Steak

“ and imagine an angel suddenly sweeping down out of a better land and setting before him a mighty porterhouse steak an inch and a half thick, hot and sputtering from the griddle; dusted with a fragrant pepper; enriched with little melting bits of butter of the most unimpeachable freshness and genuineness; the precious juices of the meat trickling out and joining the gravy, archipelagoed with mushrooms; a township or two of tender, yellowish fat gracing an outlying district of this ample county of beefsteak; the long white bone which divides the sirloin from the tenderloin still in its place; ”

“ While your steak is broiling, watched by some one else, fry three or four sliced onions in a pan with some beef dripping or butter. Stir and shake them until they begin to brown. Dish your steak, salt and pepper, and lay the onions on top. Cover, and let all stand where they will keep hot, for five minutes. Do not help onions to any one unless you are sure that he likes them.
There is no dish so good for keeping a steak hot, yet juicy, as a hot-water chafing-dish. No household can afford to be without one, if no more. ”

“ When steak is broiled place on a hot platter, season with butter, pepper and salt, and serve at once. Serve rare or otherwise, but serve at once. Broil-steak unseasoned, as salt extracts juice from meat. Steak, particularly, loses its savoriness if not served hot. What to a hungry man is more nutritious and appetizing than a perfectly broiled, rare, juicy, steak, served hot? ”

“ For those who wish a steak well done—completely through—and still not to have the outside crisp to a cinder, it is necessary to cut the steak possibly as thin as one-half inch, and then the outside can have that delicious and intense scorching which quickly prevents the escape of juices, and also gives the slightly burned taste which at its perfect condition is the most delicious flavor from my own preference that can be given to a steak. ”

“ STEAK—Cut the steak half an inch thick from between the two ribs, remove all gristle and fat, and trim in the shape of a flat pear. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and oil to prevent outside hardening. Broil ten minutes over a moderate and even fire. Place about four ounces of maitre d'hotel butter on a dish. Lay the steak upon it and garnish with fried potatoes, serving either piquant, D'Italian, or tomato sauce. ”

“ Fillet or Steak à la Maître d’Hôtel. Cut, trim, and broil the fillet or steaks, from either the rump or ribs of beef, as before (always over a sharp fire) ; place them upon your dish, have ready two ounces of butter, with which you have mixed a saltspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of white pepper, one of chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon, rub all over the steaks, turning them three or four times, the butter mixing with the gravy forms an admirable sauce; serve with fried potatoes round as before. ”

“ RECIPES.
Broiled Beef.—Beef for broiling should be juicy and have a tender fiber. Steaks cut from three parts of the beef are in request for this purpose,—tenderloin, porterhouse, and round steak. The last-named is the more common and economical, yet it is inferior in juice and tenderness to the other two. Steak should be cut three fourths of an inch or more in thickness. If it is of the right quality, do not pound it; if very tough, beat with a steak-mallet or cut across it several times on both sides with a sharp knife. Wipe, and remove any bone and superfluous fat. ”

“ Have your steak well pounded or mangled,—a sirloin steak is very good for this purpose,—lay it on the hot, dry pan and cover it instantly as tightly as possible. When the meat touches the heated pan it will seethe and adhere to it, but in a few seconds it will become loosened and juicy; turn the steak every half-minute, but be careful to do it as quickly as possible, so that it may not be long uncovered. When nearly done, sprinkle on pepper and salt, lay a small piece of butter on the steak, and add a table-spoonful of strong coffee. ”

“ The best beef steak is cut from the inner part of the sirloin. Good steak may be cut from the ribs.
If you wish to practise economy, buy the chuck, or piece between the shoulder and the neck; it makes a good roast or steak, and is excellent for stewing or baking. The thick part of the flank is also a profitable piece; good to bake or boil, or even roast.
The leg and shin of beef make the best soup—the heart is profitable meat, and good broiled or roasted. The leg rand is used for mince pies—it needs to be boiled till it is very tender. The tongue, when fresh, is a rich part for mince pies. ”

