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This recipe works for other cuts of steak such as rump. We reckon though that sirloin has the best flavour and texture of them all for a simple steak.

Steak from the supermarkets is fine but it definitely is not the best and is of significantly variable quality. A good steak comes from dry aged beef that has been hung for around three weeks. Most beef sold in supermarkets is fresh beef. Find a good butcher who hangs his meat for around three weeks. We used "Eats of Eden" who are in the Bourne End garden centre (Hedsor Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5EE).

We looked around for three week dry aged beef (sirloin steaks) which is available in the supermarkets for a price comparison. We found some interesting results price wise and description wise! Here are the results of our survey (23 April 2007) using the supermarket's online stores:

So, the moral is clear, use your local butcher. His meat is better, you can talk to him about it and in the case of Eats of Eden, it's cheaper than all the supermarkets!

The weight of the steak will not affect the cooking times but the thickness of the steak will. A nice chunky thickness is about 2cm (¾ inch) and our cooking times are based on this. If the steak is thicker, cook for a little longer, if it's thinner, cook for a little less.

You need to be reasonably accurate with the cooking times so a timer is useful. Also a thick frying pan cooks more evenly than a thin lightweight one. If you have a lightweight frying pan, be sure to place the steaks with the fat side in the middle of the pan.

INGREDIENTS

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PREPARATION
Turn the oven to a very low heat and put in two plates to warm them up a little.

Turn the hob heat to medium high, place the frying pan on the hob. Add one teaspoon of butter , the salt and pepper and the olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes to allow the pan to heat evenly. Place the steaks in the pan and firm them down to the base of the pan. This will help seal in the steak juices.

Cooking times will vary according to how you like your steak. Below we list the cooking times for rare, medium and well done steak which is 2cm thick.

Rare	2 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 1½ minutes
Medium	3 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 2½ minutes
Well done	4 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 3½ minutes

When the steaks are cooked, place them on the pre-heated plates and let them "rest" for a few minutes. Whilst they are "resting", turn the heat down to medium and add the remaining teaspoon of butter. When it has melted add 150ml / ¼ pint of water and the Balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 4 minutes then pour the sauce over the steaks.

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