and skill in the simplicity of it; making the flavour of the meat stand out with only a little seasoning, a small bit of sauce and careful timing during the cooking process.

I used a rump steak as I like nice thick slices, but feel free to use any cut. Also before you throw things, I only sliced it pre-serving so that the rareness was apparent. I wouldn’t recommend doing this for anybody but yourself, as you risk letting the meat cool down too much. But I’ll be honest, in the 2 years or so I’ve been doing this, few meals have been hot by the time I get to eat them, what with taking the photos and all. I’ve grown used to it.

Ingredients

Beef Steak
Seasoning including large crystal salt
Creme Fraiche
Grainy Mustard
Crushed garlic
Sugar/sweetener
Oil
White wine (optional)

Method

Set a frying pan above a high heat and allow it to get very hot for a couple of minutes. While you do this, rub your steak with oil and seasoning.
Place the steak into the pan dry and fry a minute on each side. I can’t offer full guidance on cooking times as it depends the cut. For this rump, I did an additional 2 minutes on each side to get rare. If you’re unsure, use the finger-thumb technique.
Remove the steak to a warm plate to rest for a few minutes. Do not skip this step – it’s vital to ensure you have a properly cooked, moist steak.
In a small bowl combine the creme fraiche and mustard at a ratio of around 3:1, with a sprinkling of sugar/sweetener and an optional splash of wine/water.
Remove the pan from the heat and add a tiny bit of crushed garlic, frying for a minute or so.
Add the mustard mixture to the pan and stir into the fond left by the steak and cook for a further minute or so.