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I got together recently with several of the women I work with, which was really nice since we don't often get to see each other out of uniform. Of course we stared gossiping about the goings-on around the place and complaining about co-workers. One of my friends mentioned that one of the cooks had the audacity to serve a steak tartare with a raw egg rather than a poached one. I thought about this for a minute and told her that in all fairness, I was pretty sure that's how the dish was traditionally served but I'd look it up when I got home.
I got out my copy of Larousse-Gastronomique the next morning, and it turns out that I was right. Though originally 'tartare' referred to dishes that were covered in bread crumbs, grilled or broiled, and served with a strong sauce, somewhere along the way the term was applied just to the sauce and to the raw steak dish. In fact, steak tartare probably got its name from the Italian word tartari, which means raw steak. Larousse-Gastronomique states that minced onions, shallots, capers, and chives are served sprinked around the steak, though there are many ways to serve it. Horse is also an acceptable meat to use, in place of filet of beef. The myths surrounding the origin of steak tartare credit the marauding Huns, who rode around with meat under their saddles to tenderize it who would then eat it raw.
Here's a recipe from What Geeks Eat, who incorrectly claim that you can't get steak tartare in the US. Sadly, it's most likely served at least partially cooked with a poached egg, rather than totally raw as it was intended.
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9-15-2008 @8:30PM jenni said... i just had a steak tartare last week! at father's office in culver city, ca. it's a pretty popular bar, but more known for their delicious burgers.
i'm pretty sure i got a raw egg on top
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9-15-2008 @8:48PM cb said... The unfortunate choice of photos (not your fault) shows a less than satisfactory version of the delicious dish. "finely chopped" perfect tenderloin and seasoned with garlic, capers, mustard, wonderful olive oil, parsley & perhaps onion or shallots and served with coddled yolk 'only' on top - to be broken by the recipient and served with toast points.
Wonderful - simply wonderful!
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9-15-2008 @9:27PM totoro said... I haven't ordered it in a while, but I've always gotten it with a raw egg yolk on top. Love it.
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9-16-2008 @1:13AM John said... Sepia in Chicago serves a good steak tartare, with a raw egg.
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9-16-2008 @1:03PM jb said... Korean restaurants make their own versions with slivered pears and a dash of sugar. Yu-kay is the phonetic pronunciation.
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9-16-2008 @7:41AM JMForester said... Shayna- I've never seen or heard of it here in the US with a poached egg, only a raw one. It's on plenty of menus in NYC. I like the Korean version that has chopped Asian pear and spicy bean paste in it as well.
-JMF-
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9-16-2008 @10:51AM eric said... "minced onions, shallots, capers, and chives are served sprinked around the steak.."
i realize it's a typo but i really like 'sprinked' for some reason.
that is all.
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9-16-2008 @10:59AM Carrie said... Yum. I'm with JMF, have never heard of a poached egg on tartare. When I have enjoyed it (beef tartare) in a restaurant, it's invariably been served with a raw egg, sometimes a quail's egg. When I've made it myself, I've skipped the egg, it doesn't add much for me. Oh, and I use (top) sirloin, not filet/tenderloin.
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9-16-2008 @1:42PM kevin said... I prefer Carpaccio: http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2006/07/carpaccio.html
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9-16-2008 @4:58PM Shayna Glick said... I stand corrected.
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9-19-2008 @3:50PM CactusHeart said... So I guess it's NOT weird for me to want to cut a piece off the steak I'm about to cook for dinner and munch on it? Cause it tastes too good for me to ever want to stop it *lol* I call it 'cowboy sushi' *LOL*
I'm just concerned that people will be interested in trying this (or steak tartare) without being aware of the increased health risk. Cause there's nothing like ONE uninformed ignoramus letting THEMSELVES get hurt (or sick) to ruin things for EVERYONE....
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