Steak and asparagus: a match made in heaven

Asparagus season is always special. Team spears with slices of charred steak hewn off the bone and a bright béarnaise sauce.

Asparagus with a light, bright béarnaise. Picture: Guy Bailey

Asparagus season is always special. Team spears with slices of charred steak hewn off the bone and a light, bright béarnaise sauce, and you’ve got even more reason to invite friends around.

T-Bone with breezy béarnaise sauce & charred asparagus

2 x 2.5cm-thick (approx 700g each) T-bone steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

500g (2 bunches) asparagus, stems snapped off

Breezy béarnaise

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

75g butter

1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon

1 French shallot, finely diced

Take the steak out of the fridge an hour before cooking. Pat dry with paper towels. Massage salt and a tablespoon of the olive oil into both sides and set aside; meanwhile, heat griddle pan or barbecue to smoking (allow 10 minutes).

Blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for a minute or so, until the colour changes; toss spears with the remaining tablespoon of oil and a little salt, and reserve.

Splash a teaspoon of the white wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar over the finely diced shallot. Place egg yolks in a blender with mustard, lemon juice and the rest of the vinegar, while heating butter until very hot and frothy (not just melted, HOT!). Add hot butter in a thin stream with the blender going to start to temper the egg yolk mixture; keep pouring the butter slowly in a thin stream so that by the time you’ve finished pouring, the sauce is thick and pale in colour. Taste and correct for seasoning. Garnish with tarragon and shallot.

Serve it with a good steak, sauce and asparagus salad. Picture: Guy Bailey

Place T-bone on the griddle or barbecue bone-side down – you want to hear an immediate super-high sizzle – to help draw the heat through the centre for a minute. Cook steak for 5 minutes on one side without moving it, then flip over and cook for another 5 for medium-rare. You’re welcome to go for a minute longer or shorter, depending on how you like your steak done. Afterwards, set it aside to rest for 5 minutes, loosely covered.

Pop the asparagus across the griddle plate to char and absorb the meaty flavours for 30 seconds a side.

Once the steak is rested, place it flat on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to cut along the bone on either side, then slice against the grain into fork-friendly slices; place on a warmed plate, rearranged alongside the bone, and pour over any resting juices. Serve with sauce, grilled asparagus and leaves or asparagus salad (below). Serves 4-6

Asparagus salad

250g thicker asparagus spears, stems snapped off

1 French shallot, finely sliced

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Lemon cheek, for squeezing

Salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil

Use a speed peeler or mandoline to run along the length of the spears, creating thin ribbons. Place in icy water with a squeeze of lemon juice until ready to serve. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the onion/shallot slices, then pour over vinegar, stirring until the colour changes. Drain and dry asparagus, then toss with slices of pickled onion/shallot and dress with lemon juice and olive oil; adjust seasoning to taste.

Top tips

Asparagus will tell you where it’s woodiest – just bend each spear towards the bottom third and it will naturally snap in the right place.

Restaurants tend to serve steak sliced to share these days, because you’ll be surprised how little you actually need to feel satisfied. I like to share one of these steaks between 3 people – or 4, if you’re serving several salads alongside.

Raw asparagus is best early in the season. If spears are looking a little bendy, pop them in a jar of iced water to rehydrate like a bunch of flowers. Alternatively, blanch sliced asparagus and toss together with the rest of the salad ingredients above.