chapter XXII - valentines day

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. 

I hope you are spending it with a loved one or loved ones. A day to celebrate love, not just of your lucky partner but also I always think, of the love we have for family and friends. 

For me it has two extra significances; it was on this day in 1957 that my parents got married out in Gibralter, where my father was posted with the Royal Navy, ahhhhhhhhhhhh. It is also the day in history of course of the famous St Valentine's Day massacre; an infamous day in American 30's gangster history. 

To tie those two thoughts together, there is nothing my mother loved more than a massacred steak. Cooked to within an inch of its life, black charred and dry. But, a well done steak was her favourite meal. 

On her many visits to me when I was out in New Zealand, it became a tradition that her last meal before flying home was steak, eggs and chips. That tradition soon became extended, as I would cook her steak every day for virtually the last week. Starting with a braised type steak, then moving onto a rump steak, followed by a sirloin steak, T-bone the next, scotch fillet (rib eye) the next and culminating in a well done fillet steak on her last night. And yes, all cooked well done! Even a dedicated Chef like myself must bow down to his own mother, swallow my culinary pride and massacre a steak. After all, as she often told me, I was not too big or old enough that she couldn't still give me a thick ear! 

I did partially get my own back on her one year though by cooking her one of the best steaks she had ever had, so she told me. "That was delicious dear, and so tender. What type of steak was it?" ...... hmmmm, should I tell her? Should I dare admit it was venison? I dared !! She always made sure, I swore it was beef before cooking it, after that! 

degrees of cooking a steak
How do you know when a steak is cooked? Poke it! A rare steak has a spongy feel like your cheek, a medium steak has a spring to it like your chin, a well done steak has a hard resilience like your forehead. Easy!

best steak for the best job
But bare in mind, that the type of steak is best taken into major consideration. Everyone likes their steaks differently and who's to say who is right or wrong? But for the best results:

• a rump steak is best cooked a little slower and a minimum of medium, or it is likely to be very chewy
• a sirloin and a scotch fillet is best cooked no more than medium or it will become dry and chewy
• a fillet steak is best when cooked no more than medium rare

If you want to make this extra special for Valentines Day, make sure you serve some fresh, well chilled oysters with fresh lemon as your appetiser, use garlic butter for basting the steak, serve it with champagne and finish the meal with something chocolately! I suggest some nice strawberries, with a pot of melted chocolate for dipping, that you can share (=[:-D

But keep it all light, nothing ruins romance more than being overfull and bloated

recipe - the perfect steak?

There are many factors or tricks to ensuring a great steak. We all have our own ways, here is mine

• ensure the steak is of the highest quality. Preferably properly aged and dried (nothing worse than a wet, steak, still oozing blood. It should be dark red in colour and no visible signs of blood. 
• ensure the steak has minimal external fat, but is well marbled with internal fat. This marbled fat, will render down when cooked, but ensure it stays moist. 
• prior to cooking, remove from the fridge, cover and allow to come to room temperature for an hour
• pre-heat the pan so it is quite hot, the steak must really sizzle when place into the pan
• never oil the pan, always oil the steak; drizzle a little oil on both sides just prior to cooking and rub it all over with the hands
• always lightly season the steak seconds before it goes into the pan, never minutes before as the salt will draw out moisture
• place the steak into the hot pan and allow to cook undisturbed for 1 minute, turn it over and cook for another minute. Keep turning it every minute; this defined time allows the heat to penetrate evenly and the steak to cook evenly. 
• Just before the steak is cooked to your liking, add some butter (plain or garlic) to the pan and spoon it constantly over the steak (baste it)
• remove the steak from the pan, place onto a spare warm (but not hot) plate and pour over the butter
• allow the steak to rest for 2 minutes before before serving. This resting time allows the tensed, cooked structure of the meat to relax (making it more tender when cut and chewed) and allows the internal juices to evenly spread throughout the steak. 
• serve and enjoy