European · Starter · From the menu Sobremesa
Beef tartare, cured yolk
Tartar de ternera, yema curada
Fillet chopped by hand, dressed sharp, with an egg yolk cured for two days in salt and sugar until it grates like a hard cheese. No raw yolk on top, which is the version most people have had.
Two rules. Chop it, never mince it, because a mincer crushes the fibres and the texture goes to paste. And dress it in the last minute before it leaves the kitchen, because acid on raw beef starts cooking it and after ten minutes the colour has gone brown at the edges.
Ingredients
- 600 g beef fillet tail, very cold, all sinew removed
- 6 egg yolks for curing, plus 300 g each of salt and sugar
- 2 shallots, very finely diced
- 2 tbsp capers, chopped
- 4 cornichons, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp good olive oil
- Tabasco, flaked salt, black pepper
- Chives, and toast or crisps to serve
Method
- Two days ahead, mix the salt and sugar. Spread half in a small tray, make six dips with a spoon, sit a yolk in each, and cover completely with the rest. Refrigerate 48 hours.
- Lift the yolks out, brush off the cure, rinse very briefly and pat dry. They should be firm and translucent, like amber. Air-dry them on a rack in the fridge for a few hours.
- Chill the beef until it is almost frozen at the edges. Slice it thin, then into strips, then into small dice with a very sharp knife. Keep the pieces distinct, about 3 mm.
- Keep the diced beef on ice, covered, until the moment of service.
- Mix the shallot, capers, cornichons, mustard, Worcestershire and oil in a separate bowl.
- One minute before serving, fold the dressing through the beef with a fork. Season with salt, pepper and one drop of Tabasco. Taste and adjust; it should be sharper than feels right on its own, because it is going onto toast.
- Shape lightly on cold plates, grate the cured yolk over the top like parmesan, add chives and serve with hot toast.
Serve it with. Thin, very hot toast, and cold beer rather than wine.