Who was the genius who first conjured up this simple but delicious way of serving steak? My guess is that it was a head waiter with a big crowd coming in and a dearth of ingredients for sauces. But every restaurant kitchen in France has butter and parsley on hand — and so, voilà, a new dish was born. But this is just my imagination speaking. I plan to track down the culinary origins of beurre maître d’hôtel — or ‘head waiter’s butter’ — and will get back to you on that. In the meantime, why not just enjoy the steak?
Steak au beurre maître d’hôtel / Pan-seared steak with parsley butter
This is a great recipe for any everyday chef, for it takes a total of 10 minutes to prepare, from fridge to table. With a very high quality steak, it may be served on its own, garnished with a little bunch of watercress, for example. Or accompanied by the great French classic, pommes frites (French fries). Or by any number of vegetable dishes, from rosemary potatoes (coming tomorrow) to green beans to purées and beyond. Happy cooking!
