Allow 300-400g steak per person. Any tender steak can be used; rump
steak has the best flavour, but fillet, which lacks fat, has less
wastage.
Trim any excess fat from steak, cut into 2cm cubes ready for cooking.
Cooking Liquid
Cooking liquid should be about 3 in, deep in fondue pot - enough to
cover steak generously while it is cooking. Any of the following can be
used.
Oil: Cooking oil of any type can be used. A clove of garlic
can be added while oil is heating; remove it when oil is hot. If left
too long in the oil, the garlic will become bitter.
Oil-and-butter: Fill fondue pot with oil to depth of 3 in.,
add I lb. butter, heat these together. Butter gives the steak extra
flavour.
Brandied Butter-and-Oil: In this method, more butter than oil
is used. For fondue pot of usual capacity (3 to 32 pints) 1 lb. of
butter and 1 cup oil is required. For extra flavour, add 3 tablespoons
brandy.
Heat these three ingredients together gently. Heat should be slightly
lower for this combination than the others; steak will also be paler
when cooked, without a brown crust. This combination gives greatest
flavour to the meat.
Guests spear a morsel of steak on a fork, then cook it at the table.
A second fork is needed to eat the steak - the fondue fork would be too
hot. A second piece of steak can be cooking while first is being eaten.
Serve with any of the following: Tossed green salad; baked
potatoes, topped, when cooked with sour cream, chopped chives and crisp
crumbled bacon; hot crusty bread; french or english mustard; asparagus
spears; canned artichoke hearts; radishes; canned baby corn cobs; heated
potato crisps.