In my last post I mentioned the difference with Mark being a precise cook and my mum being the opposite. I sit somewhere in between. This recipe is a version of a mushroom sauce my mum has always made, I don’t really follow a recipe and just make it from memory. This is delicious on fat scotch steaks, barbecued until rare. I used button mushrooms this time, but I have made this with roughly chopped portobello or swiss before, or a mixture of all three.
2 scotch steaks
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
40g butter
400g mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp flour
100g can green peppercorns in brine, drained
1/4 cup cream
brandy to taste
To make the mushroom sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan until it just starts to brown. Add the mushrooms which will absorb the butter, the pan will seem quite dry, add the peppercorns and keep cooking on a low heat while stirring until the mushrooms start to sweat and release their liquid. Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and keep stirring for about 2-3 minutes to cook the flour. Add the cream and a healthy splosh of brandy and keep stirring, cook until thickened. Do not let the sauce boil. Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap, pushing it sown onto the surface to prevent a skin forming.
Brush the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat BBQ to high heat. Cook steaks to preference, turning once only. Cover with foil and rest for five minutes before serving. Remove the plastic wrap from the sauce and warm over a medium heat.
Serve the steaks topped with mushroom sauce and a simple salad.
