Steak Tartare
is an old-school steak house classic, and this article will show you make it authentically. It will also discuss the ins and outs of finding the right beef and the right butcher for the meat you will use.
Instructions
1. Buy the right cut of steak, from the right butcher. The whole trick behind making a good Steak Tartare is finding good meat from a trusted butcher and having good (or at least decent) knife skills. The best cut for Steak Tartare is the sirloin. While cuts like the tenderloin (the fillet of Mignon fame) are tender and delicious, the sirloin has a little more fat to it, which we want in this dish, but is still much more tender than a cut like a flank steak or a round steak. Have the butcher cut the meat into small pieces, but do not have him grind it. It should not be ground, but chopped very, very finely. This should be done just prior to preparing the dish. Also, go to a good butcher and don't be afraid to pay more for the higher grade meat. Because we will not be cooking the beef, it will be less forgiving. Every flaw will be apparent. This may be a bit of a splurge, but it isn't every day that one eats a Steak Tartare.
2. Cut the meat. You will be able to cut everything exactly as you need to as long as you have a sharp knife and patience. Don't be afraid to go slow if you aren't a seasoned pro. It is vitally important for this dish to come together that every piece be, not only very small, but of relatively uniform size. Start with the meat. Begin by taking the cubes of meat from the butcher and cubing them into smaller pieces. These pieces should literally be a half centimeter in length, width and depth. Toss them into the bowl and set aside.
3. Chop the veggies and anchovies. Start with the parsley. Take the bushel of parsley and roll it up like a cigar. Begin cutting strips of the parsley until you reach the stems. Line up the strips and cut again, dicing the strips into small pieces. When you finish, the parsley should be a pile of dust-sized pieces. Set aside in its own dish. Take half of a white onion and dice it very finely, and set aside in another dish. Dice the cornichons the same way, setting them aside in a dish. Chop the anchovies until they resemble a paste, and set aside in a dish. The procedure of setting each item aside in a dish, one by one, is for the benefit of the chef that will be preparing this dish in front of her guests. Steak Tartare is a dish that is traditionally prepared in front of whomever is going to eat it. This began because it ensured its freshness, but has become part of the ritual of the dish. I highly encourage you to include this as part of the preparation. It is as fun to prepare as it is to watch.
4. Assemble the Steak Tartare. Once the chopped veggies and pulverized anchovies are in separate dishes, dole out the rest of the ingredients into separate dishes as well. Place these dishes around the large bowl filled with ice, in which the metal bowl sits with the meat inside. Have the meat molded into a loaf shape and set one of the egg yolks in the middle. This signifies a pre-mixed Steak Tartare. Once your guests are ready, you may prepare the Steak Tartare. One by one, toss each ingredient, including an extra egg yolk, into the bowl. Whip the mixture with the tines of a large fork, quickly. Once combined, serve individual portions onto small cocktail plates. Anoint with a drop more of olive oil and serve with toast points and a small arugula salad. This serves four.
Tags: Steak Tartare, aside dish, this dish, butcher meat, into bowl