BEEF TARTARE WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE

Ingrid and I were were walking the streets of Paris one recent afternoon and quickly decided on having an evening at home with beef tartare, artisanal potato chips and champagne for dinner. Ingrid Pankonin, a private chef visiting from Berkeley, California, has been popping up in Paris over the last 5 years. We have enjoyed many beautifully crafted meals together.  From road trips to Piedmont, Italy and city escapes to the french countryside, when Ingrid is in town, so is laughter, grub and champagne.

We spent the afternoon collecting ingredients around my neighborhood, while ducking out of the rain and filling our market bags bit by bit. We hit rue de Bretagne and went to my local market to get organic veggies, Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris. Next to the market, and along the food shops of rue de Bretange, we went to Fromagerie Jouannault, one of my favorite cheese shops, and lastly stopped at the Boucherie du Marais to pick up our beef to hand cut at home for the tartare.

This type of apron on a butcher my quality default check for Parisian butchers, it is the old Les Halles style of wrapping 2 waist aprons with a specific knot used to tie the shoulder stap. This style of apron shows a prideful butcher.

GARLIC MAYONNAISE RECIPE

by Ingrid Pankonin

Equipment you will need:

2-quartish bowl

Whisk 

Optional: A saucepan that will cradle the bowl, plus a towel - line the saucepan with the towel, then cradle the bowl in it for a non-slipping bowl. Also optional: a microplane, or mortar and pestle

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk + 1 extra egg in case the mayo breaks (curdles)
2/3 - 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - this is not the time for a super-green, spicy olive oil. Use a mild extra virgin or even start with 1/4 cup of neutral vegetable oil and finish with EVO.
1 plump clove of garlic - minced, pounded in a mortar and pestle, or *shortcut* microplaned
salt to taste - 1/2 - 1 tsp
lemon juice to taste

First, make sure the egg is at room temperature!  This is my number one mayo breaker.  If you need to make mayo straight from a cold egg, fear not!  Warm the egg up in a bowl of hot tap water for a few minutes, keeping in mind that the warmth needs to make it all the way into the yolk, so it may take a couple of water changes.  I think the egg should feel ever so slightly warm to the touch on the outside.

Now, let's make the mayo!  I'm calling it mayonnaise because some people would argue that aïoli has no acid (and has a TON of garlic!), but I like garlicky mayo to have some lemon in it, and it goes well with the tartare.

Whisk the egg yolk to break it up.  Start by dribbling a few drops of oil in, whisking all the while.  Add a few more drops when the first ones are fully incorporated.  How hard or fast you whisk is much less important than just making sure the olive oil is fully absorbed before adding more.  Continue drizzling and whisking… as the mayonnaise starts to grow in volume, it may become a little too thick - just add a few drops of water or lemon juice.  Now is a good time to add a first pinch of salt, too.  Also, you can start to increase the amount of oil you add each time - moving up to a teaspoon or so for a few additions, then on to a tablespoon or so for the next while.  Again - just make sure it's fully incorporated before adding more!  Taste along the way for seasoning. Keep on like this until you've added all the oil.  Add the garlic, and lemon juice and salt to taste - since the mayo is mostly oil, it'll take a few minutes for the salt to dissolve.  The garlic will also get stronger as it sits, so just taste it again and adjust if necessary.

*If at any time the mayo gets loose and looks curdled, it has "broken".  You have to just start over with a fresh, room temp egg yolk.  Then add the broken mayo in the same manner as the olive oil on the first go-around: a few drops at a time, whisking.  And so on. Store leftover mayo in the fridge for one day.  As mentioned above, cold is the enemy of a stable mayonnaise - so if you want to use it as such, let it warm up a bit.  Or, use it as a base for a little vinaigrette!  Add a little mustard, some more lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and more oil to taste, plus S+P.  Yay!

For the mayo, delicately separate the yolk from your perfect egg and begin the emulsification process.

 

For the tartare, finely chop up some cornichon pickles, shallots and capers and lay them out on each individual plate or on a platter, family style. Other things you can add to the fixins on the tartare table are things like homemade thousand island, ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.  For ours, we seasoned the beef and simply used our freshly made garlic mayo along with the pickles, shallots and capers. It was delicious. You can mix up your own personal fave combo.

L'Etivaz, a french alp cheese...and Paris' only local cheese, Brie de Meaux

Valencay, a goat's milk cheese... and Fleur de Maquis, a sheep's milk cheese from Corsica

CAUNES-MINERVOIS | FRANCESCA'S PAELLA | LE QUATORZE JUILLET

Local Black Olives from the Farmer's Market & Mariella in Jean-Claude's Walnut Grove meadow 

We went on a road trip to visit various friends in Southern and Southeastern France and discovered magical villages tucked into small corners far from the toll roads. This story features the first stop on our trip, Caunes-Minervois, about 20 minutes from Carcassonne and at the foot of the La Montagne Noire (The Black Mountains). Our friend Imelda's father lives here. Imelda, her partner Francesca, and their new baby,  spend as much time down here as they can. We were lucky enough to be invited to join them for some Summer sun and Bastille Day festivities ( more commonly known as Le Quatorze Juillet in France). There is a strong Spanish influence in this region, which is why it seemed too perfect to experience Francesca's Paella on our first day in the village. We stopped by the farmer's market and found some delicious home cured olives and a big basket of strawberries and walked over to find them in their back yard (a former Monk's garden). Jean-Claude lives directly behind a beautiful 8th century Abbey.

