Steak Balmoral and Whisky Sauce from the Witchery by the Castle

French Tart's Note:

This recipe hails from one of my favourite restaurants, "The Witchery - By The Castle" in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is towards the top up the hill near the gates of Edinburgh Castle. The restaurant is located in a very old and atmospheric building where the "Old Hell Fire Club" used to hold their meetings. The Witchery serves this delicious steak there, called Steak Balmoral, which has the most divine whisky sauce I have ever tasted! Serve this steak with chips (French fries), boiled, jacket or steamed new potatoes and seasonal greens or a tossed salad. The sauce is uniquely famous for its stunning simplicity - no need for onions or garlic, the cream, mustard, mushrooms and whisky tick all the taste boxes! More information from the restaurant's web-site: Located in an historic sixteenth-century building at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, James Thomson's Witchery is the most atmospheric and spectacular dining destination in the city. A unique location,stunning interiors and superlative food, wine and service create memorable and magical dining experiences for locals, visitors and celebrities alike. Ewan MacGregor, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Jack Nicholson and Clarissa Dickson Wright have all succumbed to its charms, with Andrew Lloyd Webber calling it the prettiest restaurant ever! Originally built for an Edinburgh merchant in 1595, this historic building on the Royal Mile now includes the jewel-like Witchery diningroom, the spectacular Secret Garden and a collection of totally indulgent and opulent suites on the floors above and in an adjacent historic building. (This recipe is the authentic recipe from the restaurant's web-site.)

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 2 (200 g) aberdeen angus steaks or 2 (200 g) sirloin steaks
• 25 g salted butter
• 5 green peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 60 ml Scotch whisky (a good blend such as Bells, Teachers or Famous Grouse)
• 1 teaspoon scottish heather honey (optional)
• 125 ml double cream
• 125 ml beef stock
• 50 g cleaned sliced fresh wild field mushrooms or 50 g button mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet or frying pan over medium heat, then add the butter and green peppercorns and cook until the peppercorns release their aroma, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the steaks to the pan and cook to taste, then remove them and keep them warm.
2. Add the whisky to the buttery steak juices in the pan and carefully set it alight, flambe it until the flames die down; then add the honey (if using), cream, stock and mushrooms and bring to a boil, reducing the heat to a gentle simmer.
3. Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced by half, stirring from time to time to ensure that the mushrooms do not stick. Add the mustard, stirring well and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Serve the steaks with the sauce poured over the top and a selection of seasonal greens or a salad with chips (French fries) or a baked jacket potato.
5. NB: The honey is optional, it adds a mellow flavour to the sauce if you feel the whisky makes the sauce a little too bitter - it does not add a vast amount of sweetness, so you can add it as an option.

Reviews

[LifeIsGood]

Originally rated on 11/9/09 - This recipe made it into my book#266453. Outstanding! It's not often when I find a recipe with so few ingredients that tastes this wonderful. The sauce is the star here and what a star it is! I had to convert the measurments and used: 2 T. butter, 1/4 C. whisky, 10 oz. heavy cream, 5 oz. beef stock (I chose to lessen the amt. here to have a thicker sauce), 4 oz. mushrooms and 1 t. coarse grain mustard. It was fun and easy to light the whisky. I'm sure that would wow guests! Fabulous recipe that is company-worthy!

[The Flying Chef]

This is absolutely gorgeous, yummy, fabulous, what else can I say!!! It has such few ingredients and is so easy to prepare with minimum fuss but definitely does not result in minimum taste. The flavour is outstanding and just goes so well with steak. I cooked steak fillet as we had just had sirloin last week. The steak was juicy, tender and gorgeous and it was such a treat to have such an expensive cut. I served ours topped with pancetta wrapped asparagus and two prawns as they were on super special at the store. A definite winner FT and will be our regular way to serve our steaks when we can get steak on special.

[AuntWoofieWoof]

This is absolutely delicious. I have made it twice so far. Just didn't review it then. The first time I made this I rubbed some of my Savory Steak Seasoning (for all types of meat) i on my steak and set it in the fridge for an hour or so. It came out nice and tender. The sauce was sooo good :yummy:with it. The 2nd time I made it, I used a cheaper cut of beef and didn't let it set in the fridge after putting my seasoning on it. It wasn't as tender as the first one. I was afraid to light the whiskey on fire!! :lol: I was afraid it would set my sensitive smoke alarm on, but it didn't. I immediately doused the fire. It was too close to my kitchen wall. The whiskey added a little sweetness to the sauce, which I liked. I will be making this when I can get steak on sale or marked down. Thanks for such a great recipe Tarty!!