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) → Modernised~93% of the text changedremovedadded

1 ~~kg. utskåret filet~~ kg biffkjøtt (lår eller ~~innerlår løk 125 gr. smør 2 dd. kraft pepper~~ mørbrad). 3 ts salt. ~~Kjøttet skjæres~~ 1 ts pepper. 100 g smør. 1 stk løk (liten, skåret i skiver, gis et par slag med en bred kniv. Pannen opvarmes sterkt, og 25 gr. smør brunes. Biffskivene legges straks i; ryst pannen hele tiden, så kjøttet iutet øieblikk blir liggende stille. Biffen legges op tynne ringer på ~~et varmt fat; litt kold sky eller koldt vann helles~~ tvers). 2 ss vann. Brun smøret lett og brun den tynt skårne løken i ~~pannen,~~ det. Tilsett 2 ss vann og ~~man rører godt om, har litt koldt smør i, gir~~ 1 ts kaldt smør, la det ~~et opkok~~ småsurre noen minutter, og ~~heller det over~~ hold løken varm i en kopp mens biffen ~~på fatet. Den rensede løk skjæres på tvers~~ stekes.. Bank kjøttstykket mens det er helt, skjær det i ~~tynne ringer. Resten av smøret brunes, løken legges~~ skiver tvers over fibrene og pepre og salt dem.. Smør en glovarm panne med 1 ts smør og stek skivene straks over rask ild i 4–5 minutter på hver side. Rist pannen ofte og ~~omrøres~~ vend stykkene med en stekekniv. Bruk ren panne til hver steking.. Hell den ~~er lyse brun; tilsettes litt efter litt~~ varme løken over kjøttet og ~~under stadig omrøren litt kokende vann. En liten skjefuld løk legges på hvert stykke biff.~~ 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.

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!