t Quai No. 4, our tartares are always served with french fries and a salad on the side. Since our products come from local sources, we vary the flavors and the recipes depending on the season. Our Chef reinterprets the dishes a few times throughout the year.
Tartare is a fresh and easy-to-prepare dish that consists of raw meat cut very finely, served with a mixture of spices or condiments that are often mixed with eggs or mayonnaise. This is at least its official definition. You can prepare a tartare of beef or horse, tuna or salmon, vegetables or tofu. The biggest difficulty encountered in the preparation of the tartare is to slice the meat extremely thinly. Then, just find the right mix of seasonings to give the tartare a unique and fresh taste, not too salty, or too sour. Add either salt, pepper, parsley, dill, capers, pickles chopped onions, lemon juice, tabasco sauce or Worcestershire, the dish is available in many ways depending on the country or the chef who prepares it. Since it's a meal that's eaten raw, it's important to choose ingredients that are fresh from the day, purchased from specialty stores such as a butcher shop or fishery to ensure the best quality of the product. In order to have an interesting texture on the palate, tartare is often served with an accompaniment of a fresh baguette or croutons to give more crispness. It can also be served with chips or salad.
To chop tartare, you have to arm yourself with a sharp blade and not just anyone. The choice of the type of knife is very important. A multipurpose chef's knife with a compact and lightweight blade will be your first tool. The technique varies according to the type of meat used but generally consists of slicing the pavement, then each slice into strips and each strip into a small cube. A paring knife with a thin and very sharp blade is then used to finely chop the other ingredients. The texture varies according to the chef's preferences and recipes. Some will prefer a finely chopped tartare with a mash-like texture, while others like to feel the texture of the meat and prefer to chop tartare into small cubes. Professional chopper tools are also on sale for those who prefer to avoid the risk of cutting themselves.
Although some of the ingredients in tartare vary according to taste, there are two that have a particular function and are recommended. Indeed, the reason for the presence of mustard or lemon juice in the preparation of tartare is crucial. By their acidity, these ingredients will destroy bacteria that may be present in the meat.
Particular attention must be paid to the handling of the meat during the preparation of tartare. Extreme attention must be paid to cross-contamination, that is, the meat used for tartare must not come into contact with any other ingredient or kitchen instrument that has been in contact with another ingredient. It is therefore important to wash the cutting board and the used utensils thoroughly before and after chopping tartare.