from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
A window
into the world of steak frites.
www.flickr.com/photos/psd/19486769/
North American and European steak restaurants knew they
were missing something when they saw happy tourists coming home from France
talking about Steak Frites. They were telling
stories about, juicy steaks with fries or salad, and a glass of wine that cost
them less than many restaurants charged for a hamburger. Then to further ease
the traveler’s digestion, the servers were professional, and the bill was tip free.
Where did Steak Frites come from?
French restaurants are required by law to show their
complete menu outside the restaurant, though that is rarely followed to the
letter. Daily specials are often written in restaurant shorthand on a
blackboard (or a whiteboard) called an “ardoise” in French. Restaurant
shorthand is used in all countries, but it’s usually only seen in the kitchen.
Here, the restaurants that began the craze for tasty and inexpensive steak
frites in France wrote the menus for a steak Onglet et Pommes Frites or a Steak
Bavette et Pommes Frites in restaurant shorthand on the blackboard. The French diners understood what was being
offered, and as for the visitors with little French, they all understood Steak
Frites. The rest is history.
Steak
Frites.
“What's
in a name? That which we call an onglet or bavette
By any
other name would taste as sweet."
www.flickr.com/photos/sarahvain/32915634207/
The great steaks behind Steak
Frites.
The secret was Onglets and Bavettes; an onglet is a US
hanger steak, and in the UK a skirt steak and a steak bavette is a flank steak
on both sides of the pond — skirt steaks and hanger steaks must be prepared
very carefully. French chefs are trained
to separate the different cuts and to see how the grain of the meat lies as
well as most butchers. Then, since France has no equivalent to US Prime or US
Choice, chefs personally check the age and internal marbling before buying. In the kitchen, the chef or the sous chef
cuts and marinates the steak. These cuts made excellent, tasty, steaks and were
always among the most popular lower priced steaks on French menus, but they
only made it across the channel and the pond when the menu listings were
changed to Steak Frites.
To bring their well-traveled and experienced customers
back some North American and UK steak houses even brought in French butchers.
Now, the steakhouses knew that these cuts that required a lot of extra work but
Steak Frites are now a hit on menus all over North America and Europe.
Despite what many travel books and other texts would have us
believe rump steaks and entrecote are NOT behind France's Steak Frites. In
France, restaurants would go broke selling entrecotes, rib-eyes, as steak
frites, though, of course, you may pay extra and order one. If you are visiting France, be ready for
onglets and bavettes and in the kitchen and steak frites on the menu. The chef
de partie, the line chef, will grill or fry the steaks to order. You may order
these steaks from rare to medium-well; however, there is a caveat, there are no
well-done steak frites.
Steak Frites on the menu:
Steak
Frites – Steak and French fries. Steak Salade – Steak and
salad.
Steak
Frites ± 180g – A 6 1/2 ounce steak with French fries.
Steak
Frites, Salade Verte, Verre De Bordeaux ou Galopin De Biere – Steak
with French fries and a green salad served with a glass of Bordeaux wine or a galopin,
125 ml of beer.
Steak
Haché Frites – A chopped steak and French fries. Read the menu
carefully; this is a chopped steak, close to a hamburger.
Ordering Steak Frites
Ordering a steak requires little French. Every French
server understands an order for steak frites!
Problems only appear when the server asks: Quelle cuisson, votre steak? How would you like your steak cooked? English terms such as medium-rare, medium, or
well-done do not translate, conceptually, into restaurant French. The word
medium is used in French, where a médium may connect you to the spirit world;
however, medium is not a word that is used in the kitchen. To order a steak in
France click on this link to Ordering
a Steak in France, Cooked the Way you Like it.
The steaks behind Steak Frtes
Bavettes on French menus.
In a supermarket or butcher's there are two steaks with
the name bavette. Bavette d'Aloyau and Bavette
de Flanchet are skirt (or flank steaks) with the Bavette d'Aloyau being awarded
a few more points on the scoreboard but well prepared, grilled and served with
fries and a glass of a decent red wine I don't think anyone can tell the
difference.
Steak
Bavette À Point.
Photograph
courtesy of Ron Dollete.
Bavette
Grillée Frites/ Salade – A
grilled flank steak with French fries or a salad, (This is the original steak
frites).
Bavette
d'Aloyau Sauce à l'Echalote - A skirt steak prepared with a shallot sauce; a
very popular recipe for bavette steaks.
N.B. This menu listing does not include fries, Ask.
Bavette de Bœuf Frites Maison et Sauce Béarnaise – A flank steak with French fries and Sauce Béarnaise
Bavette
Frites Maison et Salade
Steak
Frites, flank steak with French fries and salad.
Onglet – Hanger/Skirt steak.
A hanger steak can have a tendon running through but
given a choice between an onglet and a bavette choose the onglet. This cut
comes from between the kidneys, which helps account for its stronger flavor. In
a butcher’s display side by side, you can tell the difference between an onglet
and a bavette, an onglette has darker meat. On the plate the flavor makes the
difference.
Onglet
de Veau, Pommes Grenailles Rissolées, Jus Corsé - Veal hanger/skirt steak with chopped and
deep-fried small new potatoes and served with a sauce made from the natural
cooking juices.
Onglet,
Pommes Frites – A skirt/hangar steak with French fries.
Onglet
de Bœuf Juste Poêlé Aux Echalotes – A very lightly fried skirt/hanger
steak flavored with shallots. N.B. This menu listing does not show that it includes
fries. Ask.
Onglet
Green
peppercorn sauce, fries fried in duck fat.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/falchion/29139850800/sizes/
Restaurants selling steak frites may also offer steaks,
an Entrecote,
a Ribeye; a
Steak de Hamp , a steak close to the skirt; steak a Filet
de Bœuf, a Fillet steak; a
Faux Filet, UK Sirloin Steak, in the
USA a Strip Steak; a Steak
Macreuse, no direct translation, plus a variety of rump steaks and more. The French carefully choose different cuts ignored elsew and serve those with more taste and texture by name on the menu.
A steak des bouchers
A butcher’s steak.
Often a rump steaks will be called a steak des bouchers
or a pièce du boucher. In English, a Steak des Bouchers would be the butcher’s
steak. A butcher’s steak is a
traditional name used in many countries and in many languages. The name is used for any low-cost steaks that
a butcher appreciates for their hidden value. The implication is that the
butcher will take the time required to prepare them; then he or she will take
them home for his or her family. Another
special cut is a Pave de Rumsteck; nevertheless, none of these cuts make
it to most North American or UK menus.
A steak des bouchers, a steak araignée.
The
butcher's steak.
www.flickr.com/photos/flem007_uk/3625173675/
The other steaks that may be on your menu:
Contre– Fillet, or Faux Fillet; a UK Sirloin, A USA
Strip Steak. Ordering a steak in France II.
Steak
de Hampe - A Flavorful French Cut of Beef With no Corresponding USA or UK Cut
to Compare With.
--------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2015, 2019.
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