Table Steaks

Bachelors who enjoy both dining à deux and cooking à deux could hardly turn to anything on the menu better than (chafing dish steaks. A most pleasant accompaniment to your pre-prandial martini is watching a beefsteak slowly turn brown. While the world is increasingly filled with all kinds of steak fanciers fastening their eyes on outdoor steaks over barbecue fires, on indoor steaks over fireplace hibachis and on steakhouse steaks over charcoal or under a blazing salamander, the most worldly wise of all are those at table who enjoy their steaks cooking over a glowing spirit lamp.

Steak lovers generally tend to divide into two camps: those who demand their steaks unadorned and those who prefer them served up with sauces and garnishes. The first school is made up of avowedly stubborn purists, and their single argument goes like this: The flavor of a great beefsteak is so purely satisfying that any possible sauce poured over, or even offered with, the steak is like a veil drawn over a beautiful face. Their adversaries in steakmanship, those who love steak Diane blazed with cognac, or steaks with mushrooms and truffles in port-wine sauce, answer that they're not drawing a veil but actually adding just the right amount of make-up to a beautiful face; that the only really unadorned steak is a raw one; that whenever a chef in a steakhouse dips his raw steak into oil, sprinkles salt and pepper over it, broils it, and then brushes it with a big swipe of butter usually mixed with lemon juice and chopped parsley and sometimes chopped chives, he's in effect concocting a sauce that the unsuspecting beefeater then accepts as the steak's pristine juices on the platter. Needless to say, the steak men who have most fun are those who alternately relish the steaks of both schools and buy the orthodoxy of neither. The fact that they can enjoy a plain chateaubriand or a double filet mignon grilled over charcoal in no way affects their pleasure when they eat shell steaks smothered with onions and capers. Gainful indoor experience has taught them that The sheer aroma at The table of such savories as clarified butter, chopped shallots, tarragon and dry red wines will draw steak eaters of any persuasion to the chafing dish.

The art of the steak buffeteer depends first of all on his using the right kind of hardware and knowing it as intimately as he knows his favorite lady. Some chafing dishes, for instance, and all fondue dishes are meant only as warming devices. A small-size alcohol lamp can be depended on to melt a cheese fondue or to keep a creamed-chicken hash softly bubbling but can't deliver enough fire to sauté steaks. Fortunately, the small-size alcohol lamp and its narrow wick in many cases can be interchanged with Sterno, which does pour forth a sumptuous flame. There are large- and small-size cans of Sterno; certain chafing-dish outfits and trivets are built so that it's possible to place two or three Sterno cans under the trivet. Two small cans heating the margin of the pan are sometimes better than one large can in the center. The ideal heater, seen both in restaurants and in apartments, is the réchaud; it's simply a flared or.straight chimney of brass or other metal supporting a shelf on which a cooking pan is placed. The most easily controlled of all table-cooking equipment is the Ronson Varaflame Table Chef, with an adjustable 12-point flame. Finally, there are those tastefully designed electric skillets that make a worthy addition to the table decor.

Chafing-dish flames are always less hurried than a fierce gas flame, and this is all to the good, since steaks cooked at the table should be sautéed over a sensibly moderate heat. You want your steaks seared but not scorched; you don't want fat ricocheting in all directions. The ideal pan is, therefore, one with good heat conductivity. Usually, the blazers of most heavy silver-plated or copper chafing dishes work well with steaks. If you're using a réchaud as your heater, a copper pan lined with silver or with heavy tin plating is perfect for spreading the heat evenly to the entire surface. The pan may be oval or round. If you own a crepe-suzette pan, its wide diameter comfortably accommodates large minute steaks and allows sauces to be quickly reduced before the waiting steaks get cold.

