While a grilled steak can be pretty good I’m not happy unless there’s a sauce. For me, a pan fried steak is where it’s at. A splash of wine, a bit of stock – in this case veal stock – and a couple of flavour highlights and you move into serious territory.
The French have mastered at least 100 different pan fried steak dishes – and yet there’s no grilled steak recipes in the Cordon Bleu at Home…
This is all about the veal stock. Talk to your butcher. Get into the habit of freezing it to have it at hand. Veal stock is about a million times better than beef stock. Maybe 100 million times. It’s the difference between McDonald’s and the best french restaurant in town.
pan fried steak with dijon white wine sauce
Ingredients
- 2 nicely marbled striploin or rib steaks - about 1 inch thick
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup veal stock or chicken stock
- 1 Tsp dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and coarse ground pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F.
- Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Add1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan until the butter stops sizzling. Watch out - you don’t want the butter to burn.
- Add the steaks and pan fry for about 90 seconds per side then place in pre-heated oven for about 3-4 minutes for rare to medium rare. I can’t predict this for you. Steaks are different thicknesses. Use your instant read thermometer to be certain - 125F is the magic number for beef.
- Remove pan from oven, put a cloth on the handle to remind you it’s screaming hot, and remove steaks. Place pan over medium heat. Add white wine, scraping up any browned bits and reduce to a syrupy glaze. This is called deglazing. Add veal stock or demi-glace and simmer briefly. Whisk in the mustard.
- Off heat, whisk in the remaining 2 Tbsp butter one tablespoon at a time. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.
pan fried steak with dijon white wine sauce
Ingredients
- 2 nicely marbled striploin or rib steaks - about 1 inch thick
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup veal stock or chicken stock
- 1 Tsp dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and coarse ground pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F.
- Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Add1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan until the butter stops sizzling. Watch out - you don’t want the butter to burn.
- Add the steaks and pan fry for about 90 seconds per side then place in pre-heated oven for about 3-4 minutes for rare to medium rare. I can’t predict this for you. Steaks are different thicknesses. Use your instant read thermometer to be certain - 125F is the magic number for beef.
- Remove pan from oven, put a cloth on the handle to remind you it’s screaming hot, and remove steaks. Place pan over medium heat. Add white wine, scraping up any browned bits and reduce to a syrupy glaze. This is called deglazing. Add veal stock or demi-glace and simmer briefly. Whisk in the mustard.
- Off heat, whisk in the remaining 2 Tbsp butter one tablespoon at a time. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Layering flavours is the key to making awesome turkey gravy. Quality, concentrated turkey stock is the key to ensuring stellar results every time.
There are only four ingredients in a great holiday turkey gravy. Fat, flour, turkey drippings and stock are the variables you have to play with and you can’t do anything about the flour other than make sure you don’t make lumps. Fat is easy – use some of the turkey fat in the pan. Drippings – don’t stuff the bird if you can avoid it and you will get a nice fond and good drippings in your pan.
Stock – that’s the one thing you really control. Use a concentrated turkey stock to really boost the flavour of your gravy. There’s no need to use a different pot to make your gravy. Make it in your roasting pan while your turkey rests.
best holiday turkey gravy
Ingredients
For a 12-14 lb turkey
- Drippings from turkey - those wonderful brown bits and liquid in your roasting pan
- 3 Tbsp turkey fat separated from the drippings in the roasting pan
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp flour depending on how thick you like it
- 3 cups concentrated turkey stock - recipe below
Instructions
- Tilt your roasting pan and remove all but 3 Tbsp fat. Reserve the rest of the fat to make your dressing. Heat the roasting pan over medium heat and add flour. Stir the flour into the fat and cook, stirring continuously, for about 90 seconds. You are making a blond roux here.
- Add about 1/2 cup of hot stock and stir, really working to make sure the stock is incorporated into the roux. This will help prevent lumps. When incorporated, add a second 1/2 cup and repeat. Add a full cup and repeat. Add the last cup and simmer briefly. Strain your gravy into the saucepan and hold, over low heat until it’s time to serve.
- If you are plating in the kitchen, transfer the stock into a gravy boat right before you plate. It makes pouring gravy onto the plate a snap.
