Steak Diane

Method

1. Sit the 160 g fillet steak between two sheets of cling film and beat it with the flat of a heavy pan or a mallet until it is an even 1 cm thick and roughly the width of your hand. Pat it thoroughly dry.
2. Season both sides with 0.25 tsp fine salt and 0.5 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper, pressing the pepper in, and leave the steak at room temperature for 10 minutes while you chop 1 shallot finely and slice 50 g mushrooms thinly.
3. Put a heavy frying pan over high heat until it just begins to smoke, add 12 g butter and, as soon as it foams and turns nut-brown, lay in the steak. Sear 1 minute 30 seconds on each side for medium-rare — the surface should be deeply browned and the meat still springy. Transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest.