Chicken fried steak with country gravy

Pound the steaks between sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm, then season with 3 g salt. In a shallow dish mix the 130 g coating flour with 3 g salt and 0.5 g pepper. Crack and beat the eggs in another shallow dish and weigh the stated amount without shells. Whisk this amount with the cream and 120 ml milk. Coat each steak in flour, then egg mixture, then flour again, gently shaking off excess. Discard coating leftovers that touched raw beef. Keep the sauce flour, milk and seasonings separate.

Place a rack over a tray in an oven at 100 °C. Heat all the oil in a heavy skillet about 26 cm across, aiming for 180 °C on a thermometer. Fry the steaks in batches without overlapping for about 3 min per side, until golden and cooked to at least 75 °C at the centre for 30 s. Drain on the rack and keep warm briefly while making the gravy.

Turn off the heat. Carefully transfer the hot cooking fat after frying to a heatproof container, then return 45 ml to the skillet with the browned, unburnt pan juices. Set aside the remaining bath for disposal once cool. Add the reserved 20 g flour and stir over medium heat for about 2 min. Gradually whisk in the remaining 360 ml milk, then add 2 g salt, 0.5 g pepper and all the cayenne. Simmer for about 5 min until the gravy coats a spoon. Serve the steaks with all the gravy.