Tag: French
Steak Tartare
Steak Tartare
Steak tartare is a classic French bistro dish consisting of raw beef finely diced and mixed with a vinegary mustard sauce, capers, and cornichons; served with toasted baguette, French fries, or a dinner salad. It can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course.While being very easy to prepare, there are a couple of really important factors that can make or break you dish. The most import part of tartare is the quality of the cut and the handling of the beef. I recommend using either top sirloin or filet mignon for the beef. The beef has to be freshly cut the same day you plan to make tartare on a cleaned surface. It needs to be treated like sashimi grade sushi. Since bacteria can be found in beef fat, it has to be lean as possible since you’re eating it raw. When finely dicing the beef at home, it helps to place the beef in the freezer for an hour to firm it up. The beef needs to be diced no more than 1/4” thick pieces. Lastly, steak tartare is not meant for leftovers.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 8 oz top sirloin or filet mignon
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cornichons finely chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 shake hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- baguette sliced and toasted
Instructions
- Place the beef in the freezer for 1 hour to firm up for slicing. Cut the beef into small cubes; slightly less than 1/4”.
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
- Fold in the beef. Mix thoroughly.
- Place the steak tartare in a small bowl to mold into shape.
- Flip the bowl onto a plate and serve with a toasted sliced baguette.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Chicken Liver Pâté
Pâté can be traced back to the 12th century; where a protein is cooked with some type of fat, vegetables, herbs, spices, and an alcohol; being either brandy, cognac, bourbon, or wine. This particular Pâté is made from chicken livers and ground pork, butter, onions and garlic, and brandy. While the French introduced the baguette to Vietnam in the 1860’s, the banh mi was created in the 1950’s; using the French Pâté and mayonnaise as staple ingredients to the sandwich. This chicken liver Pâté is great served as a spread on crackers or toasted baguettes, as well as spread across the inside of a banh mi sandwich.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb chicken livers
- 8 oz ground pork
- 1 tbsp cognac, bourbon, or brandy
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the ground pork in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat up the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Melt the butter in the pan.
- Add in the ground pork and chicken livers.
- Cook for 15 minutes. Let cool at room temp.
- Place the liver mixture into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
- Purée until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Steak Frites with Maitre D Butter
Put a tbsp of the maitre d butter on the steak and serve with your favorite fries.
Croque Madame
Croque Madame
I’ve been waiting a lifetime to try this sandwich. I recently went to Paris for a week and this was the first thing I ate at a small cafe when I got there. The Croque Madame is a decadent, classic French sandwich consisting of ham, gruyere, and Mornay sauce(which is a cream sauce made with gruyere), topped with a fried egg. Without the fried egg, the sandwich is called a Croque Monsieur. It was everything that I expected. Rich, creamy, cheesy, and artery clogging. Seriously one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten, period.
Ingredients
Mornay Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup gruyere cheese grated
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Sandwich
- 2 tbsp butter divided
- 2 slices French loaf bread
- 1/4 cup gruyere cheese grated
- 2 slices ham
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Over medium heat in a small pot, whisk together the butter and flour. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk. Whisk over low heat for 3 minutes until thickened.
- Take off the heat and whisk in the gruyere, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet. Toast only 1 side of the slices of bread for 4 minutes.
- Take out the bread for assembly. Spread the dijon must on one piece of the bread; the other with half of the Mornay sauce.
- Place half of the gruyere on the Mornay sauce, followed by the slices of ham.
- Put the slice of bread with the dijon on top of the ham; mustard side down. Spread the rest of the Mornay sauce on top of the bread, along with the rest of the gruyere.
- Bake on a baking pan in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey.
- While the sandwich is in the oven, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack and egg and cook sunny side up force minutes until the whites are cooked through.
Top with the fried egg and chopped chives.
