Beef Tartare

   

West Restaurant’s Executive Chef Bobby Milheron

As a farewell gift to fans of West Restaurant and Bar, Executive Chef Bobby Milheron offers up the recipe for one of his most popular dishes with the wish that guests will continue to savour his dishes among family and friends.

Serves 8

QUAIL EGGS

  • 3 L water
  • 20g salt
  • 12 quail eggs

Mix salt and 1 litre of water together, add to a smoker and smoke quail eggs for 1 hour. Cool and reserve brine. Bring 2 litres of water to a boil and gently place the quail eggs in the water, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Ice down the eggs and gently peel off the shells. Marinate in smoked brine for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 6 days. If you don’t have access to a smoker, simply soft boil, ice and peel the eggs on the day you’ll be serving the dish.

DRESSING

  • 36g egg yolks
  • 42g shallots, finely diced
  • 43g anchovies, finely diced
  • 34g cornichons, finely diced
  • 30g capers, finely diced
  • 60g smooth Dijon mustard
  • 30g Worcestershire sauce
  • 9g Tobasco sauce
  • 160g olive oil

Whisk the olive oil into the egg yolks until the mixture reaches the consistency of mayonnaise, then fold in the remaining ingredients. The dressing can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

TARTARE

  • 12oz beef tenderloin or striploin
  • ¼ dressing recipe
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Chives, to taste
  • Parsley, to taste

Finely dice beef tenderloin or striploin and keep as cold as possible by placing in a stainless steel bowl over ice. Mix the beef with ¼ of the dressing to start, season with salt and pepper to taste, adjust with more dressing till the balance is to your liking. Mix in some finely chopped chives and parsley at the end before serving. You can make up the mixture 30 minutes prior to serving.

TO SERVE

Divide the beef evenly between 8 plates and place the smoked quail eggs on top. Serve with your favourite crostini or cracker and a small salad of watercress.

Restaurant and Wine Director, Owen Knowlton recommends the perfect pairing from Okanagan Valley to accompany Chef Bobby’s tartare dish.

“Raw dishes are more delicate than grilled, so you don’t have to go too big and bold for this dish. I like the Loire style Cabernet Franc from our local Tinhorn Creek Winery. It’s light to medium bodied with a little finesse. Try it slightly chilled.”