Heston Blumenthal's perfect steak

Cook the perfect steak by following Heston Blumenthal's recipe. He says, "By flipping the meat every 15–20 seconds, the steak will develop a crisp, flavoursome exterior without being overcooked in the centre. After cooking, it is important to remove the old oil from the pan and then, after a couple of minutes, to add the new oil while the pan is still warm. A good heat is required to get the flavour of the garlic, lemon and rosemary but if it’s too hot it will lose the freshness".

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 sirloin steaks, weighing approximately 400–500 g each
• salt and black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed with the flat part of a knife or by hand
• 4–6 rosemary sprigs
• 2 strips lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler)
• 50 g lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
• 60 g rocket leaves
• 40 g parmesan cheese shavings (use a vegetable peeler)
• sea salt

Instructions

Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat, then add a thin layer of olive oil. Heat until the oil is smoking hot.

Season the steaks with a little salt and place them away from you in the hot pan for 15–20 seconds. Then turn the steaks over and fry for a further 15–20 seconds. Repeat this, turning the steaks, for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest on a wire rack, set over a plate to catch the juices, for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and discard most of the oil (but don’t clean the pan). Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes, then pour in 120 g olive oil. Add the garlic and sprigs of rosemary to the oil. Rub the strips of lemon zest between your finger and thumb to release the oils, and add them to the pan too. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes while the meat is resting, then squeeze in the lemon juice.

Strain this dressing through a sieve and add any juices from the steak.

Slice the steaks thinly (5 mm wide) with a sharp knife. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and place on a serving dish. Spoon over half the dressing.

Mix the rocket leaves with the remaining dressing and place on top of the beef. Finish with the parmesan shavings and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.