The last of our truffle instalment for this year was a simple dinner we had with Auntie L. Auntie L bought this gorgeous piece of aged Angus rib eye and we had some leftover truffle that needed to be used. The result was a sensational dish of slow-roasted aged angus rib eye with mushroom jus, truffle oil, crispy prosciutto and shaved truffle.

I love a good piece of steak but used to be intimidated by cooking steak. There’s just so many variations! How thick a piece should I cook? Which cut? How long? How will I keep it moist? Will I cook a good sauce with it? If you follow this recipe, you should hopefully create fabulous-tasting steak.

Auntie L chose rib eye as it’s one of the most popular and juicest cuts on the market. Rib eye is from the rib part of the cow and is extremely tender and flavourful. Honey and I love eye fillet, but it does lack the full flavour that the rib eye delivers. The rib eye also has sufficient fat to allow the steak to stay moist throughout cooking. I was cooking for 3 of us and chose to keep the steak in one piece by trussing it.

That’s vodka in the background… we needed a nice drink after work and hey, a cook’s gotta have some fun at it eh?

The trick of cooking your streak perfectly is done via pan searing. By pan searing your steak, you create a sensational caramelised and crispy surface while ensuring that the inside remains  moist, tender and flavourful. Pan searing is the technique that restaurants use to sear your favourite piece of steak and then finish the cooking process off in the oven.

Aged Angus rib eye

with mushroom jus, truffle oil, crispy prosciutto and shaved truffle

Angus Rib eye steak

1 boneless 600gm Rib eye steak  (room temperature)

Grapeseed oil to cover the surface

Salt

Black pepper

Mushroom Jus

2 finely diced shallots

100ml of good red wine

100ml of chicken of beef stock

1 tbsp thyme

3 -4 dried porcini mushrooms

15g butter

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Pat the Angus steak dry with paper towels and place it on a plate. Drizzle oil on steak and rub it into the meat. Season all over with salt and pepper and leave it to rest at room temperature for no more than 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 180° C (356° F). Heat an oven proof pan on stove till very hot. Sear the steak all around till all sides are brown and has formed a nice crispy crust. Finish the steak off by putting it in the oven. It should take about 20 mins for the whole piece of meat. Or 3-4 mins for a 1 ½ inch steak.

Ideally, the internal heat of the steak should be:

Rare-  54 ° C (130 ° F)

Medium- 60-63 ° C (140-145 ° F)

Well Done- 71 ° C (160 ° F)

If you are like me and don’t have a meat thermometer, you can check the ‘doneness’ of your steak by touch.

Rare- soft to the touch

Medium rare- yields gently to the touch

Medium- yields only slightly to the touch and is beginning to firm up

Medium to well done- firm to the touch

Cover the steak loosely with foil and let it rest for around 5 minutes to allow the meat juices to redistribute and settle before serving it up. Slice before serving.

After searing your steak in the pan, and removing it, leave the brown bits and any fat that it was cooked in. Add shallots to pan and cook over low heat, frying  until shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pan with red win, add stock and bring to a boil. Add porcini mushrooms and thyme. Boil until jus is reduced by half or cook till the sauce reaches the consistency you like. Strain the sauce. Add in butter and season to taste.

Serve up slices of steak with mushroom jus, crispy prosciutto and truffle oil. Shave some truffle over the steak if desired.

Tags: black truffles, quick meals, steak