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1
Choose the beef and chill everything
10 Mins
No cooking — keep chilled at 4°C (40°F) or below
Buy the beef the same day you plan to eat it, from a butcher you trust, and tell them it is for filet americain: they will cut it from a whole fillet. Put the beef, your knife, the cutting board and the mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Raw beef is only safe to eat raw when it is very fresh and kept cold, so do not skip this step, and never use beef that has been sitting in the fridge for days.
If the beef smells of anything at all, do not use it raw. Fresh beef for this dish has almost no smell.
Done when: Beef, knife, board and bowl all cold to the touch; beef deep red with no grey patches.
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2
Mince the beef finely by hand
10 Mins
No cooking — keep chilled at 4°C (40°F) or below
Trim every bit of fat, sinew and silver skin from the cold fillet. Slice it thin, cut the slices into strips, then rock a sharp knife through the strips until the meat is finely minced, like coarse mince, not a smooth paste. Work quickly and put the bowl back in the fridge whenever you pause: the meat must stay cold.
A heavy, sharp knife does the work; a blunt knife tears the meat and warms it up. Sharpen before you start.
Done when: Fine, even mince that still shows tiny fibres, never a smooth puree.
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3
Season and mix the spread
5 Mins
No cooking — keep chilled at 4°C (40°F) or below
Fold the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika, shallot, capers, cornichons, egg yolk, parsley, black pepper, Tabasco and salt into the cold mince with a fork until it is evenly mixed and spreadable. Taste a little and adjust: more mustard for sharpness, more paprika for colour, a little more salt only if it needs it. This filet americain recipe should taste rich, tangy and well seasoned, never flat.
Fold, do not stir hard: overworking warms the meat and turns it dense.
Done when: An evenly pink-red spread that holds its shape on a knife and tastes balanced.
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4
Spread on bread and serve at once
5 Mins
No cooking — serve chilled at 4°C (40°F) or below
Spread the filet americain thickly on the bread slices and serve immediately, straight from the fridge, with extra cornichons and a little more parsley on the side. Do not leave it sitting out: raw beef must be eaten within 2 hours of making it, and within 30 minutes at warm room temperature.
Serve on chilled plates in warm weather, and make only as much as you will eat in one sitting.
Done when: Cold, thickly spread sandwiches served at once, with the spread still pink and glossy.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat it cold, fresh and soon after making it, with a cold drink and good bread. That is the whole pleasure of it.
Belgium
1h
