I forgot exactly when, steak has become my number 1 goto dish. As time goes on, the accompanying beverage evolved from juice, soft drink, martini, beer, to wine. I have also stopped ordering steak at restaurants now that I know how to cook them properly. With much better wine to pair than the ones you can get from restaurants, I can enjoy fine dining experience at the comfort of my home with my personalized playlist of lounge music - all at a very affordable price.

What I am sharing with you in this recipe are very replicable cooking techniques for a variety of different cuts of meat and side dish. They work really well with most common cuts of steak: Tenderloin, Fillet Mignon, Striploin, and Ribeye...etc.  Obviously, you need to pay close attention to what’s happening in the pan so you can get it right every time. This is a red meat dish, pairing with red wine has become the first rule of thumb, but some fuller-bodied white wines with enough acidity can be exciting options as well. In this recipe, I share two different paths you can take for sirloin.

1. Straight up Pan Fry.

2. Water and Fire (Sous Vide water bath then finish with on fire).

Read on for wine pairing options or scroll down to the recipe.

Wine Pairing 

The goal for pairing any dish are two folds:​

1. To Balance: Finding elements in both flavour profile and texture that can take an opposite stance in a way that they can tame but not overpower each other.  For example, if the food is too greasy, high acidity in the wine can cut the oily mouthfeel. Pay attention to other flavour elements in the wine such as fruit and oak. One time I used an Australian Shiraz (heard of fruit bombs?), to pair with Wagyu Ribeye that has delicate beef and fat flavours. The fruit bomb totally destroyed the steak.

2. To Elevate​: Finding elements in wine that can enhance the tastes of food and vice versa.  Salty food can make wine taste fruitier and acidity in food can make wine taste sweeter and fuller. Some sweet wines can take savoury food to the next level. One of the favourites for wine connoisseurs is to pair Noble Rot such as Sauternes or Tokaji with Foie Gras or Blue Cheese - it is like opening a big heavy door into a magic kingdom.

​I picked two of my favourites and total opposite to pair with this dish.

1. The Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. 

This wine has lots of graceful fruit and floral notes like red and black cherries, black berries, violet, rose. Also with underlying earthy notes and spices with great oak integration. The tannins is thick and smooth with vibrant acidity in a very well balanced manner. Finish is long and pleasant.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has a significant place in the history of wine. Their 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon wine took first place in the fabled 1976 Judgement of Paris blind tasting against the greats of French Wine such as 1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and 1970 Chateau Haut-Brion.  I tried a bottle of 2012 Artemis on my birthday when I had just passed WSET Level 2 in 2014. My life took a huge turn afterwards for the better. This bottle will also have a special place in my life.

2. Berncasteler Doctor Mosel Riesling Auslese 2015 by Dr. H. Thanisch.

This wine is very fragrant - classic of a Mosel Riesling: Citrus fruits, fresh apples, blossom, honey, hint of rubbery petro and steely stony notes laying the ground work. This wine is fat and sweet with just as high in acidity to make your mouth water. Auslese is a much-used term in classifying the level of sugar content in the grape must (grape juice before fermenting into wine). This is the last level before the wine officially becomes a dessert wine (Look up Beerenauslese and Trokenbeerenauslese)

Legend has it that back in 13th century, the Archbishop of Trier (a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle) became seriously ill. After countless of failed attempts to cure him, he had a flask of Riesling from this humble vineyard of only 8.1 acres and was miraculously cured. The vineyard was hence named “Doctor”. Being one of the greatest Riesling wines of the world, tasting so great right now already, it will be a totally different vista opening it 50 years from now - if I can live that long.

Both of these wines have the much needed body and acidity to balance the steak and the flavour profiles and structures to elevate the dish, taking the dish to two totally different sceneries - One like a majestic “stag” roaming the vast land of the free, one like a beautiful castle floating amongst the clouds.

The Recipe

Without being unnecessarily wordy. I will focus on the techniques for cooking the steak. You may experiment with different side dishes.

 Ingredients:

• Sirloin (8 to 10 oz) - Give Sufficient time to thoroughly thaw the steak.

• Butter (about 3 to 5 oz no need to be exact, actually more the better) 

• Sprigs of Thyme to taste

• Cloves of garlic (crushed, not chopped)

• Salt - I recommend crystal or rock salt.

1. Pan Seared Sirloin

1. Coat sufficient salt on both sides of steak.

2. Pre-heat the pan with high heat with sufficient grapeseed oil. 

3. Be patient until the pan starts to smoke. (Remember to turn on the fan and open windows) 

4. Gently lower the steak into the pan. (roll it away from you so hot oil does not spill out.)

5. Let it sear for at least 3 minutes. DO NOT MOVE the steak.

6. Flip the steak and let the other side sear for at least 3 minutes. 

7. Melt the butter and add the thyme and garlic in.

8. 8. Scoop the melted butter along with garlic and thyme to baste the top of the steak.

9. Repeat on the other side of steak. 

10. Use your own judgement to cook the steak until it reaches your desired level of doneness - the firmer it is to touch the more cooked it is. I use the palm and finger rule: touch your thumb to different fingers and feel the part of the palm right below the thumb. It will get progressively firmer. Index finger is rare and pinky is well-done.

11. Remember to sear the edges of the steak.

12. Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

2. Water and Fire

Sous Vide is quite similar, it basically replaces most of the cooking with water bath and just searing the outer layer for caramelization afterwards.

1. Coat the steak with sufficient salt.

2. Vaccum seal the steak with some olive oil (since it is cooked in much lower temperature, I used olive oil instead for some subtle flavours and juiciness) I also add the thyme and garlic into the bag in this step.

3. Let the steak cook for at least 30 minutes at 55 degree Celsius. 

4. Once it is done, sear all sides of the steak on high heat with butter basting. You can also pour all the rest of the content from the bag into the pan. Do not leave it over 2 minutes each side or it will overlook the meat. The goal here is not to cook the steak any longer but just adding caramelization to the steak.

5. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Now all that’s left to do is plate with side dishes of your choice: veggies and potatoes are popular choices.

Enjoy!