From Farm To Fork

                                                                 Its my opinion that the best tasting beef in the world is an Irish bred Angus , nothing else compares and if anyone says otherwise their just telling lies. My father John O Brien , now retired , bred them for years in Ballymacoda Co Cork , he even won the All Ireland Angus Male Championship 1993 with a super looking bull named Pavarotti . He believed in healthy , humane , grass fed beef .   He had a way with animals thats hard to describe , a natural understanding and the utmost respect for his cattle and it showed when it came to the final product , top class beef , some of the best in the country . 

My brother's Patrick & Johnny have since taken the reins and like the saying goes " like father like son " or son's in this case , they too have the same respect for their cattle so its only fair I do them justice and cook a fillet of angus beef , born and bred in the green pastures of Ballymacoda . So here we go .........

Fillet Steak Of Angus Beef With Hollandaise Mash , Parsnip Puree , Honey Roast Carrot & Bearnaise Sauce .

Serves 2 

Ingredients : 

2 angus fillet steaks

3 large potatoes

2 medium carrots cut into batonnette of equal size

2 parsnips peeled and roughly chopped

Drop of honey

Drop of Olive oil  

Half pint of water

Half pint of milk

Method :

• First of all take the steaks out of the fridge and allow to come to room temp.
•  Then peel the potatoes and steam them until fully cooked , remember these's are for mash , we don't want any lumps so cook thoroughly . 
•  Meanwhile put the parsnips in a saucepan with the milk & water and bring to the boil and then let simmer for 15 mins or until fully cooked . They should be really soft , so as to puree .
• Coat the carrots in olive oil & honey & a pinch of salt . Place in the oven at around 180 degrees celcius for 10 mins or until golden . 
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For The Hollandaise Sauce         Takes 5 mins

2 egg yolks

110g of good Irish butter diced

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Drop of cream

• Put all the ingredients except the butter in a round bottomed bowl and whisk thoroughly .
•  Melt the butter in a sauce pan over a low heat , bring to the boil but don't burn . 
• Whisk the hot butter into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time , you may have to return the butter to the heat every now and then during the whisking period , continue to do this until the sauce is of coating consistency .

                                                   

Cooking Of The Fillets . 

• The best way to cook steak is in a frying pan , so get a good heavy frying pan on the hob and add some oil and get it as hot as you dare before adding your fillets . The idea of this is to seal in all that precious flavour , so lets do this .....
• Season the steak on both sides with freshly milled black pepper but no salt yet as this encourages juices to come out .
• Drop the meat into the pan .Cooking times vary depending on the cut , but the following is a good guide line :
• 
  
• For 1Inch Steak( 2.5cm) 
• 1 and a half to 2 minutes each side for rare
• 3 minutes each side for medium 
• 4 minutes each side for well done
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• For 1 and a Half Inch Steak (4cm)
• 4 minutes each side for rare 
• 5 minutes each side for medium
• 6 minutes each side for well done 

NB... STEAK SHOULD BE LEFT TO REST FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING .

For The Bearnaise Sauce    Takes 10 minutes  

4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons of white wine 

3 peppercorns crushed

2 teaspoons of finely chopped shallots 

1 tablespoon of water

2 egg yolks

150g of butter

1 tablespoon of chopped tarragon 

• Combine the vinegar , half the tarragon , the shallots , white wine and peppercorns in a small , heavy bottomed saucepan and reduce by half over a low heat .
• When the vinegar reduction has cooled , add the cold water and egg yolks , set the pan over a low heat and whisk continuously.
• Now add the butter bit by bit until the sauce becomes thick and finish the sauce with the rest of the tarragon . 

To Make The Mash And Parsnip Puree

• Drain the potatoes and mash them , then simply add some hollandaise sauce , mash some more and season to taste .
• To make the puree , place the parsnips in a food processor with a little butter and a drop of the milk and water from the saucepan and blitz . Season to taste .

Lets Plate It Up 

• Place some mash in the center of the plate and place the steak on top , slightly to one side . 
• Put a dollop of the puree on one side of the plate and run a spoon through it for that classy look .
• Stack the roast carrots on the other side .
• Pour some of the bearnaise sauce over the steak and serve the rest in a small jug on the side .
• Garnish with a sprig of parsley and serve .