Preheat the oven and a glass or cast iron baking dish to 180°
Tilt by setting one side of the rack 1 runner higher. The idea of a heavy baking
dish is the bottom will cook more initially and then while resting. Thereby
cooking the meat around the oysters correctly and allowing a slightly rarer
upper. The oysters should still be soft and juicy. The idea of tilting the
oven rack and placing the steaks on the high side is so excess liquids
can drain away.
Carefully cut a small slit just under half way up each fillet. Then broaden the slit out and remove some meat to form a large pocket. Insert 3 oysters in the pocket. Wrap with a bacon strip with the rind to the top. Secure with a toothpick and trim the bottom to level. This way presents best and you know which is the top. Do this step upside down so the rind can be set level with the top and the bottom is easy to trim.
Heat a generous amount of butter in a skillet and fry the steaks 2 minutes top and 2 minutes bottom. Remove the steaks to the pre heated baking dish bottom side down. Finish cooking in a 180° oven for 22 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, deglaze the skillet with the lemon juice and add the stock and reduce to half. Add the parsley, cream and brandy. Simmer for 15 minutes to thicken. Split the muffin and grill the halves till brown.
Set the steaks on the muffins and remove the toothpick. Pour over the sauce and serve.
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The cook time may seem long in comparison to the modern trend of rare meat. Be certain, no one will find bloody meat and a raw oyster at all appealing to eat. A chunky 60mm piece of meat will take time.
Medium Rare to medium is the target. 50 years ago nobody dared serve rare or even medium rare meat in Australia. If my dad saw any sign of blood in any meat it was always sent back. To his generation red was like poison. Now food standards have improved greatly enabling rare steak without fear. But this is a 50 year old recipe and it has to be cooked towards well done. Otherwise the recipe doesn't work. A shade of pink will be perfect. Frankly, I am little bored with eating rare meat. For a generation we have overlooked well done but on the right piece of meat it is actually pretty good. Also it is now known that once you get into your 60's your body has difficulty digesting rare meat. So the older you are the more towards well done meat should be. I learned this when it came out Donald Trump orders his steak well done. Smart man!
Carefully cut a small slit just under half way up each fillet. Then broaden the slit out and remove some meat to form a large pocket. Insert 3 oysters in the pocket. Wrap with a bacon strip with the rind to the top. Secure with a toothpick and trim the bottom to level. This way presents best and you know which is the top. Do this step upside down so the rind can be set level with the top and the bottom is easy to trim.
Heat a generous amount of butter in a skillet and fry the steaks 2 minutes top and 2 minutes bottom. Remove the steaks to the pre heated baking dish bottom side down. Finish cooking in a 180° oven for 22 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, deglaze the skillet with the lemon juice and add the stock and reduce to half. Add the parsley, cream and brandy. Simmer for 15 minutes to thicken. Split the muffin and grill the halves till brown.
Set the steaks on the muffins and remove the toothpick. Pour over the sauce and serve.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cook time may seem long in comparison to the modern trend of rare meat. Be certain, no one will find bloody meat and a raw oyster at all appealing to eat. A chunky 60mm piece of meat will take time.
Medium Rare to medium is the target. 50 years ago nobody dared serve rare or even medium rare meat in Australia. If my dad saw any sign of blood in any meat it was always sent back. To his generation red was like poison. Now food standards have improved greatly enabling rare steak without fear. But this is a 50 year old recipe and it has to be cooked towards well done. Otherwise the recipe doesn't work. A shade of pink will be perfect. Frankly, I am little bored with eating rare meat. For a generation we have overlooked well done but on the right piece of meat it is actually pretty good. Also it is now known that once you get into your 60's your body has difficulty digesting rare meat. So the older you are the more towards well done meat should be. I learned this when it came out Donald Trump orders his steak well done. Smart man!
2 Eye
Fillet Steaks (60 mm thick)
6 Oysters (Small Sydney Rock)
2 Large strips of bacon
1 Tbs salted butter to fry
1 Tbs lemon juice
100ml Chicken stock
2 tsp chopped Parsley
90ml Brandy (Rum Whiskey Bourbon)
300ml Pouring Cream
1 English Muffin
You want cuts from the middle of the fillet.
If you use the larger Pacific oysters than you can only fit 1 or 2 in and the flavour is not as strong.
Note: On a fillet that has been frozen quite a lot of moisture can escape, especially if you do more pieces. So set on a wire rack and possibly mop up excess liquids during cooking. Hold the oven door slightly ajar from time to time to let excess moisture escape. You do not want to stew the bottom of the steak.
6 Oysters (Small Sydney Rock)
2 Large strips of bacon
1 Tbs salted butter to fry
1 Tbs lemon juice
100ml Chicken stock
2 tsp chopped Parsley
90ml Brandy (Rum Whiskey Bourbon)
300ml Pouring Cream
1 English Muffin
You want cuts from the middle of the fillet.
If you use the larger Pacific oysters than you can only fit 1 or 2 in and the flavour is not as strong.
Note: On a fillet that has been frozen quite a lot of moisture can escape, especially if you do more pieces. So set on a wire rack and possibly mop up excess liquids during cooking. Hold the oven door slightly ajar from time to time to let excess moisture escape. You do not want to stew the bottom of the steak.
In the 1970's there were three meals that stood at the top of fine
dining menus in Australia. Chateaubriand, Lobster Mornay and Carpetbag
steak. And done right this was the best. When cooked to my recipe you
will wonder why it isn't on every menu to this day. It's that good.
Wagyu Fillet with its extra fat content really lifts this to a level unimagineable 50 years ago. Even Wagyu with a very low score will be great. Nevertheless, a budget piece of fillet will come alive nicely after being infused with the oyster flavour and then smothered in the bacon and doused in a brandy cream sauce.
Very impressive dinner party dish and very easy to cook in larger numbers. Resting temp is between 67° and 74°. 68° is perfect. The only mistake you can make is underdone. A little overdone is still good, maybe even better. Best to cook the steaks as soon as the oysters are inserted. So assemble and cook immediately.
Wagyu Fillet with its extra fat content really lifts this to a level unimagineable 50 years ago. Even Wagyu with a very low score will be great. Nevertheless, a budget piece of fillet will come alive nicely after being infused with the oyster flavour and then smothered in the bacon and doused in a brandy cream sauce.
Very impressive dinner party dish and very easy to cook in larger numbers. Resting temp is between 67° and 74°. 68° is perfect. The only mistake you can make is underdone. A little overdone is still good, maybe even better. Best to cook the steaks as soon as the oysters are inserted. So assemble and cook immediately.
5 Star Steak Recipe World Class Version Classic Carpetbag Steak
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