Armed with a thick cut of ribeye steak and a bottle of Son Tinh Man Do, Nicola Ceccomoro serves up a modern take on French/Vietnamese cuisine…
 
For Nicola Ceccomoro, Head Chef and Co-owner of Cugini, quality always sits at the top of the s hopping list. Whether he’s stocking up on local produce from the market or experimenting with Vietnamese ingredients at home, sourcing the finest ingredients is always essential.
 
Working with Son Tinh is no different. “We chose the best cut of beef available,” Nico explains. “We wanted to highlight the potential of Son Tinh in this peppercorn steak, making sure our recipe showed off its unique flavours.”
 
This mix of French cuisine and Vietnamese ingredients lands comfortably in the ‘fusion’ category. Fusion dishes, according to Nico, are a risky yet rewarding endeavour. They’re either a triumph or a failure.
 
The key is to have the confidence to taste the ingredients individually and let your imagination run wild. Most of the time you’ll get it right.
   

Ingredients

For the steak

 
350gr ribeye steaks at room temperature
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
A sprig of thyme, rosemary, and sage
2 or 3 garlic cloves
25g of unsalted butter
50 ml of Son Tinh Man Do for deglazing
Pink salt, freshly ground pepper
 

For the Son Tinh demi-glace 

15 g Butter, diced
80 ml of Son Tinh Man Do
2 Tbsp pink peppercorns or alternatively freshly ground black pepper
100ml Beef demi-glace
 

Method

 

Step 1. Preheat your pan on high heat until you can see a wisp of smoke.
Step 2. Add oil to the skillet. Season your steak with salt and pepper and sear for a couple of minutes on each side.
Once caramelized, rest your steak off the heat for about 5 minutes.
 
Step 3. Heat your pan again. Add crushed cloves of garlic, fresh herbs, butter and baste your steak.
 
Step 4. Once cooked to your preference, remove the steak from the skillet to rest and wipe the pan with a kitchen towel.
Step 5. Pop 40g of the butter into the skillet on the medium heat and allow to melt. Add the peppercorns and roast them for about 30 seconds.
 
Step 6. Turn up the heat to high. Add Son Tinh Man Do and flambé, then add the beef demi-glace. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and let it reduce by half. Season to taste.
Step 7. Carve the steak, glaze over the sauce and serve.
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