ingredients
makes 40
1 pound piece beef eye fillet, trimmed
2 teaspoons oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 small bread sticks, cut into very thin slices
1/2 cup mustard cress, cut in short lengths
bearnaise sauce
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
6 black peppercorns
3 parsley stalks
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, extra
method
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C (350°F). Tie the beef with string at even intervals; season. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the beef to brown all over. Transfer to a small baking dish and bake for 20—25 minutes for medium to medium-rare. Remove and set aside.
2. Combine the butter and garlic in a bowl and brush over both sides of the bread. Bake on baking trays for 10 minutes, or until just golden.
3. For the Bearnaise, melt the butter slowly over low heat, remove from the heat and leave for 2 — 3 minutes to allow the milky mixture to separate to the bottom. Pour off the butter, leaving the milky sediment behind; discard the sediment. Combine the vinegar, bay leaf, tarragon, peppercorns and parsley in a pan and simmer briefly until reduced to 1 tablespoon; strain. Beat the egg yolks and the reduced sauce in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and drizzle in the butter a few drops at a time, beating continuously until thick. Stir in the extra tarragon and season, to taste. If the mixture becomes too thick (it should be the consistency of mayonnaise), stir in a little water. If the butter is added too quickly, the mixture will separate.
4. Cut the beef into very thin slices, drape on each crouton and top with Bearnaise. Place the mustard cress on the Bearnaise.
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