Sirloin steak and Béarnaise sauce recipe by Coenie Snyman paired with Rust en Vrede Estate wine.
Ingredients
4 x 300 g dry-aged sirloin steaks
Worcestershire sauce
extra virgin olive oil
Béarnaise Sauce
375 ml verjuice
20 ml dried tarragon
60 ml tarragon vinegar
15 ml green peppercorns
½ onion, finely chopped
3 egg yolks
500 g butter, melted
15 ml chopped fresh tarragon
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
Serves 4
Place the steaks in a flat dish. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and allow to rest while you make a fire and do all the fancy side dishes!
For the Bearnaise, combine the verjuice, dried tarragon, vinegar, green peppercorns, and onion in a small saucepan and boil uncovered until reduced to about 45 ml. This can be done beforehand because when the sauce and the steaks are done, you need to sit down and eat!
Mix together the verjuice reduction and egg yolks in a small heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture until it reaches the thick but still runny 'ribbon' stage. Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter. ('This requires quite a bit of continuous whisking!') If the sauce seems a bit thick - or the mixture doesn't bind! - add a couple of tablespoons of hot water.
Add the fresh tarragon and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the steaks from the dish and put them on a hot grill or in a griddle pan. Salt the sealed side after the first turn and grill to preference. ('I like my meat medium-rare to rare.') Remove the steaks and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Wine Pairing
Rust en Vrede Estate
Wine Notes
'This dish requires quite a serious red wine. R&V Estate is just the thing. Pick a younger vintage that has some guts!'