Chateaubriand, the steak and the man
from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
A
Chateaubrind steak.
Traditionally
Chateaubriand is prepared as a roast for two people.
It
is separated into two steaks just before serving.
Photograph
courtesy of Jeremy Keith
www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/463034245
Chateaubriand
François-René, Vicomte
de Chateaubriand,
(1768-1848): writer, hereditary aristocrat, gourmand, and politician. There
will be more about the man later, but first, Chateaubriand the steak.
The Chateaubriand steak.
The original Chateaubriands
(pronounced sha-toe-bree-and) were very large cut of beef, with generous
classic proportions that saw weights close to a kilo (2.2 pounds) and reaching
at least 8-10 centimeters (3 "-4") in height; attempting to tackle a
whole Chateaubriand solo would be a feat for the very hungry (or the
very brave). A single serving, today, which is half a Chateaubriand, usually
weighs around 250 grams (8.5 ounces). The weight should be listed on the menu;
if it isn't, ask. The Chateaubriand comes from the best and thickest part of
the US Filet, the tenderloin, which is also known as the
UK fillet and the French Filet de boeuf. The original cut and
cooking method was created, probably in 1822, by Montmireil the
private chef of François-René Chateaubriand; however, 80 plus years
later the chef Georges Auguste Escoffier rewrote many of the
rules and recipes from the age of Haute Cuisine and gave the weight of a
whole Chateaubriand as 500 grams (17.6 oz) and that's the average weight
used today,
Don't confuse a
Chateaubriand with the American filet mignon or the French Tournedos. While,
all come from the same tender muscle, the tournedos and American Filet Mignon
are meant for individual orders (and are often fried or grilled), while the
Chateaubriand is still supposed to be roasted.
A single
serving
Photograph
courtesy of Bev Sykes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes/4223054939/
To prepare a
Chateaubriand, it will be barded and then roasted. Barding means attaching fat
around the exterior of the steak. Without barding, a thick steak like a
Chateaubriand, which has no exterior fat, would dry out.
Ordering a Chateaubriand steak
Don't order a Chateaubriand well done. Cooking this cut all the way through would produce a dry inside and a burnt exterior, a real disaster. A French chef preparing an authentic Chateaubriand would, in any case, refuse to carry out such a request. If you are in France or going to France and prefer your meat very well done, then order an entrecôte, which usually has enough internal and external fat to sustain prolonged cooking. (To order a steak cook the way you prefer see chapter I ).
A Chateaubriand is always served with a sauce.
The Chateaubriand steak, like all cuts from the fillet, provides very tender meat, but, the tenderloin/fillet has less taste than other cuts. A Chateaubriand, in France, will always be served with a sauce. Chateaubriand is always served with a sauce, either a Béarnaise or a red wine sauce, such as Bordelaise or Marchand de Vin, and accompanied by a supporting cast of potatoes and vegetables. Either of the red wines sauce could have been very close to the original Chateaubriand sauce. Then and now, it would have been a brave chef who offered a Chateaubriand without a sauce.
A
serving of Chateaubriand
with
a red wine sauce.
Photograph
courtesy of Ben Stiefel
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kheiligh/10139601746/
The Creator of the Chateaubriand
Chateaubriand’s chef, Montmireil created the dish; nevertheless, when I was searching for an early written recipe in France, no one knew Montreuil's first name, or any of his family history. Beyond his creation of the Chateaubriand steak and an almost forgotten dessert called the Pouding Diplomate (the Diplomat's Pudding), Chef Montmireil; remains an enigma. Even the Larousse Gastronomique only notes Montmireil’s family name. In French culinary history like today, most famous chef's wrote books; however, Chef Montreuil wrote nothing that survived him.
A
Chateaubriand for one
Divided
into three with three sauces.
Photograph
courtesy of Kurman Communications,
www.flickr.com/photos/kurmanphotos/35358151722/
The Tournedos Rossini was born from the love of fine cuisine shared by two extraordinary characters, and jealousy.
Giacomo Rossini, the renowned composer celebrated for operas like The Barber of Seville (1816) and William Tell (1829), met Chateaubriand—then equally revered as an author and diplomat—in Verona, Italy, in 1822. (Chateaubriand was then France’s ambassador to England and in December 1822 became France’s Foreign Minister). Rossini had been invited to the Congress of Verona by Prince Metternich to entertain and impress a gathering of European royals and dignitaries that included Emperor Alexander I of Russia and the Duke of Wellington.
Chateaubriand
and Rossini were well aware of their lofty reputations.
After meeting over a dinner with Chateaubriand, Rossini—ever the epicurean—was determined to have a steak dish created for himself that would rival or surpass the one served by Chateaubriand's chef. His first instinct was to enlist the help of his friend, the legendary chef Antonin Carême. However, Carême was then in Vienna, where he served as the personal chef to the British ambassador, making his assistance impossible at the time.
