Steak Tartare
On a drizzly day in Paris, I dried off at a modest bistro near my hotel in St. Germaine. At the maître d’s recommendation, I ordered the steak tartare. It arrived on a silver plate, surrounded by paper-thin potato crisps, and I became the happiest tourist in the room. I felt the same way when I made it later with my friend Rachael in a cave in the Loire: We chopped fresh meat on a stone table before topping it with an egg yolk and gobbling it up on rye toast.
Some French cooks choose to blend the egg yolk into the meat, but my French friends insist the yolk should be placed on top. I serve my tartare with buttery crackers or crispy potato chips, and never without sliced pickles and mustard. But however you present it, if your ingredients are fresh, you’ll have a hearty (and beautiful) dish that just might brighten your day.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Steak Tartare:
12 ounces (350g) beef tenderloin
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1½ tablespoons capers
1 anchovy filet, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 small egg yolks
Toast, butter crackers, or potato chips for serving
Process
Cut the tenderloin into ¼-inch cubes, then place in freezer for 20 minutes. Remove from freezer and finely chop. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking to combine. Stir in the onion, parsley, capers, anchovy, 1½ teaspoons of the lemon zest, and the salt and pepper. Gently fold in the beef until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Serve on 4 chilled plates, each topped with an egg yolk.
Serve on toast, crackers, or potato chips. Garnish with parsley and the remaining ½ teaspoon lemon zest.
