Sirloin with Béarnaise Sauce
Sirloin served with a meaty glaze and flavorful béarnaise sauce. Shown here with Château Potatoes
City/Region: Titanic | United Kingdom | France
Time Period: 1903 | 1912
Not surprisingly, most of the crew on the Titanic would not have gotten to eat a first class meal like this. The captain and purser each had their own tables in the first class dining saloon, but everyone else ate in the officer’s mess, third class dining saloon, or wherever they could find a space.
Sirloin of Beef was on the menu for the last first class dinner aboard the Titanic, and since pretty much everything was served with a sauce and most of the food was based off of Escoffier, this recipe is for sirloin with béarnaise sauce. Don’t be tempted to skip the glaze. It’s a very simple preparation, especially when you buy the stock like I did, but it adds so much flavor and meatiness to the steak. Served with the château potatoes, this meal is ridiculously delicious. A bit of work, but worth it.
“Entrecôte à la Béarnaise
Season and grill the sirloin steaks; place on a long oval hot dish. At each end of the dish place a bouquet of small Pommes Château, brush the steaks lightly with some light meat glaze and finally border each steak with thick Sauce Béarnaise.
The glaze is ready when it adheres to the back of a spoon in the form of a glossy coating.
Sauce Béarnaise
Place 2 dl each of white wine and tarragon vinegar in a small pan with 4 tbs chopped shallots, 20g chopped tarragon leaves, 10g chopped chervil, 5g crushed peppercorns and a pinch of salt. Reduce by two thirds and allow to cool.
Add 6 egg yolks to the reduction and prepare the sauce over a gentle heat by whisking in 500g of ordinary or melted butter. The cohesion and emulsification of the sauce is effected by the progressive cooking of the egg yolks which depends to a great extent on its preparation over a slow heat.
When the butter has been completely incorporated, pass the sauce through a fine strainer; correct the seasoning, add a little Cayenne and finish by mixing in 1 tbs chopped tarragon and ½ tbs chopped chervil.”
Ingredients:
Glaze
- Brown stock, I used beef and veal
Bearnaise Sauce
- Scant 1/2 cup (100 ml) white wine
- Scant 1/2 cup (100 ml) tarragon vinegar**
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
- 1 cup (15 g) tarragon leaves*, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons (2 1/2 g) whole peppercorns, roughly pounded
- A pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 1/4 sticks (250 g) butter
- 3/4 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
- A pinch of cayenne
Sirloin Steak
- Sirloin
- Butter
- Tarragon
*Use 1/3 chervil if you can find it.
**See notes below.
Instructions:
- To make the glaze: Cook the brown stock on low heat until it reduces enough for it to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 hours.
- To make the bearnaise: In a large saucepan, combine the wine, vinegar, roughly chopped tarragon, shallots, peppercorns, and salt. Bring it to a simmer and reduce down over low heat to 3 to 4 tablespoons, about 20 to 30 minutes. It can burn at the end, so adding a bit of water to it helps prevent this, and keep a close eye on it near the end. When it has reduced, pour it through a fine mesh strainer, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Let it cool enough so that it won’t scramble the egg yolk.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the wine reduction, egg yolk, and 1/3 of the butter over low heat until the butter is fully melted. Add another 1/3 of the butter and whisk until melted and incorporated. Repeat the process with the last 1/3 of the butter. Don’t get the sauce too hot or it could split. If it does, try turning down the heat and whisking in another yolk. If that doesn’t work, try adding a bit of water. If the sauce is not completely smooth, pass it through a strainer.
- Stir in the cayenne, the finely chopped tarragon, and a bit of salt if it needs it.
- To make the steak: Melt plenty of butter in a pan with some fresh tarragon. Add the sirloin and spoon the butter over the steaks while they cook. Turn the steaks over and cook to your preferred doneness. You can cook the steak however you choose, this is the method I used.
- When they’re done, garnish with chopped parsley and serve them forth with Château Potatoes for a first class dinner aboard the Titanic.
Notes
- Link to tarragon vinegar: https://amzn.to/3iV2HBN
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