Last year, I wrote a blog post titled Lazy Man’s Lobster. Our friend Martin, who is a professional chef turned private chef, gave me lobsters that were leftovers from a dinner party he cooked for his employer.
He said the lobsters were on their last legs, and I needed to cook them that day, which I did, and boy, were they good!
This morning, Martin called me and told me he was giving me leftover parts of a whole beef filet; he wouldn’t use it, and it would rot in his fridge. I quickly said, OK!
Martin walked over from across the street and told me it needed to be cleaned. I never cleaned a beef filet before, but I had no doubt I could do it. I’ve been practicing butchering all sorts of proteins for a couple of years.
Later in the day, I began cleaning the filet. I knew Martin used the center portion of the filet, which makes for uniform steaks. He didn’t use the “head or tail,” which was what I was left with.
This is what a whole beef filet looks like. I got both the end pieces.
I removed all the fat and connective tissue, then I put what I ended up with into four piles; garbage, dog food for Klaus, three small bright red filet mignon, and the small bits of bright red trimmings.
I tied the three filet mignon steaks with butcher twine so they formed a perfect circle. The pieces were about and inch and a half thick. I patted them dry, seasoned them with salt, and put them on a cooling rack uncovered in the fridge.
This is not my photo; it’s a Pinterest image, but this is exactly what my steaks looked like.
This technique dries the beef so you can get a great sear on your meat. It really works! The steaks sat in the fridge for around five hours.
Next, I started a pot of stew for Klaus because it was a shame to get rid of the meat that turned slightly gray since last night. I seared the beef pieces and added baby carrots and celery to the pot. I added dried rosemary, thyme, and water. I let it braise for 3 hours.
I minced the small bits of beef, threw it in a bowl, and got into the fridge immediately. I knew I wanted to make French classic beef tartar; I’ve had beef tartar at a German Fest at the Garden State Art Center when I was a kid, but never made it before or had a classic French tartar.
Since I only had a small amount of minced beef, I had to improvise the ingredients I found in one of my French cookbooks. After I made the egg mixture, I put it into the refrigerator with the minced beef.
I would be mixing the tartar à Ia menuet, which means at the last minute in French. I got out a cookie round that I would use to form the tartar on our plates.
I decided to make a small French bistro salad with a simple classic vinaigrette. I made the vinaigrette in a small jar and put it aside. I tore bits of romaine lettuce and put them into a bowl, popped it into the fridge, and quick-pickled a little red onion. I would assemble at serving.
I thought about what I wanted to top the filet mignon with, which isn’t as flavorful as other steaks but tender as hell. Chefs usually top with one of the French mother sauces or compound butter.
I was craving bearnaise sauce, but I had the brilliant idea of making a bearnaise compound butter. When I tasted the bearnaise butter, I said out loud, well, holy shit, it does taste like bearnaise sauce!
I was tickled pink since bearnaise is a pain in the ass to make, and now I didn’t have to make one but will get the same flavor.
The other day, I picked up a package of parsnips. Martin made parsnip puree as a side for his dinner one night; it was my best bite of 2019. I’ve duplicated his recipe many times, which he finds flattering but always says, “fuck you, Julz,” whenever I tell him I made it. 😂
For the parsnip puree, I cut the parsnips into small pieces. I add them to a saucepan with two crushed cloves of garlic, a knob of butter, and milk to almost cover the parsnips and finish with a touch of cream.
I brought them to a slow simmer and covered them. I let them simmer for twenty minutes or so. After my timer went off, I poked them with a fork to check for tenderness. I moved them off the heat and put the lid back on, setting it aside.
I put the parsnips and liquid into a food processor. I let it process for five minutes. I tested the puree for a velvety smooth texture. I tasted and adjusted the seasoning. I put the puree back into the pot and kept it warm.
Just looking at what I wrote, I know some of you are thinking what a whack job I am, spending my only day off in the kitchen. Experimenting and making dishes for the first time is a learning experience.
Prepping and cooking are my zen. I love to cook elegant and delicious meals, even if it is only for Marty and myself. The more I cook, the better I get at it.
I mixed the beef tartar and plated it. I quickly dressed the lettuce and thinly sliced pickled red onion and vinaigrette. I tossed it with my hand and tasted it for seasoning; I added salt and pepper and placed it next to the tartar on the plate.
I served this as a first course. My plate looked stunning. I realized this was the first photo I took. I was annoyed with myself for not taking photos of prepping the beef. I know why I didn’t; I would have to wash my hands over and over to pick up my iPhone.
This course was something right out of a Paris or French bistro. I wouldn’t change a thing. The tartar was tender and very flavorful; the vinaigrette and the pickled red onion did their job by cutting through the richness of the tartar, making it a well-balanced dish.
Now comes the moment of truth, cooking the filet mignons a perfect rare. I knew if I went past the internal temperature of 120 degrees, they would be overcooked. Meat continues to cook while it rests, raising the temperature as high as 5-7 more degrees.
I did not want to fuck these babies up. I reminded myself I’ve cooked steaks perfectly for years; why would today be any different because it’s an expensive cut of beef?
I got my blue steel pan as hot as possible with the flame on high. I salted and peppered the steaks; then, I added a swirl of canola oil. I added the steaks, pressing them down to make good contact with the pan. This creates a maillard reaction or a beautiful crust.
A Pinterest image that looked like my steaks.
I waited 2-3 minutes and checked the sear on the meat; it was perfect. I flipped them over and seared the other side for another 2 minutes. I seared the sides of the steaks and checked the temperature.
Yikes, they were at 120 degrees. I got them out of the pan quickly and let them rest. Shit, it’s a good thing I checked the temp when I did. I hate overcooked beef, especially ones that should be rare/medium rare, according to French chefs.
I set the steaks on a plate and added the compound butter to the still-hot pan. I twirled the pan, melting the butter. I began to smell the vinegar, shallots, and finally, tarragon. I was drooling; it smelled so wonderful.
We usually eat our steaks medium rare, but for filet mignon, we like them done rare. They were not RAW like Gordon Ramsey screams at chefs.
I plated the filet mignon, then I drizzled some of the melted bearnaise butter on top. I added a dollop of parsnip puree, and viola! Dinner was served.
Our dinner was incredibly delicious; the steak melted in your mouth, it was so tender, and the parsnips? They were sexy af; so smooth and velvety.
I was very pleased with what I created. I love cooking familiar comfort food, but teaching myself to cook fine dining dishes without a recipe is a big accomplishment for me. I added another two notches to my cooking apron yesterday. 🤗
