Serves 4
What you will need
- 4x225g (8oz) fillets of beef
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 50g (20oz) butter
- 300g (11oz) Jerusalem artichokes – peel and thinly slice
- 8 slices of dry-cured back bacon cut into lardons
- 4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and black pepper
What you will need for the chestnut mushroom puree…
- 15g (½oz) butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 25g (1oz) chestnut mushrooms, chopped
- 110g (4oz) button mushrooms, chopped
- 50ml (2fl oz) white wine
- 110ml (4fl oz) double cream
- To make the chestnut mushroom puree, melt the butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat and add the shallot and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute, then add both types of mushroom and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the wine and cream and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Place in a blender and mix to a puree, or puree with a hand-held blender, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- To cook the steaks, first season with salt and pepper, then add to a hot frying pan set over a high heat. Brown well on one side before turning over. Add the olive oil and half the butter and cook to your liking – 2-3 minutes for rare, 5 minutes for medium, 7-8 for well done – basting all the time.
- While the fillets are cooking, peel and thinly slice the Jerusalem artichokes. Melt the remaining butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp, then remove from the pan and dry on kitchen paper. Tip in the artichokes and sauté for 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown, then return the bacon to the pan.
- Add the parsley and season well with salt and pepper. To serve, place the artichoke and bacon mixture in a pile in the middle of each plate, with a steak on top, the pan juices spooned over and the mushroom puree, reheated if needed, on the side.