Monday, August 17, 2009

Martin Picard's Steak Tartare


A few months ago, I ventured into a lovely french bistro in Montreal's Mile End neighborhood and had the opportunity to eat beef tartare [a french dish of raw meat marinated in acid that originated in Central Asia with the Tatar people]. The only other tartare I had come across during my time in Montreal was at the famous Au Pied de Cochon, where chef Martin Picard prepared a refreshing venison tartare.

Picard published a cookbook back in 2006, and lucky for me, the New York Times published his venison tartare recipe months later. So when this afternoon, I was feeling a bit risque, I became obsessed with the idea of preparing Picard's dish.

Now, Picard's recipe calls for venison, but let's be honest, beef is just as great. Please please please be sure to get the freshest meat possible. This dish is not cooked. It sits in an acidic marinade for some time, but not long enough to keep you from feeling the effects of old, bacteria-infested meat. If you live near a butcher, I recommend going there and asking for a lean top sirloin, and it's probably best that you mention you'll be serving it raw. I went to Whole Foods, and the butcher cut 1.5 pounds of top sirloin, instead of picking pieces from the case. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't get sick. It made me happy.

Ingredients:
1 - 1.5 lbs lean top sirloin
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large egg yolks, as fresh as possible (and organic -- salmonella less prevalent in cage free birds)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
a handful of fresh italian parsley, roughly chopped
at least 1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup of dijon mustard (maybe more)
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika

for garnish: arugula, frisee, or any other bitter greens; baby toasts or baguette

It's recommended that you mince/chop the meat as the very last step in the process. Therefore, I prepared my marinade first.

I chopped the garlic, shallots, and parsley and put them in a bowl. Then I added 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Next came the dijon, worchestershire, 2 tablespoons of cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of paprika. I gave it a taste, but honestly, until it was combined with the beef, I really couldn't gauge whether it was the right concentration of taste or not.

After completing the marinade, I used a food processor to chop the meat. Oh boy. It was quick, easy, clean, and the pieces were chopped into perfect sizes. A word of caution: avoid pureeing your meat. Tartare is known for its texture.

I added the egg yolks to the meat, mixed well (with a fork-- it keeps the integrity of the texture intact), and then added the marinade.

The next important step is tasting your creation and determining what is missing. I was hoping for a tartare that had a hint of dijon and a kick at the end. So I added extra mustard and cayenne pepper. Some people prefer their tartare a bit more salty. You can always add what you feel is missing.

When you feel you've achieved the right balance of flavors, stick the tartare in the fridge for a few minutes and start on your garnish. Now, in my opinion, tartare is most delicious when paired with a crispy toast and some bitter greens. My go-to is usually arugula, but I was lucky to find some frisee on sale. The combination was fantastic.

I added a bit of the leftover marinade to the greens, to give them some extra flavor. You can also dress them with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon to really bring the dish together.

Lastly, I arranged my creation so that the tartare could be easily mixed with the greens and spread onto the toasts.


This dish is a bit risque, but absolutely lovely.

I highly recommend it!