Rib eye steak, gentlewoman's relish, watercress salad

"This steak is an impressive centrepiece for any meal or gathering. 'Gentlewoman's Relish' is my take on the classic English condiment. My version uses black garlic, which is a rich, fermented garlic, and anchovies."

Rib eye steak, gentlewoman's relish, watercress salad Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 800 g -1 kg rib eye steak
• sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 80 g unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch watercress, picked
• 5 cm piece horseradish, peeled
• lemon wedges, to serve

Gentlewoman's relish

• 80 g anchovy fillets
• 100 g black garlic, peeled
• 1 garlic clove, grated finely
• 180 g unsalted butter, softened
• dash of colatura di alici (an aged anchovy sauce, optional)

Resting time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Remove the steak from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you plan to cook it so that it can come to room temperature. Season liberally with sea salt.
2. Meanwhile, for the gentlewoman's relish, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth, transfer to a bowl and stand at room temperature until ready to serve.
3. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium - high heat. Add the vegetable oil to the pan and swirl to coat evenly. Add the steak to the pan, then add a cube of butter and allow it to caramelise around the steak. After getting a decent crust on the cooked side of the steak, flip over to the other side and start to add more cubes of butter. Allow the butter to melt and brown while continuing to baste the steak with the brown butter.
4. After about 10 - 15 minutes of cooking in the pan, check the thickest part of the steak with a meat thermometer, it should read around 50˚C. Take the steak out to rest in a warm place on a wire rack, while leaving thermometer in. Rest for about 10 minutes, the temperature should come up to around 57 - 60˚C for a medium steak depending on how you like your steak cooked.
5. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil. Season to taste. Place the watercress in bowl, add enough vinaigrette to lightly coat and toss to combine.
6. Carve the steak off the bone, then slice along the grain of the steak. Serve on a warm plate, arranging the steak around the bone. Add a dollop of gentlewoman's relish, allowing it to melt over the beef. Using a microplane, grate over the fresh horseradish, and serve with the watercress salad on the side.

Note

• This recipe will make more Gentlewoman's relish than needed. It will keep in the freezer until you want to use it next time.

A

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.