Steak "American" and Steak Tartare

 Have you ever noticed that all the older cook books and recipes guarded against the over cooking of ground beef.


Dishes such as the previously mentioned Steak Tartare or Steak American consist of raw, shaved or shredded beef. (Shaved beef is very seldom seen today. It requires a very sharp knife and considerable skill--shaved beef is literally shaved off a larger cut that is kept; just at the freezing point; but not allowed to freeze). Nobody ever got sick. 


Today all cook books and recipes claim that ground beef must be treated like pork and very well cooked. The difference is in the handling. Canadians used to buy their meat freshly cut or ground, often "to order" this happy circumstance no longer exists.While "fresh" meat always was a misconception or myth-that most civilized people would eat or purchase (what was considered top quality meat was always aged, for flavour and tenderness); since  greedy marketers/producers started adding-and disregarding all health  concerns, governments and health boards have allowed pink slime shit-a frozen product that can be a year or more old-to be added to meat products "FRESH" no longer exists. One cut of meat is now virtually the same as another-non of it fresh and containing scraps from where ever/when ever.

Steak Tartare-

 The original hamburger.

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        For each serving allow six ounces freshly HAND SHAVED extra lean beef (usually fillet, sirloin, or round). Handle as little as possible, but arrange each serving in a mound. Make a shallow depression in the top of each mound and place in the depression a very, very,  soft (just barely starting to turn white) coddled egg. Garnish with capers or anchovy fillets. Have available: Worcestershire, mustard, salt, a peppermill, bottled thick meat sauce, ketchup, and separate dishes of capers, caraway seeds, and finely minced onion. Let each guest season his beef to taste. Serve plenty of buttered, thinly sliced rye bread or crisp toast.

Steak American

BROUGHT OUT BY THE U.S.A.; "Steak American" like "Salisbury Steak"is just another one of the"famous" copy-cat products and or recipes that country has built a reputation on; and is so well known for. Notice that the photo images shows a product that  uses GROUND BEEF--NOT SHAVED. Of course, the appearance, taste, and texture will all much different than the classic dish as served in the top EUROPEAN restaurants.

• Prepare Steak Tartare in the normal way and then place a raw egg yolk (yolk only- otherwise you go back to steak tartare) on top.