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Beef steak

Erken's basic recipe for pan-fried beef steak of tenderloin or top round with butter-browned onion and a jus from stock, from Stor kokebok 1914, page 173.

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

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About the dish

The recipe appears under the chapter introduction "Bif, chateaubriand, tournedos," where Erken stresses that only tender meat that has hung long enough should be used, that the slices should be cut 3 cm thick across the grain, and that salt and pepper are sprinkled on only after the slices have been turned in the pan — salt draws the meat juices out, and moist meat is impossible to fry nicely.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Cut and pound the meat

    Cut the meat into slices about 3 cm thick across the grain with a sharp knife, and give each slice a couple of taps with a broad knife.

  2. 2

    Fry the steak

    Heat the pan well and brown 25 g butter. Lay the steak slices in at once and shake the pan constantly, so the meat never sits still for a moment. Turn the slices before sprinkling on salt and pepper.

  3. 3

    Make the jus

    Place the steak on a warm platter. Pour a little cold stock or cold water into the pan, stir well, add a little cold butter, bring to a boil, and pour it over the steak.

  4. 4

    Brown the onion

    Brown the rest of the butter, add the onion rings, and stir until light brown. Add a little boiling water bit by bit, stirring constantly.

  5. 5

    Plating

    Place a small spoonful of onion on each piece of steak and serve at once.

Changes from the original

Measures are converted to modern units (2 dl stock), "inderlaar" is written as top round, and the amount of onion is estimated since the original only says "onion." The method is split into numbered steps in modern Norwegian.

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Time machine – what changed?

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

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 173) → Modernised~81% of the text changedremovedadded
1 kg. utskaaret kg utskåret filet eller inderlaar innerlår (godt mørnet kjøtt). 2 stk løk (skjæres i tynne ringer på tvers). 125 gr. smør g smør. 2 del. dl kraft pepper (eller kald sky/kaldt vann). 1 ts pepper. 2 ts salt. Kjøttet skjæres Skjær kjøttet i skiver, gives skiver på ca. 3 cm tvers over fibrene med skarp kniv, og gi hver skive et par slag med en bred kniv. Panden opvarmes sterkt, kniv.. Varm pannen godt opp og brun 25 gr. smør brunes. Bifskiverne lægges g smør. Legg biffskivene straks i; ryst panden i og rist pannen hele tiden, saa slik at kjøttet intet øieblik blir liggende stille. Biffen lægges op paa ikke ligger stille et øyeblikk. Vend skivene før du strør på salt og pepper.. Legg biffen på et varmt fat; fat. Hell litt kold sky kald kraft eller koldt vand heldes kaldt vann i panden, og man rører pannen, rør godt om, har tilsett litt koldt smør i, gir kaldt smør, gi det et opkok oppkok og helder hell det over biffen paa fatet. Den rensede løk skjæres paa tvers i tynde ringer. Resten biffen.. Brun resten av smørret brunes, løken lægges smøret, legg i løkringene og omrøres, rør til den de er lysebrun; tilsættes lysebrune. Tilsett litt efter kokende vann litt og etter litt under stadig omrøren litt kokende vand. En omrøring.. Legg en liten skefuld skje løk lægges paa på hvert stykke bif. biff og server straks.

Note on Modernised

Målene er omregnet til moderne enheter (2 dl kraft), «inderlaar» er skrevet innerlår, og mengden løk er anslått siden originalen bare skriver «løk». Fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn på moderne norsk.

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Frequently asked questions

Which cut of meat do I use?
The recipe uses 1 kg of trimmed tenderloin or top round, cut into slices and pounded with the flat of a broad knife.
How do I fry the steak properly?
Heat the pan well, brown 25 g of the butter, and lay the steak slices right in. Shake the pan constantly so the meat never sits still, and lift the steak onto a warm platter.
How do I make the sauce and the onion?
Pour a little cold jus or cold water into the pan, stir well, add a little cold butter, bring to a boil, and pour over the steak. The onion is sliced into thin crosswise rings, browned in the rest of the butter until light brown while you add a little boiling water now and then, and placed at an angle on each steak.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914), page 173. It serves 4 and takes around 35 minutes.

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