KING ISLAND BEEF TARTARE

How many people could say that they have ever prepared beef tartare (or have prepared it and confidently served to guests...)? It's a dish that lots of people shy away from, following the logic of "it's raw; it must need a professional to prepare it", but I've got to tell you it's so easy! (And don't stress with the number of ingredients - I guarantee you'll have at least 95% of them in your cupboard already...)

Ingredients
2 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup shallots-finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp barbecue sauce
2 tbsp chopped fine herbs
Splash Tabasco
1 tbsp soy sauce
500g freshly diced grass beef tenderloin

Method
Put anchovies, garlic, capers and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a chilled medium-size mixing bowl. Mash to make a paste. Whisk egg yolks through paste with fork first, then mustard. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. Stir through remaining salt, black pepper and all sauces.
Add beef and mix well with a wooden spoon. Taste to determine seasoning.

To serve
Mound beef tartare in the center of a large cold plate, place an egg yolk in the centre and garnish with croutons or chargrilled sourdough.

Tip
It is also delicious with a simple mesculun salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
This is a slight deviation from a classical recipe, if you like your tartare slightly spicier, just add more off the different sauces!!

Yield
about 8 appetizer servings

Top Tips for a Tops Steak

I've got a bit of a secret that I want to share with you guys, because honestly...everyone deserves to know how to cook a good steak. I've had my fair share of average steaks, so hopefully sharing some tips will ensure that fewer people have to suffer through that chew-it-fifty-five-times-before-you-swallow-it agony... So here we go:

1. Season meat: a smear of olive oil and a nice grind of salt and pepper blend (I recommend using black, white, pink and green peppercorns)
2. For medium-rare: cook it 3min lengthways on a fairly hot grill, then turn it at a right angle across the grill to get the criss-crossed charcoaled pattern. Cook for another 3 mins. Repeat on reverse side. Cook for 12 mins tops.
3. Rest: loosely wrap in foil and rest of 7-8 mins before serving.
4. Eat! Alyways with a great cab. sauv. or a nice Bordeaux