“ I dined on what they called robber steak—bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks and roasted over the fire, in the simple style of the London cat's meat! ”

“ While cooking, make many openings in the steak to allow the butter to pass through. When done, place on a hot platter and serve immediately.
BEEFSTEAK AND ONIONS. MRS. H. T. VAN FLEET. Have a steak well hacked; over this sprinkle pepper, salt, and a little flour. Into a very hot spider drop one teaspoonful of lard; when melted, lay in steak; pour over this two tablespoons boiling water, and cover steak with four good-sized onions, sliced very thin. Cover quickly and cook five minutes; then turn all over together, and cook five minutes longer. Care should be taken that the onions do not turn. ”

“ Steamed Beef Steak Pudding. — One quart of flour, one large teaspoonful of lard, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one tea. spoonful of soda, two cupfuls of milk or water, a little salt, one and a half pounds of beef steak. Roll out the crust and line a deep earthern dish; then lay in part of the steak, with a few pieces of butter, a little salt, and a few whole cloves; then lay on the rest of the steak, with seasoning as before. Turn the crust up over the whole. ”

“ Mock duck is made by placing on a round steak a stuffing of bread crumbs well seasoned with chopped onions, butter, chopped suet or dripping, salt, pepper, and a little sage, if the flavor is relished. The steak is then rolled around the stuffing and tied with a string in several places. If the steak seems tough, the roll is steamed or stewed until tender before roasting in the oven until brown. Or it may be cooked in a casserole or other covered dish, in which case a cupful or more of water or soup-stock should be poured around the meat. ”

“ Oyster, and many other sauces may be served; some beef steak eaters say that its own gravy, pepper and salt, are all that a good beef steak requires, unless it be a little sliced raw onion or tarragon; others like fried onions.
Beef Steaks, with Potatoes. ”

“ Different kinds of steak need to be cooked in different ways. Tenderloin, porterhouse, and sirloin are best broiled over a hot fire, or pan broiled by being turned frequently on a very hot skillet, with only the fat that comes from the steak itself. Serve on a hot platter, with butter, pepper and salt. Round steak is nice cut in small pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, rolled in flour, and cooked quickly in some of the suet, first put in the pan until tried out. ”

“ When his work was nearly complete she spread a square of white linen upon a flat rock and set forth the other contents of the hamper—olives and bread and butter, crisp celery-hearts, and cream cheese and a tin of biscuits. She heated the plates and cups before the fire, and as he withdrew his steak from the coals she set a smoking hot platter before him and offered him the materials for seasoning.
“You're a crack camper for sure,” he declared. “Ah-h—does that steak look fit for the gods, or not? How's the coffee? Clear?” ”

“ FOR RARE BROILED STEAK—For those who are fond of rare steak it can be cut from one inch to one and one-quarter inches in thickness and the outside thoroughly and quickly broiled, leaving the inside practically only partially cooked, so that the blood will follow the knife and still the steak has been heated completely through and a thin crust on either side has been well cooked, which has formed the shell to retain the juices. ”

“ On the arrival of the beefsteak, they turn round the dish, and look at it contemptuously, longing, all the while, to fall to. Yes, sir, they turn round the dish two or three times; then stick their fork into the steak, and turn it over and over; perhaps hold it up, suspended by a single prong, and examine it critically; and end all by pushing away their plate, drawing the dish into its place, and bolting the whole beefsteak, without taking time to masticate. Sir, there was a man in that coffee-room this morning, who grumbled at everything, and ate like a dog. ”

“ Two tablespoons of butter,
One and one-half teaspoons of salt,
One teaspoon of paprika,
Juice of one lemon,
Grated rind of one-fourth lemon.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly for fifteen minutes; then add the snapper meat, heat slowly 10 minutes, serve.
[pg 295]
STEAKS
The selection of steak depends entirely upon the number of persons to be served. A steak cannot be classed as a cheap meat; the portions of bone and trimming makes this meat a rare luxury in these times of high prices.
Yet there come times when the men folk want steak—and steak it must be. ”

