French Classics Made Easy (32 page)

Any good individual beefsteak can be used for this recipe, but I prefer boneless shell or strip steak, and my second choice is boneless sirloin. Both cuts have excellent flavor and texture. Allow the meat to come to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours, before sautéing.

When cooking the steaks, it is important to have enough oil in your pan to fry the pepper as well as the meat. If not fried, the amount of pepper used will be too hot for many to eat. Start with just enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan (this is sufficient for sautéing the steak) and then add another tablespoon of oil (this is for frying the pepper).

SERVES 4

¼ cup black peppercorns (see Note)

4 boneless shell, strip, or sirloin steaks (8 to 12 ounces each), 1¼ inches thick, completely trimmed

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup plus

1 teaspoon Cognac

¾ cup heavy cream

1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed

C
RACKING
P
EPPER

Cracking pepper is easy if you use a heavy-bottomed saucepan as a lever. Crush 8 to 10 peppercorns at a time, placing them under the portion of the pan nearest the handle. Holding the pan down at the opposite end, use the handle to press down on the peppercorns to crush them. A coffee grinder also works well, but if you are not careful you will have a very “hot” cup of coffee in the morning. Most other machines (such as food processors and blenders) create partially crushed and partially powdered pepper.

1.
Crush the peppercorns, a few at a time, using the bottom of a heavy saucepan (see “Cracking Pepper,” below).

2.
Place the steaks on the crushed pepper to coat both sides.

3.
Cover the bottom of a 10- to 12-inch skillet with a thin layer of oil (1 to 2 tablespoons, depending on the size of the pan), then add 1 more tablespoon. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sauté them until rare or medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Season the steaks with the salt and remove them from the pan. Discard the oil.

4.
Return the steaks to the pan and remove the pan from the heat. Add the ¼ cup Cognac, and flame (see “How to Flambé,”
page 282
). When the flames die, remove the steaks to a serving platter or individual plates and keep warm.

5.
Add the cream to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the cream has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the teaspoon of Cognac and salt to taste. Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve with watercress.

NOTE

If it is your first time eating a pepper steak, you may want to use commercially cracked pepper, or scrape some of the pepper off before serving it. Once you have become a steak au poivre lover, you will find yourself going to spice stores to buy specialty peppers, such as tellicherry or Malabar, in search of the ultimate aroma.

SERVING SUGGESTION

In France this steak is served with fried potatoes, but since I do very little deep-frying, I serve this with baked or roasted potatoes, which also go well with any sauce remaining on the plate. Watercress is also an integral part of the presentation. Considered by many a peppery green, watercress becomes a refreshing interlude when eaten with the spicy steak. I often start such a meal with Onion Soup (
page 19
) or green salad, and I like to serve Crêpes Suzette (
page 280
) for dessert.

WINE

Zinfandel is one of my recent favorites with this dish, but any full-bodied red goes well with the pepper steak. Notice that while you are eating, your palate is refreshed by the potatoes and the watercress (which is normally a peppery green) following each bite of steak. Then a sip of wine will reignite the flames, sending the aroma of the pepper throughout your mouth—a sensation any pepper lover will cherish.

FILLET STEAKS CHARLEMAGNE

[TOURNEDOS CHARLEMAGNE]

The combination of beef, mushrooms, and béarnaise sauce is a treat for any steak lover. This is based on the classic
filet de boeuf Charlemagne,
in which the fillet of beef is roasted, then sliced and reconstructed with a layer of cooked shallots and mushrooms (duxelles) between the slices. Just before serving, the roast is reheated and coated with the béarnaise. This classic presentation is only for experienced cooks, while my adaption is for everyone. With the addition of two more steaks, it can easily serve six. All accompaniments should be ready to serve before cooking the fillet steaks.

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons butter

4 large shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped

¾ pound mushrooms, washed, dried, and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon tomato paste

Béarnaise Sauce (
page 327
)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 fillet steaks, cut 1 to 1¼ inches thick

1 bunch watercress, thick stems trimmed, for garnish

1.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the tomato paste.

2.
Make the béarnaise and keep warm in a water bath (
bain-marie
) while you sauté the steaks.

3.
In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fillet steaks and sauté until rare or medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes each side. Season with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on a serving platter or plates.

4.
To serve: Cover each fillet with a layer of the warm mushroom mixture and coat with béarnaise. Garnish with the watercress and serve immediately.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Sautéed or roasted potatoes together with green beans or sautéed spinach are excellent with the steaks. Follow with a mixed green salad.

WINE

A good red Bordeaux will complement these steaks well.

