It is possible to prepare and serve a restaurant-quality steak tartare dish in your own home.
Ingredients
8ozhigh-quality beef tenderloin
1.5 ozfinely minced shallots
3Tbsp sherry vinegar
1Tbsp Dijon mustard
3Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1Tbsp capers, rinsed & minced
1/8 clove of raw garlic, finely minced
4drops Tabasco sauce
3pickled cornichons, finely minced
4finely minced chives
½tspfreshly ground black pepper
2egg yolksoptional
Salt, to taste, -- this is the most important part!
Instructions
Locate your sharpest knife, and proceed to sharpen the blade until it is dangerously sharp.
Clean and dry the knife.
Place your meat in the freezer on a sheet of parchment.
You want the beef to be frozen enough to cut into planks, but not completely frozen.
Place your minced shallots, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, capers, raw garlic, and minced cornichons in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Allow the mixture to sit for 15 mins and stir to recombine.
Cut your beef into 1/8” thick “planks” or slices.
Place the 1/8” thick slices flattened out onto parchment back in the freezer for 5 minutes.
The idea here is to not freeze the beef completely, but get it cold enough to slice and cube cleanly.
When adequately cooled, cut the planks into small 1/8” wide julienne slices.
Cut those slices into 1/8” cubes.
Place the diced meat in a small bowl on ice.
When ready to serve, mix the meat with the shallot, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil mixture you made earlier.
Stir in the fresh chives and mix to combine.
Season with salt and black pepper and adjust seasoning for personal preference.
Place the meat mixture into a circle on the plate, and top with a fresh egg yolk if desired.
Serve with French fries and garlic aioli.
Notes
This dish is best prepared in the quantity that you anticipate consuming in a single evening. Any leftover cubed beef will not last well in the fridge, and is best cut fresh on the same day that you intend to serve the dish.