Beef must be prime, certainly nothing less than top choice. Only the tenderest cuts should be used for sautéing at the table. This means steaks cut from the shell or the filet, which is under the shell. Steaks should be boneless, trimmed of almost all fat and slashed several times on the gristle edge, to prevent curling. They should be 1/2 to 3/4 in. thick. If they're thicker, they may be pounded with a meat mallet, although really tender steaks don't require this beating to soften their tissue. The best beef is aged at least three weeks; during that time, the beef enzymes go to work to make the meat not only more tender but more succulent. Beef loses weight during the aging process, a cost that only a gourmet butcher shop can afford to tolerate. Besides beefsteaks, lamb steaks that have been cut from the center of the leg hit it off beautifully in the chafing dish. Be sure the lamb is top-quality young lamb, its flesh pink rather than brick red, its fat firm and white.

The best fat for sautéing steaks at the table is clarified butter or half clarified butter and half oil, neither of which will blacken in the pan. Clarified butter is made by melting butter over a very low flame, skimming off the foamy top, pouring off the clear butter and discarding the white sediment at the bottom. The amount of fat you'll need will depend on the diameter of your steak pan; a crepe-suzette pan will, naturally, take more fat than a chafing-dish blazer.

Any maître de in an eminent dining room will make a job such as steak Diane look like so much child's play. His skills have been refined in the fires of countless chafing dishes, and when he goes on stage every last little ingredient is within arm's reach. If you've never made a chafing-dish steak before, go through a dress rehearsal privately. You'll solve the whys and wherefores of many small steps. You'll also understand why such jobs as slicing mushrooms, mincing chives and measuring brandy should be out of the way long before the steaks are ready to be cooked. All raw food, garnishes and sauce ingredients should be carried to the table on a single tray. The steaks should be taken out of the refrigerator at least an hour before sautéing, to bring them close to room temperature. If you're serving a casserole of rice or noodles, it should be warming comfortably on a hot table at the side. A green salad in the bowl and its dressing should be ready to be tossed. Wineglasses should be waiting for a dry red Bordeaux. When you finally light the table lamp, place the pan over the flame and take a five-minute breathing space to pour yourself and your date another cocktail while the pan preheats. When you add butter to the pan, again, wait a moment or two, so that the fat gets sufficiently hot.

September, which brings the first chill of autumn, reminds us that the word chafing means warming, and that as early as 1420, in the Adventures of Arthur, one could have read of "A schimnay of charcole, to chaufen the knyghte." The following recipes are designed for two servings to chaufen not only the knight but the lady sharing his castle.

[recipe_title]Steak Diane[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 boneless shell steaks, 8 to 10 ozs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 oz. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 oz. dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons unmelted butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon prepared hot English mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced fresh chives[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons finely minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Sauté in clarified butter until steaks are light brown on both sides. Add cognac and sherry; set ablaze. When blaze subsides, remove steaks to warm plates or platter. Do not pour off liquid in pan. Add unmelted butter to pan. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Add mustard, chives, parsley and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Heat sauce to bubbling and spoon over steaks.

[recipe_title]Bread Croutons for Chafing-Dish Steaks[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 slices French bread, 1/2 in. thick, about 3 ins. in diameter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

Preheat oven at 350°. Toast bread on both sides under oven flame only until bread is light brown. Place bread in shallow pan. Mix oil and Worcestershire sauce, blending well. Brush toasted bread with oil mixture on top only. Bake in oven 10 to 15 minutes or until bread becomes very firm but is not scorched. Use as sauce absorbers under steaks.

[recipe_title]Tournedos Diable[recipe_title]

[recipe]4 3-to-4-oz. steaks, cut from narrow section of filet[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons freshly crushed whole white or black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry red wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup stock or chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh tarragon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced fresh chives[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon bottled sauce Diable[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons unmelted butter[/recipe]

[recipe]4 bread croutons (preceding recipe)[/recipe]

Although whole black pepper is commonly used for steak au poivre, the flavor of whole white pepper is more enchanting; you may have to go to a spice shop for it. Whole pepper may be finely crushed either in a pepper mill or on a cutting board, pressing on the pepper with the side or back of a heavy pan. Press crushed pepper into steaks on both sides, using a spoon or the flat side of a knife. Sprinkle steaks with salt. Sauté in clarified butter until light brown on both sides. Remove steaks from pan and keep warm on hot table. Pour wine and chicken broth into pan. Add tarragon, chives and sauce Diable. Scrape pan to loosen drippings. Simmer until liquid is reduced to half its original quantity. Add unmelted butter, stirring until it melts. Place steaks on bread croutons on warm plates or platter. Spoon sauce on top.

