I have enjoyed some formidable steaks in my time, but this one was right up there with the best of them. The breed: Longhorn (sourced Tori and Bens Farm, which were on sale at a nearby farmers market). The cut: Fillet. Cost- Around 8 per steak. The cooking method: Two minutes each side in a smoking hot cast iron pan; steaks flipped every 30 seconds; a knob of butter added to the pan 30 seconds before the end.
The latter, I think, is how that incredible crust you can see was formed. It was almost crunchy, with a taste of toffee. Inside, the steak was so flavourful and juicy I couldnt tell whether the liquid in m mouth was from the steak or from my own drool! Formidable. Utterly formidable.
However, as show-stealing as these steaks were, they had some competition on the plate. Those thrice-cooked chip pan chips, for example.
But mainly from the mushrooms, sautéed in double cream with a squeeze of my new discovery LauraSanttinis Nobu Taste #5 Umami Paste. This has been a revelation to me ever since my neighbour Dave gave me a couple of tubes as a gift.
And what a gift! A squirt from the tube adds the most unbelievably intense flavour bomb of savouriness to anything. In this case, these mushrooms. This particular paste blend is based on Japanese Miso, but the other one Ive tried in the range is more of an intense tomato puree, packed with anchovies, porcini mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese.
Watch this space for more posts using the paste. (And, no, I have not been paid for this post).