“ Stewed Steak.—Put into your stew-pan a piece of dripping, two or three onions cut up, two or three carrots (according to size) , lay your steak on the top of these, till all is a nice brown. Take all from the stew-pan and place in a brown jar (previously heated) , add a few peppercorns, a pinch of spice, ginger, and three cloves, add sufficient hot water or stock to cover the meat, cover tightly, and leave in a cool oven for two or three hours. Before serving, strain off the gravy, thicken it with flour, heat to boiling in a saucepan. Put steak on dish and pour the gravy over. ”

“ The tongue, the kidneys, and a piece of tripe he set boiling in the kettle. On a grill of green sticks, as soon as he had enough live coals, he broiled some choice steak, while he fried other pieces of steak and liver in a panful of melted suet. ”

“ The steaks should be cut in 6 neat medium sized pieces from the middle of the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour 11⁄2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice on each steak, the onion must be thinly sliced, and the slices put on the steaks, also the parsley; then spread 1 tablespoonful of oil on each steak and let them lie for 11⁄2 hours; get cooking utensil very hot, then remove the onions and parsley from each slice of fish, spread another tablespoonful of oil on each and broil for 5 minutes. Serve on a hot platter and garnish with lemon slices and parsley. ”

“ Some people like their steak rare, some medium rare, and some well done. To test steak, do not cut into it to see if it is done, but press your finger on it, on the substance of the steak. If you do that quickly you won’t burn your finger. As long as the steak is very rare the fibre of the meat will be elastic, and directly you take your finger up the fibre will press up again ”

“ The flame from fat does not injure the meat, but the smoke must be avoided. Wrap a napkin around the hand holding the broiler to protect it from the heat. A steak ought not to be less than an inch, but should be one and a half to one and three quarters inches thick. Allow eight to ten minutes for cooking according to the thickness. One two inches thick will take fourteen to eighteen minutes. A steak should be rare but not raw, should have a uniform red color, and be full of juice. ”

“ ROAST BEEF
My favorite food is Roast Beef, rare, or a good American sirloin steak, which, I take it, are so simple to prepare that they need no recipe.
Suggestions:
1. Stand your roast on two or three thin slices of bacon—not too fat.
2. On the top of the roast lay three or four thin slices of lemon—particularly if you like the “outside cut.”
3. If your steak looks a bit fresh rub with lemon juice (both sides) and allow to stand several hours before broiling or frying. Don’t be frightened if it turns a bit black—be glad.
4. Pan may be rubbed with garlic. ”

“ Place in a roasting pan and bake in a hot oven until the steak is thoroughly baked. This will require not less than 40 minutes. Cut into slices and serve hot.
46. SKIRT STEAK.--Lying inside the ribs and extending from the second or third rib to the breast bone is a thin strip of muscle known as a skirt steak. This is removed before the ribs are cut for roasts, and, as shown in Fig. 13, is slit through the center with a long, sharp knife to form a pocket into which stuffing can be put. As a skirt steak is not expensive and has excellent flavor, it is a very desirable piece of meat. ”

“ You must learn to know by the look and the touch of the meat whether it is done or not. This steak takes about twelve minutes you will find, but then Mary had taken care to have the fire clear and fierce, and the steak was cut evenly. Press the meat with the flat blade of a knife to find whether it is done. You will, after trying once or twice, know how it feels when it is sufficiently cooked. It should be nearly black outside and the inside should be red all the way through. There should not be a blue line of raw meat in the middle—that is quite wrong. ”

“ One pound of round steak, one pint of milk, one cupful of flour, one egg, and salt and pepper. Cut the steak into dice. Beat the egg very light; add milk to it, and then half a teaspoonful of salt. Pour upon the flour, gradually, beating very light and smooth. Butter a two-quart dish, and in it put the meat. Season well, and pour over it the batter. Bake an hour in a moderate oven. Serve hot. This dish can be made with mutton and lamb in place of steak.
Scotch Roll.
Remove the tough skin from about five pounds of the flank of beef. A portion of the meat will be found thicker than the rest. ”