Cheese doesn’t last long in my family. The last time I made this recipe, I’d collected exactly the right amount of cheese for the sauce and a couple of the figs from the display in Neal’s Yard dairy. My sister rang to say she was passing through central if I wanted a lift. We headed east along the river but were almost immediately drawn to a halt at Trafalgar Square for 25 minutes. Starving, I suggested a fig. She asked what else I had in the bag and I proudly told her about the delicious bavette and taleggio dish I would be making later. She asked to look at it and, before I knew it, teeth marks had appeared in my carefully collected cheese as well as the fig. Admittedly, it was a perfect combo. We’d finished the lot before making it anywhere near the river.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)

200g bavette steak, room temperature
1 tbsp oil
1 clove of garlic

Large bunch chard
200g taleggio
100ml double cream
Sea salt
Black pepper

Method

Start by making the taleggio sauce. Cut the rind from the taleggio and place the cheese into a heatproof bowl. Bring the double cream to a simmer and then pour into the bowl with the cheese. Cover with cling film for 10 mins until it’s cool enough to blend. Check the seasoning and add a little salt if it needs.

Remove the stems from the chard and cut into 5-10cm wide slices. Add a little olive oil to a pan and add the garlic, then cook for a minute. Add the chard, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of water and put a little on for the ends to soften for 4 mins. Add the leaves and cook for 2 mins longer until they’ve wilted nicely. Set aside with the lid.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Season your steak with salt, pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat an oven proof pan to a really high heat (when you can no longer hover your hand over the pan you know you’re ready to go). Add the steak and cook for 3 mins on both sides and then put into the oven for a further 4 mins.

Stack your plates high with chard. Slice your meat and place on top of the chard and follow with a good helping of taleggio sauce.