New Zealand Grass Fed Steak Tartare, With SMOKED Mango & Black Rice With Steak Cracklings!!!

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leah elisheva

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Sep 19, 2013
3,028
214
Seacoast of New Hampshire
Well Happy President's Day and Quite Fabulous New Week, To All You Great Smoked & Fabulous Grand Cookies!!!!

I managed today to make the best damn steak tartare I've ever tasted, if I may say so myself??? Smiles.

Having eaten this delicacy in France, Canada, Switzerland, and the States; (at some very lovely places and prepared by Chefs who surely know far more than I), and having made a good deal of tartare myself - beef, venison, salmon, and so it goes - and having one of my THREE dogs even being named after that dish itself...


I am admittedly pretty "Gaga" over this particular way of eating. Smiles.

In fact, if eating cow at all, I would rather have it this raw and quite ravenous way.

(I still have not had an opportunity to eat the horse meat steak tartare - somehow never making it to Brussels, despite some of my crazy globe trotting, and hear that that's best). So that remains on my "wish list" of things to hopefully soon try! 

Why I think mine today, was "the best" I've eaten, is for these reasons:

1. I do mine "chopped" and not ground and find that texture/taste far more alluring than a mere mound of tightly diced meat.

2. I do NOT use filet mignon (use NY Strip) and thus take the main slug of fat off, and sear it, and chop the "cracklings" to serve with black rice, instead of pommes frites. (My husband, who also has eaten this dish in many ports of call, yet oddly different locations than mine, agrees that it is better with black rice than pommes frites, and with the meat's fat added in - amazing)!!!

3. Today's smoked mango,   REALLY added something as we did mix and mash, and push all the caper-esque tastes together...

Yes, from here forward, when making steak tartare for company, I am including some "smoked mango!"

Until then, here's what I did today...

Please enjoy!

And happy new week!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!! - Leah


I had two New Zealand Grass Fed NY Strip steaks from the FROZEN section of Trader Joe's....I took them out of the freezer at 7 a.m. and we ate at 10:45 a.m., but meanwhile....


I peeled a fresh mango...


I sliced that and then placed it into a perforated "grill plate" that was greased with grapeseed oil first...


I put that on my gas smoker, with hickory chips, for 15 minutes...


I mixed some anchovy with capers...


Removed the mangos from the smoker...


Trimmed the main slug of fat off the steaks and seared that in a pan..


The local store was out of shallots this morning, and so a red onion was going to do!



I chopped that, and also chopped some flat leaf parsley...


And then mixed those together...


Meanwhile, that seared "steak fat" got cut up, as "cracklings"...



And added, with chopped fresh chives, to some steamed black rice...


Meanwhile, I cut up the steak, and tossed it with the red onion and chopped flat leaf parsley...



And tossed that all up...


And added two organic raw eggs to the capers and anchovy (they were size medium, as I could not find extra large today, or else would have used one)...


And I also added Dijon...


Whisked that...


And added a splash of Tabasco... 



And then some Cognac...


Then Olive oil...


And black pepper...


And then I gave that a good whisk again...


And thoroughly tossed my meat/chopped parsley/red onion mix in that...


I assembled it all, and drizzled olive oil over the rice and mango...


And then more black pepper and also grey sea salt over absolutely everything...


Garnished with some more flat leaf parsley...












And may I just say, that this was HEAVENLY???

The proper pairing, (if I were doing this as a professional "wine tasting event" for an audience, which, now and then, I indeed do), would be a red Burgundy, (and that's made from Pinot Noir and so any Pinot Noir that you love may be great with it).

However, I don't enjoy Pinot Noir at all, and am thus not a "Red Burgundy Babe" so to speak, (but for once in a very great while with one particular wine, and only that one), and so I paired this with a Syrah blend which I do enjoy instead.

In any event, THANK YOU, for sharing in my dinner today!

Happy new and very wonderfully exciting week! 

Cheers! - Leah
 
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And hours afterword, I am still just dancing around with happiness about how delicious that was and how I want to make it again!!! Smiles.

(Just got the second load of dishes into the machine, and thus scraped some "black rice remnants" off the pan before adding that into the dishwasher)...

OK, happy Monday to all!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!! - Leah
 
Just awesome as always Leah. Thank you for sharing this. Now I am blood thirsty hungry. I have local grassfed free range organic beef in the freezer all the time. Think I might have to try this, sans the mango as I think that might be a hard to find item here in the middle of nowhere eastern Washington.
 
Leah, that looks absolutely fabulous! I have never tried this and it is on my list of things to try (especially now after your post). I will be saving this post in my SMF cookbook I have been assembling (over 600 pages).

Thank you

And have a fantastic week.
 
Thank you so very much!!! (Timberjet, and Ahron, and Link)!!!

