Mignon of tanners

That is why everyone is so fond of tenderloin, cut into a piece 3–4 cm thick, which is called “mignon” in the language of French cooking. The protein that makes up almost all of this muscle has little taste, but it is non-working and therefore not rigid: its tenderness makes up for the lack of taste for most eaters. Beef fillet is easy to overdry, and then all the tenderness will go to waste. To preserve the small amount of vital juices that the fillet has, it is wrapped in bacon.

But the ideal form for beef fillet is a steak tartare, of course. Tartar is meat minced with a knife or a meat grinder, and the initial characteristics of the fillet make it possible to cut it into a rather large cube, so that each piece retains a set of properties of a large cut of meat – its taste, texture, texture. It is fat-free—nothing more unpleasant than chewing on cold white beef tallow—and malleable enough to be easy on the teeth in any size. The protein that makes up the beef fillet readily accepts any offer, the brighter the better, so it can be mixed with aggressive sauces that lower the degree of aggression in the presence of meat.

If you fry minions from beef fillet, then the only form of their existence is medium rare, pink meat on the cut. Everything else is just dry, uninteresting stuff. If you prefer well-done meat, then take the rib eye: its marbled structure will retain juiciness after overcooking due to the fact that the melted fat will soak the protein. A minion made from a thin fillet will not do this even if it is wrapped in bacon.

Beef tartare with kimchi

For 8 people

Preparation: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 kg of beef fillet
• 100 g shallots
• 30 g cilantro (coriander)
• 20 g parsley
• 20 g of green onion noodles
• 5 eggs
• 5 ml fish sauce
• 50 g kimchi sauce
• ½ orange
• 200 ml olive oil
• 50 ml dark sesame oil

Preparation

Peel the fillet from the films, cut into thin slices and finely chop with a sharp knife. Chop the shallot very finely. Finely chop the cilantro, parsley and green onion.

In a mixer, mix five egg yolks with fish sauce and kimchi seasoning. Gradually pouring olive oil into the mixture in a thin stream, turn it into a thick sauce – slightly thinner in texture than mayonnaise. Whisk the sesame oil, zest and juice of half an orange into the sauce and toss the meat with the sauce, herbs, shallots and bell peppers. Salt if needed (both kimchi seasoning and fish sauce have enough salt, you may not need extra). Serve with toasted bread toast and baked potatoes.

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Beef with olive tapenade

For 2 persons

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 500 g fillet of beef
• 300 g potatoes
• 30 g capers
• 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50 g green basil
• 20 g pine nuts
• 100 g pitted olives
• 2 heads shallots
• 50 ml olive oil
• 50 g butter
• 50 g of melted butter
• Salt to taste
• Pepper black ground to taste

Preparation

Cut the fillet into thick slices and wrap in paper towels to absorb excess liquid. Hold for half an hour at room temperature. Heat the melted butter in a frying pan. Salt the meat on both sides and fry it for 4 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other side. Put the meat in a warm place.

In melted butter and fat from under the steaks, fry the potatoes, cut into thin slices. When it’s almost ready, add the capers. In a blender, combine lemon juice with garlic, green basil leaves, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Wash the blender bowl thoroughly and then combine the pitted olives, shallots, salt, pepper and butter in it. Serve the meat with green basil sauce, a spoonful of olive tapenade and fried potatoes with capers.