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)

Be the first to rate

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.

In stores now

Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.

Product data and prices via Kassalapp. Prices are updated daily and may vary.

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

1949 (proofread, p. 201) → 1914 (proofread, p. 173)~93% of the text changedremovedadded

1 kg. ~~utskåret filet~~ bifkjøt (laar eller ~~innerlår løk 125~~ mørbrad) 3 teskeer salt 1 teske pepper 100 gr. smør ~~2 dd. kraft pepper salt.~~ 1 liten løk. Kjøttet bankes, skjæres i ~~skiver, gis et par slag med en bred kniv. Pannen opvarmes sterkt,~~ skiver tvers over trevlerne, pepres og ~~25 gr. smør brunes. Biffskivene legges~~ saltes, stekes straks i; over rask ild paa aldeles het pande, smurt med 1 teske smør; ryst ~~pannen hele tiden, så kjøttet iutet øieblikk blir liggende stille. Biffen legges op på et varmt fat; litt kold sky eller koldt vann helles i pannen,~~ panden ofte. Stykkerne maa vendes med en stekekniv. Stekes 4 å 5 minutter paa hver side. Ren pande for hver stekning! Smørret brunes let, og ~~man rører godt om, har litt koldt smør i, gir det et opkok~~ heri brunes den finskaarne løk — skjær løken tversover; tilsættes 2 spiseskeer vand og ~~heller det~~ 1 teske koldt smør; smaasurrer nogen minutter; heldes over kjøttet. — NB. Foretrækker nogen at steke biffen ~~på fatet. Den rensede løk skjæres på tvers i tynne ringer. Resten av smøret brunes,~~ paa gammeldags maate, saa ta bare saa meget mere smør, men bedre blir den ikke. Sørg for mørt kjøt. NB. Brun løken ~~legges i~~ først og ~~omrøres til~~ hold den ~~er lyse brun; tilsettes litt efter litt og under stadig omrøren litt kokende vann. En liten skjefuld løk legges på hvert stykke biff.~~ varm i en kop, ellers blir biffen kold, mens løken brunes.

Community interpretations

Be the first to share your own version.

See interpretations →

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.

Related recipes

More dishes in the same category from the archive

Kommentarer

Ingen kommentarer ennå. Bli den første til å dele!