from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Aubrac cow and calf.
Photograph courtesy of Jean
Weber
www.flickr.com/photos/inra_dist/25371239801/
Côte de Bœuf d’Aubrac pour 2 (800 g), Frites Maison – A bone-in rib-eye steak from the Bœuf Fermier d’Aubrac for two, with 800 grams (28 ounces) including the bone, served with the restaurant’s special French Fries. The bone will take 50% of the weight served, and so each diner may expect 200 grams (7 ounces). When a menu listing reads Frites Maison that indicates the restaurant has its own particular take on French fries. Ask.Daube de Boeuf Aubrac Label Rouge - Daube is a famous beef stew that originated in Provence. It is made with a red wine and tomato base; the vegetables and herbs depending on the time of year and the chef. When good chefs begin with good beef, they make seriously good steaks. However, with good ingredients, it is the rare gourmand who can tell one good steak from another. That is not so true for stews where it takes more than a very high temperature and a little salt and pepper to cook. A good stew takes hours of preparation at a low temperature, the herbs have to be just right, and when the meat used is not just good but seriously good then you will taste the difference.
Daube
Photograph courtesy of tpholland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tpholland/4122574973/
Faux-Filet de Bœuf d'Aubrac au Poivre Noir de Kâmpôt, Lit de Fèves - A UK sirloin steak, a US strip steak. (The UK and USA sirloin are not the same cuts). This is a pepper steak made with the Kampot black pepper from Cambodia and served on a bed of fava beans, also called the Windsor or broad bean. Poivre de Kâmpôt from Cambodia is real pepper, from peppercorns, not a chili pepper, and holds a European Union IGP. Pepper enthusiasts claim its taste speaks to gourmands and of course the pepper’s origin makes the menu listing more interesting.Pièce de Bœuf d’Aubrac Cuite au Barbecue, Panisses aux Herbes et Sauce Foyot – The butcher’s choice of unique rump steaks cooked on a barbeque and accompanied by Panisses and served with Sauce Foyot. The cut called the Piece de Bœuf, or Piece Boucher indicates the butcher’s choice and that is the name given to a few uniquely tasty cuts from the rump with only enough steaks for six to eight servings from a whole steer. A skilled French butcher knows the real value of these cuts that are overlooked and wasted outside of France,The Panisses began as a street food in the City of Nice on the Cote d’Azur on the Mediterranean and have made it to the best restaurants. They mostly look like wide oblong fries (chips) and are made with chickpea flour, and like the best fries (chips) are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The shape of Panisses differs from street vendor to chef as each has his or her favorite. Traditionally they are offered with just a sprinkling of with salt, but now grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese may be added. The Sauce Foyot was created by adding to a Sauce Béarnaise the glazed cooking juices of roasted meats making it the perfect sauce for grilled meats. (Sauce Foyot is also called Sauce Valois).Tartare de Bœuf d'Aubrac (Cru ou Aller-retour), Frites Maison – Steak Tartar cru, uncooked, or aller-retour, ever so lightly seared on both sides, accompanied by the restaurant’s particular take on French fries. Steak Tatar is a steak in the manner of the Tartars, the frightening fighters, the hordes, who rode to war under the direction of Genghis Khan in the 13th century. Twentieth-century folklore has the Tartar tribesmen riding to battle with raw meat under their horses' saddles. As they rode they were said to cut off pieces of the raw meat with a knife, and eat as they rode; they only stopped riding to sleep.Today’s Steak Tartar begins with hand-cut or ground steak. The texture is very important, and with this dish, you can really taste the meat so you do need seriously good beef and Aubrac beef fits that requirement. Despite the lack of a frying pan or grill, this may be one of the greatest steak dishes that you have ever tasted. Steak Tartar is made with tender, flavorsome steak, onion, parsley, cornichons, capers, and Cognac with Tabasco or Worcester sauce adding spice. In many recipes, a raw egg yolk will be mixed in just before serving. For those who enjoy good restaurant theater, you may an enjoy a true professional mixing the ingredients in front of you; there is no cooking involved. For the French, a Steak Tartare is a spicy dish, but for most of us, spicy French dishes are not really very spicy.
Steak Tatare Aller-Retour
This menu listing offers a choice of the traditional uncooked (cru) Steak Tatar or very very slightly seared on the top and bottom "aller-retour". Aller-Retour means go and come back, and when I use to travel from Paris to Lyon by train to see customers, I would order a cheap day-return train ticket known as an “aller-retour” a same day return ticket. But how did this name jump to Steak Tatar and other dishes very lightly seared on both sides? A French friend explained that for a new dish a chef must choose a name and "aller-retour" caught on. So a Steak Tatar with a go and return ticket indicates the beef pate is taken from its starting point on a plate for a very very short searing of the beef on one side and that is the “go- aller,” then the beef pate is flipped to the other side for the “return – retour." This creates a Steak Tatar sandwich of different flavors and textures.