It's summertime (well, at least here in Australia), peaches are ripe, tomatoes are in abundance and you are itching to heat up the grill. Well, this delicious bavette steak with a simple but ridiculously tasty salad of juicy peaches, fresh tomatoes, onion and whipped goat cheese has you covered. It'll be hard not to make this a regular occurrence on your table!
sponsored by The Pawn Wine Co, Adelaide Hills
Why I Love This Dish
- feeds a crowd
- easy to make
- it's kinda healthy
- looks the business
- inexpensive for how good it tastes!
Picture this - the whole family is over, you need something that won't break the bank but is gone please everyone. Well, my latest recipe has you covered. Delicious grilled bavette steak that will feed everyone is the way to go. Simply hit it with some oil and salt and grill it for about 10 minutes (more on that later). A healthy salad of peaches, red onion, tomatoes tossed in a mustard seed dressing will wow everyone when it's presented. Bavette steak is a cheaper cut too so it won't go breaking the bank 😉
What is Bavette Steak?
Right then, what is bavette steak? Bavette is the French name for flank steak. This often-overlooked cut is full of flavour and also cheaper on the pocket than the likes of sirloin, ribeye or fillet. It's definitely one we use a lot here at home. It's perfect to grill for large groups, to use in tacos or in salads like this tasty little number.
Alternative names for bavette steak are flank steak or "butchers cut", this is because it's often the cut the butcher wants to keep for themselves. It's loose textured which I find is perfect for things like tacos or fajitas but if you cook it right it'll be one of the tastiest cuts you have and no doubt you will be going back for more!
How To Cook Bavette?
Cooking steak is easy - says the guy who eats it all the time! The truth is anything is easy with enough practice and know-how! Follow these simple steps and you will nail it every time
- Remove your meat 30 minutes prior to cooking
- Add a little oil and season it generously at this stage too
- Heat your BBQ to 300c and give the grates a good scrub
- Cook your bavette steak for 3-4 minutes per side - this will allow you to get a good crust without overcooking it and having a grey ring to the meat. Depending upon the thickness your steak will either be hitting the magic number of 48-52c and then you should remove it from the grill.
- If the steak isn't at the correct temperature move it to cook on indirect heat (not over the heat source) and cook for a further 2-3 minutes and check for temperature again
- REST YOUR MEAT. This is so impirtant with any meat but definitely for a cut like this.
- Bavette steak aka flank steak needs about 10 minutes resting time. Gently tent it with foil so it doesn't loose all it's heat and be patient. At this time you can prepare the salad and your timing will be perfect.
TOP TIP - Rest your bavette steak for a minimum of 10 minutes!
Peach Tomato Salad
Grilled steak is a thing of beauty but when it's paired alongside a simple salad of whipped goat cheese, peaches & tomatoes it's taken to a whole other level!
This delicious salad is fresh, looks the business, healthy but most importantly ready in about 10 minutes - which coincidentally is the same amount of time your bavette steak needs to rest!
- Whip the goat cheese with lemon zest, salt & cream
- Slice the tomatoes & peaches into wedges - keeping them similarly sized pieces
- Thinly slice the red onion
- Whisk together lemon juice, wholegrain mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil
- Spoon the whipped goat cheese onto a large plate/salad bowl, toss the peaches, tomatoes and onion in half the dressing and place them on top of the goat cheese
- Serve and enjoy!
You could swap out peaches for nectarines and if you aren't a fan of goat cheese then you could whip some feta instead too.
Tips, Tricks & FAQ's
Aside from being organised and working with a clean kitchen the best advice I can offer is to read your recipe thoroughly first so you know exactly what you are doing!
When it comes to cooking bavette steak the main things I suggest are
- Bringing the steak to room temperature before cooking
- Season it generously - salt, your favourite rub or marinade
- It lends itself very well to being marinated but 1-2 hours is sufficient so that the texture doesn't change from the acid in most marinades
- REST IT - this will make the difference between a perfectly cooked steak tasting amazing and a perfectly cooked steak seeming overcooked.
If your butcher doesn't have bavette steak then skirt or flap meat work well too - both are similar in texture and taste. Ribeye steak is another great option but is typically more expensive
Of course - all steak can be cooked in the pan but the method may differ a little. If your steak is 1" thick which it often is you may want to reverse sear it or finish it in the oven so that you aren't left with a grey ring around your meat. This happens when you sear a steak for too long.
My advice is to sear the steak for 2 minutes per side in a hot pan and then transfer to a wire rack on a baking tray and finish it in the oven @ 250c for approx 6 minutes (size depending) or until internal temperature is 48-52c
It sure is - bavette is the fancy name they use in France for flank steak. Let's face it bavette does sound a whole lot sexier - doesn't it?
I often eat bavette on its own with potatoes and veg, it's wonderfully marinated and used in tacos or fajitas. It's a great one for breakfast - steak and eggs for the family, is there a stronger way to start the day?
The Perfect Wine Pairing
Is there such a thing? Wine is a very suggestive thing and peoples tastes are often very different. That being said thanks to Tom over at The Pawn Wine Co I think we might have cracked it! Tom's wines are made to drink (aren't all wines?), this means they are wines that you don't need to think too hard about. Just whip open that screwcap, pour it in your favourite glass and enjoy. He prices them so they are affordable but boy does he make a mean drop.
The El Desperado range was made up as a "last move". Their first vintage was in 2011 where sadly the pawn was sacrificed. A horrific year for winemakers with a terribly wet summer. There was never a plan to make the El Desperado range but like every business (especially winemaking) you often have to roll with the punches and do what you can.
Well, with that being said, I for one and I'm sure the 100's of others who have purchased from the range is glad it came about. El Desperado 'red blend' is 100% crushable is the phrase that comes to mind! Looking back over my notes the finishing line was "this is a wine I'm buying a case of" - midweek quaffing, weekend party in the house it'll tick everyone's box.
Notes of cherry cola, raspberries, a touch of menthol/eucalyptus, rhubarb, clove and white pepper is what I get. It's budget-friendly and even friendlier in the palate too!
Alternative Steak Recipes
Inspired by my delicious steak salad and need more steak dishes in your world? Check out these guys below for some inspiration!
Steak, Tomato, Brie & Anchovy Crostini
Steak Tacos - Carne Asada Style
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
Steak
- 800 g bavette steak flap or skirt steak
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Salad
- 4 yellow peaches
- 4 truss tomatoes
- ½ red onion
- 1 handful rocket
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 4 tbsp cream
- 1 lemon zested
- 100 g goat cheese
- pinch salt
Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- mixing bowl x 2
- whisk
- small food processor
- zester/microplane
Instructions
Steak
- Remove steak 30 minutes prior to cooking
- Heat BBQ to 300c
- Rub steak in olive oil and season generously with salt or your favourite BBQ rub
- Sear for 3-4 minutes per side or internal temperature is 52c, remove from BBQ and rest on a wire rack for 8-10 minutes before slicing
Salad
- Mix all dressing ingredients together – set aside
- In a small food processor blitz the cheese for 30 seconds. Then add cream, salt & lemon zest and blend together
- Peel and slice the onion finely
- Destone the peaches and cut each peach/tomato into 8 wedges
- Toss the peach, tomatoes & onion together with ½ the dressing
- Place the whipped goat cheese on a plate smoothing it out and top with peach mixture, add a handful of rocket and drizzle with remaining salad dressing
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