Techniques and Tips in Styling Grilled Steak

Careful and meticulous are the words in preparing this task. The task started up with looking for the best cut of steak – it can be a 'handsome looking' sirloin steak, rib-eyes or tenderloin or any cuts of beef that is 'perfect and good looking'. So your culinary skill is applied in finding a good ‘actor’ for this purpose.
What are needed for this task?
1. A nice cut of beef – sirloin, tenderloin, rib-eyes etc.
2. Iron rod or electrical grill marker.
3. Ruler.
4. Painting brush.
5. Sugar, caramel or soy sauce
6. Brown sauce / tomato / chilli / oyster sauce
7. Thickening agents – corn flour / wheat flour.
8. Selected vegetables
9. Potatoes or any starches.
10. Serving plate and cutleries
11. Printer syringe.
12. Props – according to the concept you want it to be. If you wanted to create a classical atmosphere a red wine with glass will be appropriate.

First, take a good and nice looking beef - portion size type will do. Put it on the back of a roasting tray. Make a mark on the tray alongside the steak at both side, using a ruler and a marker. Make sure the lines are parallel. Meanwhile heat up iron rod until it turn red (real hot). Press the hot iron rod onto the meat (or in other word brand the meat with the the hot iron rod) but do not press it too hard because it can cause a deep mark which does not present a real grill mark. Do it one at a time or the meat will stick to the rod when it turns cold. Do a 'x-cross' mark to give the meat a nice and perfect looking grill mark.
In a non-stick pan, heat up a little oil with a little bit butter and sprinkle with sugar. Let the sugar caramelized. Sear the steak and let slightly cook the meat surface (do not fully cook it). Do not over-cook it. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable as an accompaniment to the steak. Choose bright color vegetables such as Broccoli, Carrot, Zucchini, Courgettes etc. Do not blanch it too long in hot water.
Tips:
1. Put a bit of bicarbonate soda in the boiling water when blanching green vegetable. This will make green vegetable turn perfect green.
2. Add a bit of sugar and butter when blanching carrot. It will make carrot look crispy and shining.
3. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice or put a pinch of cream of tartar when blanching white vegetable such as cauliflower and white radish – it will make them looking nice looking white.
For the sauce, you may use brown sauces which are slightly thickened. Or you may also use oyster sauce which may resemble a brown sauce. Slightly thicken this sauce put some garnishing to it such as sliced cooked mushroom or crushed black peppercorn, this will give a body to the sauce. This is to resemble mushroom sauce or black pepper sauce, relatively.
Use your creativity and imagination before plating.
Tips:
1. To put a sauce onto a plate you may use a syringe (syringe that are use to refill printer ink) and squeeze it onto a plate.
2. Or you may also use brush to brush a sauce onto a plate. This will give an artistic impression to you food.
3. To make your steak look stand-up. You may put a crumble aluminum paper behind it to raise the level.
4. Use brush to paint the steak with thick soy sauce. Look for uncooked spot and brush it.
Putting a sauce onto the plate using the syringe.
You may present it in many ways. Talk to your photographer on how you want your audience to look at it. A close-up, the finish whole dish (the whole plate) or may also seek advice from you photographer.