Rossini's ego would not allow
him to abandon the idea of a steak dish that could match that of Chateaubriand's.
However, the urgency waned somewhat after Chateaubriand's death in 1848.
Nevertheless, Rossini's culinary ambitions remained throughout his life,
and some thirty years later, the celebrated Parisian chef Casimir Moisson—chef
at the famed restaurant La Maison Dorée—created Tournedos Rossini.
This exquisite dish joined a growing list of gastronomic tributes to the
composer. (The Tournedos comes from the beef tenderloin, the beef filet, as
does a Chateaubriand, but it is half as thick and it may be fried or
grilled.)
Rossini himself was a respected amateur chef, known for hosting lavish dinners for his many distinguished friends from the worlds of haute cuisine, music, literature, and politics, where he himself was the cook. One of Rossini's own creations—Cannelloni alla Rossini—also endures as a testament to his legacy, not only in opera but also in gastronomy. (Rossini died in 1868).
Today, nearly 150
years later, both dishes —Tournedos Rossini and Chateaubriand —
continue to grace the menus of the world's finest restaurants.
A
good wine for a Chateaubriand would be a Bordeaux.
This
wine is a 1999 Pomerol from
Château
Fontmarty (Château Taillefer) in Bordeaux.
Pomerol
is unique among the major Bordeaux appellations for not having a formal
classification system, which may be a relief to those navigating Bordeaux's
complex classifications. Pomerol produces some of the most expensive and
sought-after wines in Bordeaux, with names like Pétrus,
Lafleur, and Le Pin being highly coveted.
The
price of wines varies greatly with the year and the château. Take a pocket wine
guide or an ebook you can read and search on your phone.
Caveat
Emptor a ten-year-old Pomerol from Château Pétrus (2015) will be over USD
5,000…..more than the Chateaubriand you ordered.
The
wine in the picture will be under USD 100.00
Photograph
courtesy of Luc Legay
https://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/3153012823/
The arguments over the real Chateaubriand cut.
In the early 2000s, a French butcher, after visiting the USA, voiced his disapproval and accused American butchers of an offense akin to lèse-majesté—an insult to royalty, in this case referring to the "King of Steaks." He alleged that they were selling thick cuts from the American top sirloin (known as the UK rump) and labeling them as Chateaubriands. Adding to this meaty mystery, some culinary historians have suggested that the original Chateaubriand was never actually cut from the tenderloin (the fillet) at all.
It's important to note that this accusation has not been substantiated. The true origin of the cut remains unclear. However, here's my takeaway: if a steak is thick, tender, and provides a melt-in-your-mouth experience, does the precise historical lineage of the cut really matter? Perhaps what defines a true Chateaubriand is not its anatomical location, but rather the regal experience it offers. So, enjoy your "King of Steaks," and may all your culinary adventures be delicious, regardless of their pedigree!
Chateaubriand the man and the French revolution.
Before he lent his name
to a cut of beef, François-René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand, was a man on
the run – a rather dashing, albeit low-ranking, member of the French
aristocracy who, at the tender age of 25, decided that a one-way trip to the
guillotine wasn't quite his cup of tea.
So, in 1791, with the French Revolution three years in action and the
guillotines being sharpened, he packed his bags and skipped town.
Chateaubriand the traveler.
Chateaubriand’s escape didn’t take him to a meeting with other like-minded aristocrats; to begin he spent close to a year in the fledgling United States of America including six months living with Native Americans. He wrote down his experiences and they would later infuse writings.
Despite his noble
lineage, Chateaubriand, when outside France, was, by all accounts,
practically penniless. His primary
refuge became an attic in Holborn, London – a far cry from the opulent châteaux
of his homeland. To keep body and
soul together, he gave French lessons.
One can almost picture him, a grandiloquent figure in a dusty attic,
patiently explaining the nuances of French verbs to bewildered English pupils.
He spent a self-imposed nine-year exile in this manner, a testament to his tenacity and his desire to avoid an encounter with Madame Guillotine. It was during this period of hardship and literary incubation that he refined his craft, laying the groundwork for his later fame as a pivotal author of the French Romantic movement. Chateaubriand could be called an early backpacker as he traveled outside England whenever he had saved enough for another trip. This period was the late 18th century, and travel was cheap, nevertheless, it meant traveling on barely seaworthy wooden ships that came with bad captains, shipboard diseases, along with insufficient and inadequate food. On his travels, the ships Chateaubriand sailed on were attacked by pirates and privateers. When he moved on land, there were highway robbers and kidnappers to be avoided. From France, he was only hearing bad news, and in 1794, his brother was guillotined and his mother and sisters imprisoned. Despite everything, Chateaubriand survived and when he was traveling, regardless of the circumstances, he was writing, and he continued to write when he was not traveling, In 1797, he wrote a travelogue: l'Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem, the Itinerary from Paris to Jerusalem. It's a review of his perspective on the country, its relationship to Ottoman rule, and the people who lived there, as well as his search for his Christian beliefs. He also wrote several other books which sold well in France, even in his absence and when he returned to France, they sold even better. As an author Chateaubriand is considered the founder of the French Romantic School; he returned to France in 1800, and continued writing successfully. Chateaubriand's bestselling book was entitled Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe, memoirs from beyond the tomb. (This book has had selected sections translated into English by Robert Baldick, Penguin 2014 edition.) Chateaubriand would develop into an influential politician and with his writing he was then able to afford a personal chef.
