Rump steak with soured cream, garlic and artichokes

Method

1. Preheat the oven 200C/180 Fan/Gas 6.

2. Halve the white part of the leek lengthways and put it on a baking tray. Bake until completely black (this can take up to 1½ hours). Leave to cool completely, then blend to a fine powder in a food processor and set aside.

3. Mix the garlic with the soured cream, season with salt, cover and leave to infuse for 1 hour.

4. Slice the green part of the leek, weigh it, then put it in a food processor. Weigh out the same amount of oil, then add this to the processor and blend. Strain the mixture through a sieve and set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan/Gas 4. Put the artichokes on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and roast for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

6. Warm the milk in a saucepan, then pour into the food processor. Add half the roast artichokes and blend to a purée. Add a third of the butter and blend again until smooth.

7. Fill a deep-fat fryer or large, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan two-thirds full with oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in 1 minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Tear the remaining roast artichokes into rough pieces and deep fry until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.

8. Heat a glug of oil in a large pan. Season the steak with salt and pepper and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Add half the remaining butter to the pan and baste the steak. Transfer to a plate, cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, for the beef sauce, pour the stock into the steak pan and simmer until reduced by more than half. Whisk in the remaining butter.

10. To serve, smear the artichoke purée on a plate. Thinly slice the steak and place over the purée. Scatter the deep-fried artichoke pieces around the steak and drizzle over some of the leek oil. Spoon over the soured cream and beef sauce and finish with a sprinkle of leek dust.