[recipe_title]Steak with Oysters, Shallot Butter[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 boneless shell steaks, 8 to 10 ozs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 oz. dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 oz. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons finely minced shallots or scallions (white part only)[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons finely minced fresh dill[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons unmelted butter at room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 dozen large freshly shucked oysters, well drained[/recipe]

[recipe]2 wedges lemon[/recipe]

Mix bread crumbs, wine and cognac. When crumbs have absorbed liquid, combine them with shallots, dill and unmelted butter. (Shallots needn't be cooked in this dish.) Mix to a smooth paste and set aside. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper and sauté in clarified butter until light brown on both sides. Sprinkle oysters with salt and pepper. Before steaks are removed from pan, sauté oysters in same pan just until oysters are heated through and edges are curled. Place steaks on warm serving plates or platter. Arrange oysters on top of steaks. Spread with shallot butter. (Butter may be further softened in (concluded on page 301)table steaks(continued from page 148) chafing dish if necessary for spreading, but should not be liquefied.) Place lemon wedges alongside steaks.

[recipe_title]Lamb Steaks, Béarnaise Mint Sauce[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 lamb steaks, 1/2 to 3/4 in. thick[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons finely minced shallots or scallions (white part only)[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons bottled mint sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 hard-boiled egg yolk, mashed[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

Sauce should be prepared before dinner and should be kept in a warm—not hot—place, covered, until serving time. To make sauce, heat shallots and wine over slow flame until wine is almost completely evaporated. Remove from fire; stir in beef extract and mint sauce. Melt sweet butter over very low flame. Place egg yolks and hard egg yolk in well of blender. Spin blender at low speed. While butter is very hot, add it in driblets 10 egg yolks spinning in blender. Keep adding until all hot butter is used. Remove sauce from blender and pour into bowl or large sauceboat. Stir in shallot mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne pepper. Keep in warm place. Season steaks with salt and pepper and sauté in clarified butter until light brown on both sides. Serve with sauce.

[recipe_title]Tournedos with Mushrooms and Truffles[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 3-to-4-oz. steaks, cut from narrow section of filet[/recipe]

[recipe]1 7/8-oz. can truffles[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons finely minced shallots or scallions (white part only)[/recipe]

[recipe]4 very large fresh mushrooms, sliced very thin[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 oz. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]1 oz. port[/recipe]

Cut truffles into thin slices, then into julienne strips. Pour 2 tablespoons butter into preheated pan. When butter is hot, add shallots and sauté a minute or two; do not let shallots brown. Add mushrooms and truffles and sauté until mushrooms are tender and almost all liquid has evaporated from pan. Season with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms from pan and keep warm on hot tray. Season tournedos with salt and pepper and sauté in clarified butter until light brown on both sides. Add cognac and port to pan and set ablaze. When flames subside, return mushrooms to pan to reheat briefly. Place tournedos on warm serving plates or platter. Spoon mushrooms on top.

[recipe_title]Steak with Onion and Capers[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 boneless shell steaks, 8 to 10 ozs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 large Spanish onion, cut through stem end[/recipe]

[recipe]Clarified butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon capers in vinegar, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lemon (or more, to taste)[/recipe]

[recipe]l/2 teaspoon beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, sugar[/recipe]

Cut onion into thinnest possible slices. Break slices apart and sauté in 2 tablespoons clarified butter until limp and yellow but not brown. Stir frequently. Add capers. Squeeze lemon over onions. Add beef extract and stir until well blended. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of sugar. Place onions in side dish on hot table. Be sure to remove all onions from pan. Season steaks with salt and pepper and sauté in butter until light brown on both sides. Place steaks on warm serving plates or platter. Spoon onions on top.

So remember, gentlemen, when your culinary reputation is at steak, there's no better way to demonstrate your acumen than before a receptive and eager young lady—with chafing dish at the ready.