 Francesca's Sangria & The Table in Jean-Claude's Garden under a Wysteria and Mulberry Canopy

Californian-Spanish friend, graphic designer and inspired cook, Francesca, prepared a delicious Sangria before the Paella prep began. With lots of fresh oranges and tart green apples, I couldn't imagine a better afternoon drink on a super-hot Summer day in Southern France. We stepped into the kitchen and immediately jumped into the Paella assembly line. 

Toasted Saffron freshly ground in a Mortar and Pestle
 

First she toasted some saffron and ground it using her mortar and pestle. She added the saffron to a simmering broth later to be used for the Paella rice to give it that distinct earthy flavor and warm yellow color.

The outdoor Paella Kitchen & Francesca cooking the diced onions, minutes before the rice gets added

We all helped chop and prep while Francesca got her ingredients lined up on the garden cooking table. I like when everyone has a hand in the meal, because the atmosphere feels instantly family style. The ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, diced white onions, chopped tomatoes, green beans, green olives with pimentos, saffron broth, short round Paella rice, squid, shrimp, clams, mussels, and sliced roasted red peppers.

Toasting the Rice with Olive Oil and sautéed Onions

 Saffron Broth going into the Rice Mixture & Green Beans being added after the Broth

After sautéeing the onions for a bit, she added the rice  and some chopped tomatoes. Once mixed together, she added the Saffron broth and the green beans. This is the stage where you employ the secret perfect Paella trick: don't stir the rice. After the rice mixture cooked for a tiny spell,  she added the chopped green olives ( stuffed with red pimento) and began the seafood layering process.

Clams waiting their turn

Shellfish laid out in a circular motif. First the Clams, then the Mussels.

 Shrimp and Red Peppers added after the Mussels. This is the moment before the last step, the Squid

The finished Paella, with perfectly steamed Squid added at the very last moment & Lovely Imelda plating it up

Á Table

This was the first time I've eaten such a delicious Paella. The seafood was added in such careful order, so that every bite was perfectly cooked. YUM.

Local Cheeses from the Laungedoc Region, including the pretty wheel of Cathare raw-milk cheese

Imelda's Apricot Tart

We ended the meal with a sampling of some local cheeses and a homemade apricot tart, baked by Imelda. She made a perfect buttery crust and added only a pinch of sugar in order to allow the apricot's lively tartness to come through. Thank you, Merci, Gracias to the Picherits and Bautistas!

 Sunflower fields tucked in-between vineyards outside of Carcassonne

Caunes-Minervois celebrates Bastille Day one day early. They do this because the neighboring city of Carcassonne has the largest fireworks show outside of Paris. To avoid the competition, they have a beautiful tradition take place on the 13th, in front of the Mairie (and outside our hotel, Hôtel d'Alibert). All children are invited to carry a colorful paper lantern, handed out in the town square, and then walk with the procession to a field where the firework show awaits.  This tradition has been in place for many years, and the entire town comes alive with music and dancing, all in the glow of the flickering candle lit lanterns amidst the old village buildings and narrow streets. Magical.

The Children of Caunes-Minervois with their Paper Lanterns

We spent the afternoon of the 14th in Carcassonne before the madness began, and got lost in the surrounding vine covered hills. We caught a glimpse of the entire fortified old town from there and it was like a fairy tale vision come to life.

Cité of Carcassonne

Horse led Wagons walking along the Ramparts of Cité

On our last night, we had our friends over for dinner at the Hôtel d'Alibert. Our hotelier, Fréderic, was a jovial character to say the least. He made us laugh and took good care of us. The hotel is well known for their local cuisine. They serve hearty regional dishes like Cassoulet and Daube (red wine stewed beef). We loved staying here and had a fantastic farewell dinner.

Our bedroom window at Hôtel d'Alibert

Hotel d'Alibert's inner Courtyard and Restaurant Terrace

Our Breakfast Table in the Courtyard

Foie Gras Créme Brulée at Restaurant d'Alibert. Insane.

One of the days found us up in the marble quarries in the hills of Caunes-Minervois. It was one of the most striking places we have ever seen. Rose colored thick slabs of marble that created an amphitheater like space. I could take photos here all day. The rosey marble of this quarry was made famous by it's use in palaces like Versailles. It was a favorite of Marie-Antoinette.

Rose Marble Quarries of Caunes-Minervois

Another Guest's Summer Kit