Beef with yoghurt sauce | Auckland Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Auckland

It has become popular in recent times to use yoghurt in sauces that would previously have been based on cream.

It is a practice that wine-loving cooks need to approach with caution, because the resulting acidic bite can clash with the liquid in the glass alongside the plate.

However, when the yoghurt is softened with a little sour cream and used judiciously on the finished dish, it can provide a refreshing zing that seems just right for a springtime lunch.

I have used beef eye fillet, but the dish will work equally well with any cut.

My advice is to cook it no more than medium-rare because the sauce needs to mingle with the pan juices to be at its best. That won't happen if the meat has dried out through overcooking.

Resting the beef is crucial, so don't be concerned if it's not piping hot. It tastes good at room temperature or a little above, and if it is given a few minutes it will be super-tender and moist right through.

20-25cm piece centre-cut beef eye fillet
3 Tbsps pure olive oil
salt and pepper
3 red onions, quartered (some stem attached)
half cup Greek-style unsweetened yoghurt
2 Tbsps prepared horseradish
2 Tbsps "lite" sour cream
2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

Set oven to 180C. Trim silverskin or excess fat from the beef, brush with olive oil and season. Sear all over in a heavy frypan, then transfer to the oven with the onion quarters.

Cook for 12-15 minutes for rare meat, tent foil over it and put aside to rest for at least 15 minutes. The onions might take a little longer than the beef, but are cooked when the edges begin to blacken.

While the meat rests combine yoghurt, horseradish and sour cream and put aside. Toss the onion quarters in extra-virgin olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

To serve, slice beef 1cm-thick and arrange on warmed plates. Scatter the onion quarters over and around the meat and drizzle with the sauce.

Serves 4

Wine match

In France, regional grape-growing regulations make it almost impossible to blend cabernet sauvignon with shiraz, yet the two varieties work together well. The style has become an Australian classic, and few companies have done more to spread the word than Yalumba.

In the range presented at an Auckland lunch last week by the company's international ambassador, Jane Ferrari, were three excellent examples: the big-hearted Yalumba Reserve 2001 is rare and carries a $125 price tag, while the opulent The Signature 2005 will set you back just over $50.

Around $25, however, will buy you a bottle of The Scribbler 2008, an instantly likeable red with charred oak behind its ripe berry and plum aromas and a smooth, richly fruited flavour. It has been nicknamed "The Son of Signature" and, at that price, it's an absolute bargain.