The Witchery by the Castle Gates Steak Balmoral and Whisky Sauce

BecR's Note:

A wonderful recipe for traditional Scottish Steak Balmoral, as served at the famous "The Witchery" restaurant located in Edinburgh, Scotland at the very top of the Royal Mile near the gates of beautiful Edinburgh Castle. The "Old Hell Fire Club" used to hold their meetings in this historic sixteenth century building. We prefer tender Aberdeen angus filet steaks in this first-rate recipe, but sirloin steaks or rib-eyes are just as good. Do try to use a very high quality beef, if possible. You can carefully flambe the whisky in step 2, but I usually don't bother as I find it boils down quickly enough into the divinely smooth and mellow sauce without the extra step. Recipe makes a generous serving of whisky sauce--by all means, you may adjust proportions to suit your own tastes. Serve these steaks with steamed new potatoes, fries, or baked (jacket) potatoes, and seasonal greens or a tossed salad. Tip: Try to use a good Scotch whisky....I used Laphroaig 15 yo single malt which is usually reserved for special occasions....but this was phenomenal!

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

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 (8 ounce) aberdeen angus beef steak fillets (or sirloin steaks)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• 4 tablespoons good Scotch whisky (such as Laphroaig)
• 1 teaspoon scottish heather honey (optional)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup beef stock
• 4 ounces cleaned sliced fresh mushrooms (button or wild)
• 4 tablespoons chopped green onions (optional)
• 2 -3 teaspoons coarse grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley , to garnish
• fresh edible flower , to decorate (purple heather)

Directions:

1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and reduce the heat to medium. Pan fry the steaks 4 to 6 minutes per side, or to personal taste. Remove steaks to a plate, season with salt and pepper, and keep them warm.
2. Add the whisky, honey, cream, and beef stock to the pan, and bring to a boil. Now add the mushrooms and reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook until the sauce is reduced by about half, stirring from time to time.
3. Stir in the chopped green onions and the mustard, cook briefly until onions are softened and sauce is heated through.
4. Serve the steaks with the whisky sauce poured over them; garnish with snipped parsley, and decorate with purple heather, as desired.

Reviews

[RecipeJedi]

I know this recipe from a visit to the restaurant 10 years ago, but this was not quite the same, the green onions were still raw and we did not think that they worked with the sauce. It was a nice recipe but the beef stock was to much and made the sauce runny even tho we had it on the heat for 10 mins or more. Will look for another recipe to try and get the taste we remember, not bad, but not as I remember - worth trying tho, thanks. Used filets btw and ate it with fries and salad.