Steak Tartare

This is a slight variation on the classic french dish. I’ve usually found the french version a bit too fond of the brown mustard, so I’ve cut it way back in this version.

I can’t stress enough the importance of getting “tartar” quality tenderloin. Do not hesitate to tell the butcher that you are making tartar and ask if the tenderloin is tartar quality–would he serve it raw to his children?

When you can get tartar quality beef, this is really a truly wonderful dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef tenderloin
• 1/2 teaspoon of brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Maggi seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 teaspoon minced chive
• 2 teaspoon minced parsley
• your favorite flatbread or sliced french bread to serve

Directions

1. Trim the fat from meat and cut into 1 inch cubes. Places in a food processor and pulse 6 times.
2. In a non-reactive bowl, stir in brown mustard, olive oil, maggi seasoning, salt, and pepper.
3. Place on individual plates divided into 4 portions. Press down to form even mounds. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
4. To serve, make a well at the top of each mound and deposit a raw egg yolk.
5. Next to each portion place a heaping spoonful of onion, chopped chives, and minced parsley. Place a small mound of salt and pepper.
6. Serve immediately with french or flat bread (or for the gluten free like me, mildly toasted spelt bread cut in to triangles).

How Not to Screw it Up

1. Pulse the tenderloin exactly 6 times. If you do it one time too many, keep going to 10 and make hamburgers–you’ve made it too fine to use for tartar.
2. You just want the yolk of the egg to sit on the top of the mound of tartar: not the egg white. When you crack the egg, rotate the yoke back and forth between the halves of shell until the egg white falls away. If you don’t lose the egg white, you will drown the tartar in too much egg! (Trust me! I’ve done this before. It’s a slimy mess made of expensive beef!). If you can find them, quail eggs are the best. Even if you screw up with the egg white, there is too little egg substance to make a diff.
3. When you plate the tartar, I highly recommend that the salt you lie to the side be Ile de Re. It’s a fabulous french sea salt, and the grains are very large. It makes not only for a great presentation, but a very tasty topper on the tartar.