The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Beef tartare Modern take on a classic which is great for parties
MEATY, bold, and delicious, you’ll love this elegant dish for dinner parties or weeknight meals. Completely safe to eat and no cooking required. This is a dish that has stood the test of time and one that holds its own.
Ingredients: Serves 2 Beef Mix
200g beef fillet
2 gherkins – fine dice
1 tsp capers – chopped
1 x Banana shallot – fine dice
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Tabasco sauce – to taste
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper Smoked egg mayonnaise
2 x egg yolks
Vegetable oil
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Smoke oil (buy ready-made)
Salt
Shallot rings (pre-heat fryer – 170c) 1 x banana shallot – peeled and sliced into rings
Milk
Plain flour or cornflour
Method
Firstly make the mayonnaise – whisk the egg yolks and mustard in an electric mixer and gradually add the vegetable oil slowly. Continue to add the oil until the mixture thickens.
Season with a pinch of salt and enough of the smoke oil to have the taste of smokiness. Remove from the bowl and place into a piping bag if available.
Soak the shallot rings in milk and leave until the last minute to cook.
Next, in a frying pan heat a small amount of oil until the pan is smoking. Carefully lay in the beef fillet and sear each side for 10 seconds.
Once all seared trim off this part from the fillet (this is to make the beef safe to eat)
Dice the fillet up into small finely diced pieces – no bigger than 1cm squared.
Add this to a small mixing bowl followed by all the remaining ingredients.
Mix well with a spoon and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside until ready to serve.
Remove the shallot rings from the milk and dust in the flour.
Cook in the fryer until golden brown – remove and allow to drain on a paper towel.
To assemble the beef place everything into a small ring on the centre of the plate, finish by garnishing with the mayonnaise and shallot rings.
Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, Glasgow. See www.hotelduvin.com or phone 0141 378 0385 to book. Twitter @Chefgtownsend
Instagram- @chef.g.townsend