Well another week has drifted on by, they have all morphed into one. As luck would have it ( or not, depending on how ones views ) B and Q, the large DIY store is open, so Himself took himself off there the other morning, was third in the “Social Distancing” queue and got what ever it was, he could not live without. That included paint, for the kitchen and TV room, and consequently, having sorted and cleaned all my cookery books a couple of weeks ago, down they came again !

However, Saturday is also my day off, and therefore he could only do the kitchen, as he also had to cook.

He really wanted to make something along the lines of Goulash, Cock au Vin, or Rable de Lievre ( Saddle of Rabbit) all of which were vetoed by me. We settled on Steak Frites with Cream of Mushroom sauce.

I have an assortment of dried mushrooms in the cupboard, Porcini, Trumpete de la Mort, and Chanterelles, as well as various Chinese mushrooms. We took a handful of the dried ones and soaked them in boiling water to soften. Then sliced about 2 oz of fresh mushrooms and mixed together, crushed some garlic and sautéed them all together and put to one side, just to keep warm.

Obviously everybody has a their own special way of cooking steak but given here in Central London the lacking of a BBQ, I would recommend this way. The biggest challenge of cooking anything like this, is the timing. Short Order Cooks have my admiration, as it is not the easiest thing to get everything  done at the right time.

If you do not have a Sous Vide machine to pre cook your steak, or even if you do, then this is the best way forward.

Pat the steaks dry, melt about 2 oz of unsalted butter ( but not ghee) in a heavy frying pan, and let it get really hot, when it is just beginning to smoke, throw on the steaks, it will sizzle and splash, cook for a couple of minutes on each side. remove from pan and keep warm in the oven.

To the very hot pan add another knob of butter and 1/2 a cup ( or thereabouts) of whiskey, stir well to mix up the juices and then add about 150 mls sour cream ( or fresh cream or crème fraiche) and mix well, if too thick, add a drop or two of boing water. Add the mushrooms, and serve  by pouring over the steak. Quick and easy but getting the timing right is not always easy.

Our steaks were Rose Veal from Marks and Spencer. Once upon a time, it was not ethically correct to eat Veal but  the farming industry has turned itself around in that respect. This is an update from the industry.

” British Rosé Veal is, quite literally, a by-product of the UK Dairy Industry. Each Friesian-Holstein cow that produces a calf in order to give us milk, will stand a 50% chance of producing a bull calf which is sadly unwanted, as it is of little or no value to the farmer. Bull calves have historically been destroyed in the first few days of being born. We have been working with farmers since early 2003 to help promote Rosé Veal to our customers as a fabulous, tender and tasty meat and therefore give the calf a chance at life (longer than the average chicken or lamb) and give the farmer a good return to help boost his milk profits. Our calves have often reached in excess of 400kg when processed, looking fully grown, and are over 8 months of age but still class as veal as they are under 12 months. They are reared on straw, which they naturally use to ruminate, and given a cereal ration to supplement their diet, which means that the meat is a pink colour, not the pale, insipid milk-fed veal which may be familiar to those of you who have travelled on the Continent.”