Cooking web notes

Best to Study French Before Ordering a Meal in Paris

I’ve taken a lot of Spanish classes throughout my life and even though my maiden name is French, I never studied it.  I should have though because…

Many years ago, before we were married, Bill and I and my parents liked the looks of a quaint restaurant in Paris for dinner.  The waiter, along with everyone else didn’t speak English any better than we spoke French, which was none.  I saw Steak Tartare on the menu and said we should order it.  I thought for sure I knew what it was:  “rare steak.” 

 

All too quickly, the waiter arrived with our meal.  Bill and my parents took a look at the plates laden with raw chopped beef steak with a raw egg sprawled over the top and then glared at me. Unfortunately, we then made a huge mistake ~ we told the waiter as best we could with a lot of gestures that we didn’t want the meat and sent the 4 plates of Steak Tartare back to the kitchen.  With that the chef flew out of the kitchen toward us, swinging his knife and told us exactly what he thought.  Of course, we couldn’t understand a word of it but swiftly got the gist of what he was saying, re-ordered, ate something I don’t remember now and paid for 8 dinners.

I should have studied French back then, but lucky for those who are studying French now as StudyPoint offers French tutoring programs.  What a great way for students to learn the language!  By having his or her own private French tutor, he or she is enabled to confidently use the language as well as raising test scores in school. 

Obviously, steak tartare is not my favorite way of enjoying beef ~ cooked rare on the grill works for me.  When grilling filet mignon, or really any steak, less is more; less seasoning, less grilling time and less stabbing time with a fork. 

First of all, I let it rest on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature.  Then Bill fires up the grill and I season my steak with a sprinkling of garlic powder and both of them with a little salt when it comes off the grill.  It only needs a little seasoning as the meat stands on its own when it comes to great flavoring. 

Bill makes sure the grill temperature is just right; a high temperature to sear in the juices.  Sear for a couple of minutes, flip it with only using tongs and allow it to continue cooking to your desired doneness.  Here are some tips for using the “finger test” for doneness by gently pressing the steak with one fingertip:

• It’s rare if your finger leaves an indentation.
• It’s medium-rare if the steak just barely springs back.
• It’s medium to medium-well if it springs back quickly.
• If it is tough to the touch, it’s well done as in inedible, ruined.

When grilled to perfection, remove it from the fire and serve.

Cooking steak on the grill is easy; remember less is more and be sure you know what you are ordering in a restaurant! 

Visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

This entry was posted on Friday, January 6, 2012 at 5:27 AM and is filed under Beef, French, Grilling, Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.