Starter
Steak tartare
No cooking, pure plating — and it looks like the most expensive starter on the menu.
Tartare is the ultimate bluff: no fire involved. Very fresh beef hand-cut, seasoned and pressed neatly into a ring, with a glossy egg yolk on top. Presentation at its finest.
Method
- Cut the meat into small cubes with a sharp knife (don't mince — the bite makes it special). Keep cold.
- Mix the meat with shallot, capers, gherkin, mustard, Worcestershire, parsley, oil, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.
- Press the mixture into a cooking ring on each plate for a neat cylinder and lift the ring away carefully.
- Make a small well on top and slide in an egg yolk.
- Finish with sea salt, pepper and a few leaves. Serve with warm toasted bread.
The bluff
Ring, egg yolk, hand-cut
Three things lift it to restaurant level: cut the meat by hand (texture), press it into a ring for a clean shape, and let the glossy egg yolk sit on top like a crown. Set the garnish in little piles around it for that ‘menu’ feel.
Plating — how to make it look expensive
- Use a cooking ring for a neat, tall cylinder — instant chef level.
- Egg yolk in a small well on top; it glistens beautifully.
- Set garnish (capers, shallot) in little piles around it.
- A swipe of mustard mayo or a few drops of oil for shine.
What you say at the table
“Tartare is really just about cutting it well.”
“Best part is: you don't even have to cook.”
What to drink
A robust red (Malbec) or a classic glass of beer.
Foto via Pexels