GRILLED RIB STEAKS

[CÔTE DE BOEUF GRILLÉE]

The American or English rib roast does not exist in France. Instead of roasting three or more ribs together, the French cut them into individual ribs and sauté or grill them. Each serves two people.

There is no better way to cook a steak than on a grill. I can remember when I started grilling 40 years ago that a steak charred black on the outside and pink on the inside was considered perfection. I also remember pouring water onto a fire to douse the flames that were engulfing the steak. To prevent this from happening, I now remove all the exterior fat before cooking. By eliminating it, you prevent flare-ups and avoid the consumption of unnecessary fat.

There is a considerable amount of fat on the rib, and it is always a challenge to remove as much as possible without losing the shape of the steak. It is equally important that the bone be trimmed of fat.

SERVES 6

C
AST
-I
RON
G
RILL
P
AN

If you do not have access to a grill, do not despair. Most foods (including grilled steak) can be just as easily prepared on the stovetop using a cast-iron grill pan. These pans are either round or square and can be flat like a griddle or have sides like a skillet. What they all have in common are the ridges on the bottom that resemble a grill top.

3 rib steaks with bone (1¼ to 1½ pounds each), each 1½ inches thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 bunch watercress, thick stems trimmed, for garnish

1.
Trim as much of the fat from the steaks as possible and let them come to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours, before cooking.

2.
Preheat a grill to high.

3.
Place the steaks in the center of the hot grill (or close to the coals). Cover and cook the steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side. Halfway through the cooking on each side, lift and rotate the meat 90 degrees, to enhance the appearance; the extra grill marks also add flavor by caramelizing more of the steaks’ surface. Once the meat has been turned, salt and pepper the first side. Check the firmness of the meat from time to time, noticing the changes that occur. Medium-rare is springy to the touch and well done is firm. If after the meat has been turned you see juices beginning to pool or come to the surface, you have reached medium-rare and are approaching medium. Remove from the heat immediately. For me, a good piece of beef or lamb should not be cooked beyond medium-rare. What is tender and juicy at rare or medium-rare, becomes tough and dry if cooked past medium.

4.
Bring the steaks to the table on a large carving board surrounded by the watercress. At the table, bone the steak, slice it thinly across its width on the diagonal to form broad slices, and serve.

G
RILLING
B
EEF

Although most cuts of well-aged beef are good on the grill, my favorites are strip or shell steaks, whole fillets of beef, and rib steaks. I watch for sales of these cuts. When I find a good price on a shell or strip roast, I have the “tail” ground for hamburger and the rest completely trimmed of fat and cut into steaks. When buying a fillet I have the long, wide tendon or “silverskin” removed as well as all the fat. It should then be tied to form an evenly cylindrical roast, which will cook in 15 to 20 minutes on a very hot grill. A standing two- or three-rib roast of beef can be cut into two or three individual steaks, each one enough to serve two or three people.

A good piece of beef should be cooked rare or medium-rare for you to enjoy its flavor and tenderness. The most difficult part of grilling a steak is to cook the meat evenly. Often the meat is well done on the outside and raw at the center. To avoid this, grill steaks that are not too thick and always have the meat at room temperature before grilling. Thickness is more important than weight. The ideal thickness, I have found, is 1¼ to 1½ inches.

SERVING SUGGESTION

With grilled beef, I generally serve Ratatouille (
page 193
) and small red potatoes or Yukon Golds steamed in their skins and tossed in a little chive butter. I often accompany the meat with a Béarnaise Sauce (
page 327
). A mixed green salad is a nice start, and cut-up fresh fruit and cookies are a great ending to a summer meal.

WINE

A full-bodied red is always enjoyable with this cut of beef.

ROASTED FILLET OF BEEF

[FILET DE BOEUF RÔTI]

This very elegant cut of meat is perfect for entertaining: It cooks quickly, slices easily, goes well with a variety of sauces, but is also excellent by itself. Because it is relatively thin and cooks quickly, however, it can be difficult to brown (unless cooked on a grill). In my method I put the roasting pan in the oven for 10 minutes before putting the roast in. This way, the roast enters a hot pan and starts to cook immediately.

In France, a
filet de boeuf
would be wrapped in a sheet of pork fat (called a bard), but I omit it. I also trim off all the fat from the fillet.

Fillets are tender and are served rare or medium-rare to retain their juices. Although a sauce is not necessary, the Béarnaise (
page 327
), Bordelaise (
page 320
), and Madeira (
page 319
) sauces all complement the beef and create an elegant presentation.

SERVES 8 TO 10

1 beef fillet (7 to 8 pounds untrimmed, 4 to 5 pounds well trimmed), tied every