Steak tartare

This is a decadent treat for a special occasion. It requires a little bit of effort, a few special ingredients and a very sharp knife, but it’s totally worth it! The raw egg yolk is a traditional French addition that adds richness and emulsifies seasoning – we like quail eggs here (if you can find them!) as they are smaller and less intimidating. Traditionally, beef fillet is used for tartare, but bavette is a much more economical alternative. This is our steak tartare. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

• 400g Wyndham’s bavette 

• 50g cornichons, roughly chopped 

• 25g capers, roughly chopped 

• 25g parsley, finely chopped

• 3 small shallots, finely chopped 

• Salt and pepper 

• 25ml extra virgin olive oil 

• 4 quail eggs

• 25g chives, finely chopped – to garnish 

• Tabasco pepper sauce (optional – to taste)

Dressing:

• 100g ketchup

• 25g Dijon mustard 

• Juice of ½ lemon 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

To serve:

• Crusty bread, crisps or fries

Method:

• First, start by preparing your bavette. Bavette has long, pronounced muscle fibres - place it so the grain (muscle lines) runs horizontally across your cutting board. Slice across the grain into strips about 3–4 mm wide (roughly the thickness of a matchstick). This shortens the fibres for tenderness. Rotate the strips 90° and cut again into short batons of 3–4 mm. This keeps pieces uniform and prevents stringy mouthfeel. Gather the batons and dice them into 3–4 mm cubes. Avoid mincing as tartare needs small cubes, not mush. Work gently to keep the meat pieces distinct, which preserves texture and juiciness. Keep the diced bavette chilled until you are ready to dress it. 

• To make your dressing, combine the ketchup, Dijon and lemon juice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. 

• When you are ready to make your steak tartare, an option here is to use a circular pastry mould (around 8-9cm diameter) to press the tartare into uniform circles. This is helpful but not essential.

• To make the steak tartare – add your diced bavette to a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and stir through so the beef is evenly coated. Next add the cornichons, capers, parsley, shallots and dressing – stir to combine. Divide the tartare equally between four plates – either pressing out with the mould or into small mounds. Top each with a quail egg yolk, and garnish the steak tartare with chives. Bon appetit!