Tenderloin Steak Tartare with Dijonnaise and Slow-Cooked Quail Egg
Tartare de Bœuf·(tar-tar duh buhf)
Chapter 1: Starters & Salads
Tartare is the ultimate litmus test of a kitchen's integrity. There is nowhere to hide bad beef, and no forgiving a clumsy knife. If you want the old-school, blood-and-guts glamour of a dark wood-paneled dining room before the porterhouse even hits the table, it starts right here. Impeccably sourced USDA Prime, cut relentlessly by hand—never ground—bound with sharp mustard, capers, and the velvet rush of a slow-cooked quail egg. Serve it cold, unapologetically raw, and with a freezing-cold three-olive dirty martini waiting in the wings.
Before you start
Chill your tools and plates.
Keep your metal mixing bowls and serving plates in the freezer before you begin; raw beef must remain dangerously cold at all times to preserve its texture and color.
Ingredients
- quail eggs6
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- shallot1 large
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- heavy cream1/2 cup
- Dijon mustard2 tbsp
- USDA Prime beef tenderloin1 lb
- shallot3 tbsp
- capers2 tbsp
- cornichons2 tbsp
- flat-leaf parsley2 tbsp
- fresh chives1 tbsp
- extra-virgin olive oil1 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tsp
- Tabasco sauce1/2 tsp
- chicken egg yolk1 large
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Cook the quail eggs with thermodynamic precision.
Set a sous vide bath to exactly 63°C (145.4°F), drop the quail eggs in using a slotted spoon for 15 to 20 minutes, then plunge them immediately into an ice bath to halt the cooking.
- 02
Reduce the Dijonnaise base.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, sweat the minced shallot until translucent, then deglaze with the white wine and reduce until the pan is nearly dry.
- 03
Whisk in the heavy cream and mustard.
Stir in the cream, gently simmering until it coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the heat, vigorously whisk in the Dijon mustard, and pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to cool.
- 04
Firm the tenderloin.
Wrap the trimmed beef in plastic wrap and stash it in the freezer for thirty to forty-five minutes so it surrenders cleanly to the knife.
- 05
Mince the beef strictly au couteau.
Slice the firmed meat against the grain into eighth-inch slabs, cut those into matchsticks, and then slice crosswise into a perfect, tiny brunoise before transferring to a metal bowl set over ice.
- 06
Dress the tartare.
Gently fold the minced shallots, capers, cornichons, herbs, olive oil, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and raw chicken egg yolk into the cold beef using a fork to preserve the texture, folding in the salt and pepper right before plating.
- 07
Plate the dish.
Swoosh the chilled Dijonnaise onto a plate, gently pack the meat into a ring mold, make a tiny well on top, and carefully slide your slow-cooked quail egg right into the center.
Notes
The Steakhouse Martini Rule.
Before the tartare arrives, you need a bracingly cold cocktail. A proper steakhouse dirty martini requires exact proportions: 2.5 oz London Dry Gin or Vodka, 0.5 oz Dry Vermouth, and 0.5 to 1.0 oz premium olive brine. Stir it in a glass pitcher with dense ice for exactly thirty seconds. Never shake it. Strain into a frozen glass and garnish with exactly three olives—an even number is bartender lore for terrible luck, and grounds for sending it back.
The Shelling Technique.
Do not try to peel a 63°C quail egg like a hard-boiled egg. Locate the fat end where the air bubble lives, lop off the cap with a razor-sharp paring knife, and gently slide the delicate, custard-like egg out intact.