SIRLOIN STEAKS WITH STILTON CHEESE

SOURCE: ELISABETH LAMBERT ORTIZ. FROM THE TABLES OF BRITAIN: EXPLORING EXCITING ENGLISH CUISINE IN 250 RECIPES.

Devon-based celebrity chef Philip Burgess earned the attention of James Beard Foundation Award-winning British food writer Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz when the former was still starting his career at The Arundell Arms in Lifton. Armed with the classical French culinary techniques he learned from his apprenticeship in Brittany, the then-young head chef instrumentally transformed the famous fishing hotel into a superb dining hotspot within southwest England by promoting local ingredients, such as the marbled Devon Ruby Red beef. Garbed in Stilton cheese, this steak recipe appeals to the carnivorous turophiles without losing the British flair and frugality. Just be wary that a “sirloin” in the British Isles and its Commonwealth nations linguistically translates to an American striploin.

Ingredients

1 cup/250 mL fruity and dry red wine

1 cup/250 mL beef stock, preferably homemade

1/2 pound/227 grams Stilton cheese

2 tablespoons/28 grams unsalted butter

1 tablespoon/15 mL vegetable oil

4 striploin steaks, each weighing 8 ounces/227 grams

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

OPTIONAL: Fresh watercress OR rocket leaves for garnish

Specific Equipment

Small saucepan

Fork

Small mixing bowl

Large iron skillet wide enough to hold the steaks altogether

Serves 4

Instructions

1. Bring the red wine and beef stock to a boil over medium high heat in a small saucepan until the volume has reduced in half. Set aside in a warm place.

2. Mash the Stilton cheese and 1 tablespoon/14 grams butter with a fork in a small mixing bowl until well-blended. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon/14 grams butter and vegetable oil in a large iron skillet over high heat until the butter has completely melted and has started to smoke. Season the striploin generously with salt and pepper and sear for 2 minutes on each side, basting the steaks frequently. Remove the skillet from heat.

5. Spread the Stilton cheese mixture over the steaks and broil inside the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.

6. Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer each steak to individual serving plates. Pour the red wine sauce over the steaks and garnish the top with watercress or rocket leaves, if desired.