USDA Choice rump steak
USDA Choice rump steak with walnut butter and baby gem, courgette, walnut and Parmesan salad
It’s September and it seems summer is back with a vengeance. If, like me, you don’t want to give up your steak in this heat, why not lighten it up with a fresh’n crunchy courgette, walnut and Parmesan salad? Simple. Healthier. And really tasty. And with such a salubrious side we can live a little with the steak. Juicy slices of tender rump steak, bathed in toasted walnut butter, get all earthy, nutty and naughty–just how we like it.
Ingredients
Feeds 4
4x 300g USDA Choice rump steak
Rapeseed oil
150g unsalted butter
8 sprigs thyme
4 garlic cloves, halved lengthways
WALNUT BUTTER
100g walnuts
100g salted butter
SALAD
100g walnuts
1 lemon, juiced
100ml walnut oil
1 red onion
2 courgettes
2 yellow courgettes
4 baby gem lettuces
100g Parmesan, grated
Method
WALNUT BUTTER
1. The day before, soften the butter to room temperature. Beat with a maryse or use a food processor with a beater attachment. Set aside.
2. Roughly chop the walnuts then toast in a 160C oven until lightly browned and aromatic. Cool completely then fold into the butter.
3. Roll the soft walnut butter tightly in cling film forming a sausage shape. Tie the ends. Reserve in the fridge.
4. The next day, remove the walnut butter from the fridge with time for it to soften. You want to be able to make a rocher and for it to hold its shape.
SALAD
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Bake the walnuts on a tray for 6 minutes, until nicely toasted. Place the toasted walnuts in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the lemon juice and the walnut oil to create an emulsion and pour over the walnuts while they’re still warm. Set aside until needed.
3. Wash the baby gems. Pull the leaves away from the cores and place in a large bowl.
4. Quarter the onion then cut into fine slices.
5. Slice the courgettes into ribbons using a mandoline or vegetable peeler and place on a tray.
6. Season all the prepared vegetables with some of the walnut dressing.
7. Cover with cling film until needed.
STEAK
1. Remove the rump steaks from the fridge an hour before cooking. Trim away any silverskin and excess fat.
2. Place a heavy-based frying pan or griddle over a high heat. Add a splash of rapeseed oil. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the first side generously with sea salt.
3. When the pan is very hot and the oil almost at smoking point, add the steaks and cook for 1 minute. Season the second sides, flip, and cook for another minute.
4. If there’s a thick layer of fat on the side, use tongs to hold the steak fat-side down, so it can brown and crisp.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, add butter, garlic and herbs. When the butter is foaming start basting the steaks, flipping every 10 seconds or so. Add more butter if the butter in the pan starts to get too dark.
6. Continue flipping and basting until the core temperature of the steaks is around 48C.
7. Transfer the steaks to a wire rack over a tray. Pour over the pan juices and arrange the garlic and herbs on top of the meat. Rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. The internal temperature after resting should be around 54-56C.
USDA Choice rump steak
Rump steak resting for 10 minutes
TO SERVE
1. Warm the plates slightly.
2. Check the walnut butter is soft but not melting.
3. Assemble the salad. Place three of the largest lettuce leaves at the centre-right of each plate. Scatter one third of the sliced courgettes, onions and walnuts on the lettuce. Grate over some Parmesan. Repeat twice more to create three layers. Finish with the last of the dressing and a little more grated Parmesan.
4. Carve each rump steak and let the meat rest for a minute.
5. Place each sliced steak to the left of the salad. Plop a quenelle of walnut butter onto each steak; flash it with a blowtorch if you have one.
USDA Choice rump steak with walnut butter. Baby gem, courgette, walnut and Parmesan salad
Slices of rump steak with toasted walnut butter
Fresh and crunchy salad with baby gem, courgette, walnut and Parmesan