Which cut of meat should I use?

The recipe calls for 1 kg of beef from the round or tenderloin. The meat is pounded and cut into slices across the grain. The main thing is that the meat is tender.

How long should the steak be fried?

4–5 minutes on each side over high heat in a fully hot pan greased with 1 teaspoon of butter. Shake the pan often, and turn the pieces with a spatula. Use a clean pan for each batch.

How is the onion sauce made?

Lightly brown 100 g of butter and brown the finely sliced onion (cut crosswise) in the butter. Add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of cold butter, let it simmer gently for a few minutes, and pour it over the meat. The onion is browned first.

Can the steak be fried the "old-fashioned way"?

Yes; according to Schønberg Erken (Great Cookbook, 1914, p. 173) you simply use correspondingly more butter, but she feels the steak is no better for it.

English-Style Beefsteak

Name: English-Style Beefsteak
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg beef (round or tenderloin); 3 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper; 100 g butter; 1 pcs onion (small, cut crosswise into thin rings); 2 tbsp water

English beefsteak from Erken's Great Cookbook, 1914: beef slices seared fast in a scorching, nearly dry pan, served with butter-browned onions that are browned in advance.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 173 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

The English way of frying steak was Erken's favorite: an almost dry, scorching-hot pan and just a teaspoon of butter, as opposed to the "old-fashioned way" with plenty of butter. She reminds us that the pan must be cleaned between each batch, and that the onion is browned first and kept warm.

How to make it

1
Brown the onion first
Lightly brown the butter and brown the thinly sliced onion in it. Add 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp cold butter, let it simmer gently for a few minutes, and keep the onion warm in a cup while the steak is fried.
2
Prepare the meat
Pound the piece of meat while it is still whole, cut it into slices across the grain, and season them with pepper and salt.
3
Sear over high heat
Grease a scorching-hot pan with 1 tsp butter and fry the slices at once over high heat for 4–5 minutes on each side. Shake the pan often and turn the pieces with a spatula. Use a clean pan for each batch.
4
Plating
Pour the hot onion over the meat and serve at once.

Changes from the original

Measurements have been converted to modern units, and the method has been split into numbered steps. Erken's notes about a clean pan and browning the onion in advance have been worked into the steps.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1914 (proofread, p. 173) → Modernised~90% of the text changedremovedadded

1 ~~kg. bifkjøt (laar~~ kg biffkjøtt (lår eller ~~mørbrad)~~ mørbrad). 3 ~~teskeer salt~~ ts salt. 1 ~~teske pepper~~ ts pepper. 100 ~~gr. smør~~ g smør. 1 ~~liten løk. Kjøttet bankes, skjæres~~ stk løk (liten, skåret i tynne ringer på tvers). 2 ss vann. Brun smøret lett og brun den tynt skårne løken i det. Tilsett 2 ss vann og 1 ts kaldt smør, la det småsurre noen minutter, og hold løken varm i en kopp mens biffen stekes.. Bank kjøttstykket mens det er helt, skjær det i skiver tvers over ~~trevlerne, pepres~~ fibrene og ~~saltes, stekes~~ pepre og salt dem.. Smør en glovarm panne med 1 ts smør og stek skivene straks over rask ild ~~paa aldeles het pande, smurt med 1 teske smør; ryst panden ofte. Stykkerne maa vendes med en stekekniv. Stekes 4 å 5~~ i 4–5 minutter ~~paa~~ på hver side. ~~Ren pande for hver stekning! Smørret brunes let,~~ Rist pannen ofte og ~~heri brunes~~ vend stykkene med en stekekniv. Bruk ren panne til hver steking.. Hell den ~~finskaarne løk — skjær~~ varme løken ~~tversover; tilsættes 2 spiseskeer vand og 1 teske koldt smør; smaasurrer nogen minutter; heldes~~ over ~~kjøttet. — NB. Foretrækker nogen at steke biffen paa gammeldags maate, saa ta bare saa meget mere smør, men bedre blir den ikke. Sørg for mørt kjøt. NB. Brun løken først~~ kjøttet og ~~hold den varm i en kop, ellers blir biffen kold, mens løken brunes.~~ server straks.

Note on Modernised

Mål er omregnet til moderne enheter, og fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn. Erkens merknader om ren panne og forhåndsbruning av løk er tatt inn i trinnene.

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Frequently asked questions

Which cut of meat should I use?: The recipe calls for 1 kg of beef from the round or tenderloin. The meat is pounded and cut into slices across the grain. The main thing is that the meat is tender.
How long should the steak be fried?: 4–5 minutes on each side over high heat in a fully hot pan greased with 1 teaspoon of butter. Shake the pan often, and turn the pieces with a spatula. Use a clean pan for each batch.
How is the onion sauce made?: Lightly brown 100 g of butter and brown the finely sliced onion (cut crosswise) in the butter. Add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of cold butter, let it simmer gently for a few minutes, and pour it over the meat. The onion is browned first.
Can the steak be fried the "old-fashioned way"?: Yes; according to Schønberg Erken (Great Cookbook, 1914, p. 173) you simply use correspondingly more butter, but she feels the steak is no better for it.

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