Sizzling up the perfect steak – Expert tips from Gately’s Boardwalk Bar & Grill

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Boardwalk Bar and Grill Pic: Miki Barlok Photo: Miki Barlok

Preparing

Choosing the correct cut of meat is important. Gately’s Boardwalk Bar & Grill recommend using an 8oz centre cut fillet of beef which your local butcher will help you to select. Steaks with good marbling are the best for flavour.
Season the entire steak generously with course sea salt and cracked black pepper freshly ground from a pepper mill. Use a lot of seasoning as you will lose some of it during the cooking process.

Cooking the steak

At Gately’s Boardwalk Bar and Grill they like their steak cooked medium-rare and the cooking times described here will achieve just that.  Heat a char grill pan and once hot add the steak. Sear it on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes until the meat is browned. Lower the heat to gas mark 3 and after a minute add a knob of butter and sprig of rosemary. Once the butter is melted, regularly baste the butter over the meat, (4 minutes on both sides)
Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest on a meat rack or even kitchen paper for 5 minutes. It allows the juices to spread back out so that you'll have a juicy steak with a nice crust.
 
Why not add a golden glaze of melting garlic and herb butter or try making Gately’s Boardwalk Bar & Grill creamy peppercorn sauce or their steak sauce (ingredients and methods below)? If you have had a hard day at work and feel like avoiding the washing up, why not let the expert team of chefs at Gately’s Boardwalk Bar and Grill do all the work for you.  See their full menu including their perfectly cooked steaks at www.theboardwalkbarandgrill.com  or call 021-4279990 to make a reservation.

Sauces

Gatelys Boardwalk Bar & Grill Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Ingredients: (makes 500ml)

1 carrot
1  onion
10 button mushrooms
2 sticks celery
1 sprig thyme
2 cloves garlic
50 ml chicken stock
1 tspn whole green peppercorns
1 tspn whole pink peppercorns
1 tspn ground black pepper
500 ml cream
25 ml crandy

Method:
Slice the vegetables finely and sweat in a little olive oil with the peppercorns and a pinch of salt.
Deglaze with the brandy, add the stock and cream and reduce by 1/3.
Blend the sauce, pass it through a fine sieve and season to taste.

Gately’s Boardwalk Bar & Grill Steak Sauce
Ingredients: (makes 500ml)
1 orange, zest & juice
½ tsp ground clove
½ tsp ground cinnamon
250ml HP brown sauce
150ml tomato ketchup
150ml water
2 whole anchovy fillets
20g raisins

Method:
Place all the ingredients in a heavy based saucepan.
Bring to the boil & simmer for 30 minutes.
Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and season to taste.

 Elke O'Mahony's dinner party series continues online at www.corkindependent.com and in next week's edition.