I discovered YouTube in April 2006, about a year after it was launched. The night is etched into my mind for the disaster that unfolded. I remember being in one of those funks when I couldn't think of what to make for dinner, and wondering if there was any food on this new thing called YouTube. Once I found out that there was, I started hunting out recipes to deal with the buckets of eggplants I had at hand.
The video that caught my eye had was called Victoria's Secret Eggplant Frittata, and the billing read: "Made without eggs - just 675 calories. You will not find this recipe in any cookbook. A true secret."
Victoria could never be confused with a lingerie model, but once I got past the cringe-worthy start of the clip to the point where she was in her kitchen, nimbly slicing up the eggplant, I figured she knew her stuff. I watched for the full 6½ minutes, then headed into the kitchen, full of confidence and excitement about the dinner I was about to make.
An hour later, the kitchen was looking like a bomb had hit. Around 9pm, I dished up quite possibly the vilest thing I have ever made. No one ate it, and there were hisses and murmurs, mutiny and disappointment all round. I felt such a failure. I had never had such a disatrous cooking experience before, and it made me realise what some people go through when a recipe doesn't work and they don't know why or what to do to fix it.
My mission since that ruinous dinner has been to make it as easy as possible for people to be successful in their cooking efforts so they can feel confident and enjoy the process. In my latest cookbook, Essential Annabel Langbein, I have created a series of simple little roadmaps that show the process of making popular dishes, such as tender stews, no-stir risottos, one-pot pasta meals, stir-fries, noodle bowls, flash-roasted fish, vegetable soups, and so on. I call them Springboard Recipes, because once you know the steps, you can bounce off them in all kinds of directions, swapping the ingredients and the flavourings to suit your tastes and the season. Rather than slavishly following a recipe, you're empowered to feel in control, creative and resourceful.
I've just made a fun little online clip with Sam Wallace from The Hits radio, that demonstrates my springboard technique for cooking the perfect steak. Once you know this technique you can use it to cook any cut of steak you like, top it with your favourite sauce or flavoured butter, and feel like a rock star in the kitchen!
This is how I cook the perfect steak
1. Choose lean, well-aged steak. Remove from fridge and packaging and bring to room temperature.
2. Heat a heavy frying pan or barbecue grill until very hot.
3. Season steak generously on both sides.
4. Oil steak all over or place a little butter on top then flip it into hot pan, butter-side down. It should sizzle as it hits the pan.
5. Fry over a medium-high heat until done to your liking. I allow about 2½ minutes each side for medium-rare steaks cut 2½cm thick. For thicker steaks, brown well on both sides and then transfer to a 220C oven for 4-6 minutes.
6. Remove from pan, cover with baking paper and a clean tea towel and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes.
7. Angle-slice thinly to serve.
Fillet Steak with Nonna's Secret-Ingredient Sauce
Ready in 40 mins
Serves 6
6 eye fillet steaks, cut 4cm thick
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
6 tsp butter
Thyme sprigs, to garnish
Nonna's secret-ingredient sauce
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Flesh of 2 red peppers, finely chopped
½ cup honey
2 cups red wine
½ cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp dried cranberries, currants or fresh grapes
2 tsp mustard seeds
To make Nonna's sauce, heat oil in a pot or frying pan and cook chopped peppers for a minute or two until soft. Add honey and stir over heat until it starts to bubble. Add wine, vinegar, cranberries, currants or grapes and mustard seeds and bring to a fast boil. Boil for 15 minutes until reduced by about a third. The sauce can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and chilled until needed. Preheat oven to 220C fanbake. Tie a piece of string around the circumference of each steak to hold its shape. Allow steak to come to room temperature. Heat a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan until very hot. Season steak generously on both sides. Place 1 tsp butter on each steak and flip over into hot pan, butter-side down. It should sizzle as it hits the pan or hotplate. Brown for a minute on each side, then transfer the hot pan to the oven and roast until done to your liking (5 minutes for medium-rare). Transfer to a carving board, cover and allow to rest while you reheat the sauce. Return the unwashed pan to the heat, add the sauce and warm through, scraping to lift pan brownings for flavour. Divide between 6 heated plates. Angle-slice each steak and fan on top of sauce. Garnish with thyme to serve.
Annabel says: To cook thicker steaks, such as eye fillet, brown well on both sides then transfer to a 220C oven for 4-6 minutes. You can do the browning ahead of time and then just pop them in the oven just before you're ready to serve.
T-Bone Steaks with Bistro Butter
Ready in 30 mins
Serves 6
6 T-bone steaks
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
6 tsp butter
Bistro butter
100g butter, at room temperature
6 canned anchovies, drained and mashed (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest of ½ a lemon
1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1 tsp capers, chopped
To make bistro butter, beat all ingredients until evenly combined. Form into a log and wrap in waxed paper, twisting the ends to secure. Chill. You can make this in advance and chill or freeze until needed. Cut into slices to serve over cooked steaks.
Allow steak to come to room temperature. Heat a heavy-based frying pan or barbecue grill until very hot. Season steak generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 tsp butter on each steak and flip over into hot pan, butter-side down. It should sizzle as it hits the pan or hotplate. Fry over a medium-high heat until done to your liking (for rare steaks allow about 1½ minutes per side, for medium-rare allow about 2½ minutes per side and for well done allow 4 minutes per side). Remove from pan and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes before serving topped with a slice of bistro butter.
Annabel says: Be sure to preheat the pan when you cook steak so it's nice and hot and take care not to overcrowd it as this reduces the cooking temperature, slowing cooking and reducing caramelisation and flavour.
Sirloin With Bearnaise
Ready in 30 mins
Serves 6
6 sirloin steaks, cut about 3cm thick
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
6 tsp butter
Bearnaise Sauce
1 shallot, finely chopped or 1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp dried tarragon or 2 tsp tarragon leaves, chopped
3 egg yolks
150g butter
Salt and fine white pepper, to taste
To make the bearnaise sauce, place the shallots or onion, vinegar and tarragon in a small pot and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 Tbsp. Transfer to a food processor, straining out shallot and tarragon if you prefer a smoother sauce. Add egg yolks and whizz until smooth. Place butter in the pot you cooked the vinegar in and heat until melted, hot and bubbling without browning. With the motor running, add the hot butter to the food processor in a slow stream, blending to form a smooth sauce. Season to taste and use within an hour. Allow steak to come to room temperature. Heat a heavy-based frying pan or barbecue grill until very hot. Season steak generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 tsp butter on each steak and flip over into hot pan butter-side down. Fry over a medium-high heat until done to your liking (for rare steaks allow about 1½ minutes per side, for medium-rare allow about 2½ minutes per side and for well-done allow 4 minutes per side). Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes before serving on warmed plates topped with bearnaise sauce.
Annabel says: Always ensure you take your steak out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you plan to cook it so that it can come up to room temperature and bloom (regain its bright red colour).
These are just three of the clever Springboard Recipes in Annabel's new book Essential Annabel Langbein (Annabel Langbein Media, $65), a beautiful compendium of more than 650 of her best-ever savoury recipes and cooking tips. Find out more at annabel-langbein.com or follow Annabel on Facebook or Instagram.