Tuesday 26 April 2011

Raw meat... Fillet Steak Tartare

Steak Tartare is one of those dishes that divides opinion.  Even amongst the hardiest of meat eaters you’ll still find people that balk at the thought of raw meat.  

If you put a blue steak in front of me I’d struggle to get through it, let alone enjoy it!  On the other hand if you chopped it up and threw in some seasoning?  Well you guessed it; I’d be wolfing it down.

According to Larousse Gastronomique Tartare is a dish of ground beef served raw with an egg yolk and seasoning.

You’ll struggle to find any two recipes that are the same though.  Even the most cursory Google image search throws up a world of variety and one or two worrying interpretations…

This is my recipe; basic and simple as it is I hope you’ll agree it shows the meat the respect it deserves.  This is best eaten as a starter for two or a main for one if you are feeling greedy.

Ingredients:
200 grams of Fresh Fillet Steak
1 Egg Yolk
1 generous tsp of Capers – You’ll want a couple for garnish
5 Cornichons – One for garnish as well.
1 half a decent sized Shallot.
Salt and Pepper
HOT SAUCE – Tabasco or Chohula are good (to taste)

You will want to start by dicing the shit out of your ingredients.  The secret of dish is creating a fine texture and everything should be the same size.

Use a knife; this should go no where near a blender.  I might forgive you for using a mincer on the meat but you’d probably have to buy me a drink first…

Stick everything in a big bowl and mix it up.  Chill till you are ready to serve and divide into rings on your plates.  Garnish with the remaining capers and cornichon then eat!

It’s pretty nice served with toasted bread or really crunchy fries as a main but I just love it on its own.

7 comments:

  1. Your steak tartare is magnificent! I say so from experience ^_^

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  2. Haha you tried the Camel, tis even nicer with Beef!

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  3. Given your camel tartare was INCREDIBLE I can't imagine how the beef could be even nicer. I could have eaten bowls full of that camel tartare...

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  4. I am liking the reverse-time picture sequence, it's like watching Memento, the kitchen cut ;)

    I've never tried making tartare before, but given my enjoyment of rare and raw meat, and the rave reviews of your camel tartare, perhaps I should start.

    Before I do though, I do solemnly swear never to go near a blender. Scout's honour.

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  5. Haha you are only the second person to notice the reverse sequence, it's kind of a theme I'm doing now! Let me know how you get on if you try it :^)

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