STEAK the PARISIAN way

(Chateaubriand, Mushroom a la Crème, Gratin Dauphinois and Salad with Vinaigrette)

Cooking this dish for the first time was inspired by a very recent and memorable trip to Paris. I puréed the mushroom a la crème and although really delicious not the most appealing visually, so I won't do that next time, trial and error...

Ingredients:

For Chateaubriand                          
Steak x2  Fillet (Filet)
50g (2oz) Butter
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper

For Mushroom a la Crème
25g (1oz) Butter
75g (3oz) Onion, finely chopped
225g (80z) mushrooms sliced
Olive Oil for frying
Salt and Black Pepper
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
150ml cream
Freshly chopped Parsley

For Gratin Dauphinois
450g (1lb) Waxy Potatoes
300ml cream
1 Garlic Clove cut in half
Freshly grated Nutmeg
25g (1oz) Butter
Salt and Black Pepper

For the Vinaigrette
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Vinegar (Red/White wine, Balsamic or cider)
Salt and Black Pepper
120 ml Olive Oil or (1/2 Olive oil - 1/2 Sunflower Oil

A selection of your favourite salad leaves

Method:

For the Gratin Dauphinois, preheat the oven to 180°C/GM 4. Butter a  gratin dish or individual dishes. Peel the potatoes and slice them into even rounds 3mm thick, use a mandolin or food processor for this. Rinse the potatoes slices in cold water, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Arrange the potatoe slices in layers in the gratin dish, seasoning each layer with Salt and Black Pepper.
Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the garlic and a good grating of nutmeg and bring just to the boil. Pour the cream over the potatoes and dot the top with small knobs of butter, cover with foil and bake for 1 Hour. Remove the foil just before the end and continue baking until the top is golden and the potatoe is tender when pierced with a knife.

For the Mushroom a la Crème, melt the butter in a saucepan until it foams. Add the chopped onions, cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes or until soft but not coloured, remove the onions to a bowl. Meanwhile cook the siced mushrooms in a little Olive Oil in a hot frying pan. Season with Salt, Black Pepper and a squeeze of Lemon Juice. Add the mushrooms and onions back into the saucepan, then add the cream and allow to bubble for a few minutes. Taste, correct the seasoning and add the parsley

For the Vinaigrette, whisk the Dijon mustard and Vinegar in a bowl, slowly and gradually whisk in all the oil. Taste and season with Salt and Black Pepper.

Season steaks on each side with salt and ground black pepper. Heat a frying pan with olive oil and butter, when the pan is hot add the steak and cook as preferred. My rule of thumb is as follows 3 minutes each side = Rare, 5 minutes each side = Medium and 7 minutes each side = Well done, but it will depend on the heat of your pan and the thickness of your steak so please use this as a guide only. Rest your steak for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Plate up and Enjoy....