Steak With a Difference
When I was married to Fred Craig, I claimed Craig Claiborne, the famed New York Times food critic., as a cousin. This is his recipe. Whenever the children came to Florida to visit Bruce and me (in the years before I turned vegetarian), our celebratory meal was this steak with Yorkshire Pudding. After I gave up my carnivorous ways, the children claim that whenever they misbehaved, I said, “That’s the meat talking.”
1 small tenderloin filet each
salt and freshly ground pepper
9 or more tablespoons butter (depending on how many—9 for six steaks)
¼ cup finely chopped shallots and 2 cloves chopped garlic
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet. When it is quite hot and starting to brown, cook the steaks on one side until brown. Turn the steaks and brown on the other side. The total cooking time should be from five to 10 minute sunless you want them well done.
Remove the steaks to a hot platter and add the shallots and wine vinegar to the skillet. Let the vinegar reduce slightly. Remove skillet from heat.
Add the remaining butter, swirling it around in the pan. Stir in the parsley and pour the sauce over the steaks.
The important thing about preparing this dish is to cook the meat to a proper degree of doneness and prepare the sauce as rapidly as possible after the meat is transferred to a platter.
Yorkshire Pudding (I’m pretty sure I can thank Irma Bombeck for this one)
In a bowl, mix 7/8 cup flour with ½ teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and pour in ½ cup milk. Stir in milk. Beat until fluffy, two eggs. Beat them into the batter. Add ½ cup water. Beat the batter well until large bubbles rise to the surface. Permit this to stand for 1 hour (optional). Bake the pudding in a hot pan (about 10” x 10’), greased with hot butter, in a hot oven, 400 degrees, for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake it 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cut into squares and serve immediately. May also be baked in pre-heated muffin tins with hot butter in the bottom of each. Recipe can be easily doubled.