So, the next time you see
a Chateaubriand on a menu remember the man behind the name: a penniless
aristocrat who, through sheer force of will and an aversion to sharp objects,
became a literary giant and a global adventurer.
Portrait
of Chateaubriand by Guerin.
Photograph
courtesy of Art Gallery ErgsArt - by ErgSap
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ergsart/22150432070/
Chateaubriand, the diplomat.
Back home in France, Chateaubriand served Napoléon I as a diplomat. That is, until Napoléon I had Louis de Bourbon, the Duke of Enghien, a claimant to the throne of France, kidnapped and shot. Kidnapping and murder do not fit well into my book on French cuisine, and so I will not go deeper into that story. It is enough to say that Chateaubriand resigned from Napoléon's diplomatic service and became an anti-Bonapartist.
Statue
of Chateaubriand in St Malo, Brittany, France
Photograph courtesy of
Ouest-France
After Napoléon I was exiled for the
second time in 1815, Chateaubriand re-entered the French diplomatic service under the restored
monarchy of King Louis XVIII (1755- 1824), becoming foreign minister from 1822
to 1824. (Somehow, he was the French Ambassador to England at the same time.)
Chateaubriand ended his political career in 1830 after the then-king, Charles X (1757 – 1836), abdicated. He disapproved of the way King Louis XVIII was chosen and refused to take the oath of office. Chateaubriand left politics and retired to private life and writing; he died at the age of 80 in 1848.
Chateaubriand’s
grave on the island of Grand Bé
on
the island of St Malo.
Photograph
courtesy of Ashley Van Haeften
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wikimediacommons/16508046876/
Chateaubriand was
careful in all things, and he carefully chose the site for his burial.
Ultimately, Chateaubriand's meticulous selection of the little island of Grand
Bé speaks volumes about his desire for a final resting place deeply
connected to nature and his roots. (Grand Bé is next to the coastal town
of St-Malo, just 70 km (43 miles) from where he was born in the village of
Bon-Secours).
Saint-Malo has
transformed into a vibrant hub, celebrated for its summer energy and exquisite
seafood, but when Chateaubriand died, St Malo was still a small town.
Now, its year-round population is over 50,000, and with its suburbs, the
year-round population exceeds 100,000. In July and August, when France closes
down for the summer vacations, the population triples! A good photographer and
family members have told me that despite the crowds in the summer, the fish and
seafood restaurants of St Malo are second to none.
The quiet dignity of Chateaubriand's tomb on the small island endures, a timeless monument overlooking the very Atlantic that shaped his imagination and offers visitors a moment of reflection amidst the contemporary bustle. Near to his tomb is a plaque to remind visitors.
The
plaque close to Chateaubriand's Tomb on Grande Be.
Photograph
courtesy of Objectif Nantes
www.flickr.com/photos/objectifnantes/11909861835
The plaque reads:
Un grand écrivain français a voulu reposer ici
pour n'entendre que la mer et le vent.
Passant
Respecte sa dernière volonté.
A great French writer
wanted to rest here, to only hear the sea and wind.
Passerby, respect
his last wish.
Visiting Chateaubriand’s grave.
Admirers of Chateaubriand steaks or Chateaubriand's writings may visit the island and view his last resting place. At low tide, you may walk to Grand Bé from the beach of Bon-Secours. At high tide, in the summer season, you may sometimes rent a boat from the nearby small fishing port. When you visit his tomb, remember that Chateaubriand's bestselling book is entitled Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb and its contents are riveting!
Even today, the time that Chateaubriand spent in the USA is not ignored; France offers a Chateaubriand Fellowship for doctoral students enrolled in American universities. It pays for them to conduct research in France for up to 10 months. The French Embassy in the USA handles the inquiries.
Whenever you do enjoy a Chateaubriand
or go to the town of St Malo for lunch or dinner, then raise a glass to the
memory of François-René Chateaubriand, and do not forget the chef Montreuil.
Connected Posts:
Antonin Carême: The Most Influential Chef in the History of French Cuisine.
Entrecôte (Entrecote). Ordering a Perfect Entrecote Steak in France.
Estragon - Tarragon. Tarragon, the herb, in French Cuisine.
Filet Mignon in France and Filet de Bœuf in French Cuisine.
Ordering a Steak in France, Cooked the Way you Like it.
Tournedos Rossini, after 150 years still the most
famous of all steak dishes.
Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google or Bing for Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Copyright
2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment