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Laurent Tourondel's steak tartare

3:16 PM EDT, June 11, 2007

An elegant summer meal: Chef Laurent Tourendel's steak tartare, as served at Brasserie Ruhlmann at Rockefeller Center.

Serves 6 to 8

For the sauce: 8 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
5 tablespoons red onion, diced
2 tablespoons rinsed capers, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cornichons
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon tarragon, chopped
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
1 anchovy filet, minced
1 garlic clove, minced

For the meat: 1-1/2 pounds filet mignon, very cold
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cuntry or French bread, sliced and toasted

Preparation

Make the Sauce: a bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and mix thoroughly. Stir in the onions, capers, cornichons, parsley, tarragon, chives, anchovy and garlic.

Chop the Beef: Just before serving, remove the beef from the refrigerator; it should be very cold. Using a meat grinder with large holes, grind the beef. Place the ground meat in a bowl set over a larger bowl of crushed ice.

Assemble the dish: Fold in the mayonnaise mixture just until blended. Do not overwork the mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve immediately on individual plates with toasted bread.