This really was sensational, if I do say so myself, (smiles), and the "chopped" versus ground meat, really made it the best for me!

Thank you for enjoying it with me! A treat indeed!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!! - Leah
 
This is a classic prepared with flair. There can be no beef with that!

Great job, Leah. I always chop beef when I make beef tartar but use filet. Iwill have to try your technique.

Disco
 
Thank you so much Disco!

I am delighted that you enjoyed this and am thrilled to hear of another "chopped not ground" enthusiast too!

I loved using the NY Strip this time, as the cracklings in the black rice, (with chives, and grey sea salt/black pepper and some olive oil), were really a treat!

And oddly, the smoked mango was really wonderful with it too! More so than I expected! Who knew??? Smiles.

In any event, thank you tons for the nice comments! Here's to those classics indeed!!!!!!!!!

Cheers! - Leah
 
This is really clever cookery to begin with because you shifted it a bit left of centre in some of the ingredients but kept the method.

Steak cracklings a great idea I am going to steal it
biggrin.gif
.

I love black rice either the Thai desert version or this.

This is modern ,it has flair,it has its roots in classics & its branches nouveau .

Loved it.
 
Thank you so much Mick!!!

I had so much fun making this and eating it! (Done this way, it's now my new favorite dish! A grilled or simply smoked piece of Cobia fish now being my "second").

Thanks for sharing in my joy!!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it too!!!!

Happy Tuesday!!!

Cheers to amazing things this week!!!!!!!! For all!!!!!! - Leah
 
Sorry, thread high jack, but this brought back a funny memory from a recent trip to Germany with some work buddies who are not very well travelled. We had a layover in Cologne, and ventured into town from some brew and snacks. Knowing a smattering of German, I helped the boys order a " spiced ground pork on a baguette with onions" appetizer. Sausage on a bun, sounds good. As it was a dark pub, and we were talking, no one was really paying attention when the dishes were brought out. As one of the boys was lifting the first bight to his mouth, I remember seeing red on the bun and thinking "There wasn't any tomotoes mentioned on the menu", and the look of pure horror as he bit into his raw ground pork and onions....ahahahaha. Kudos to the rest of them, they all at least tried it, and i had a good laugh.

Anyways, your dish looks great Leah, as usual....
 
Adam, that's such a fabulous story! Love it! (I love stories anyway, but that's really fun)! Thanks tons!

And Tr00ter, thank you very much as well! It's fun to "arrange" something exotic, healthful, and yet SIMPLE!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!!

Cheers!!!!!! - Leah
 
That's a gorgeous and mouth watering dish, Leah.

The texture of the meat being diced is far more appealing than ground, and the steak fat cracklins' along with the Dijon, anchovy, caper dressing sound like all sound fantastic. The black rice and smoked mango sounds like perfect partners for the tartare. The entire dish hits all the right notes with me so I'll apologize in advance for probable theft, or at least, borrowing. I wouldn't change a ting except may sub papaya for the mango, but that's a moot point.

Another excellent presentation.
 
Thank you indeed!!!

It was so delightful - the best dish in years actually, if I may be so modest and humble, right - and so please do steal it, use it, make it, enjoy it, and so it goes! (And think of me when you eat it)!!! Smiles.

It's so fun to share this stuff, and I do believe that's why we are here!

So hopefully many people can take it, and go enjoy it, and so forth!

Thanks tons for appreciating my meal! It was amazingly fun to make!!!

Happy Tuesday to you!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!! - Leah
 
- OH, (David), and papaya is my very favorite fruit! (I eat an enormous one - seeds and all - every single morning right after my coffee). And so, I think that would be a fabulous change/upgrade to the dish! Enjoy!!! Cheers! - Leah
 
Happy Wonderful Wednesday To All!!!

Apparently yesterday was, "National Drink Wine Day!" (I was in full compliance therefore). 

I think a "National Steak Tartare Day" sounds like it should be added into the annual calendar!? Smiles.

Here's sending a snowy (we got 9 more inches last night) albeit warm wish to all!

Whatever is on your agenda today - whether meat, vino, or other - make it delicious!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Leah
 
Hi Leah,

I have to apologize for missing this thread when you posted it a few days ago.  I've had the misfortune of going back to school in pursuit of my B.S. in nursing as of last Monday, so my time for cooking and perusing SMF is much more limited now.  Thanks for pointing this post out to me, as it was a delight to see.  What a beautiful dish...the colors, flavors, and textures all look phenomenal.  I love steak tartare, but only eat it on rare (hah!) occasions.  I'd pay any amount of money for this dish in a nice restaurant.  

Was smoking the mango worth the effort involved?  I definitely see the attraction of including the mango in the dish, just wondering if the smoke was a nice complement, or a distraction?

Great and amazing post, thanks so much for sharing!!  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Clarissa
 
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