Filets en Chevreuil

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Larding needle, or a 3 mm metal skewer and narrow paring knife
• •Shallow nonreactive dish with a fitted cover
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan for the Sauce Poivrade
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack and absorbent paper towels

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape and lard

   Flatten each trimmed fillet very lightly with the heel of your hand until it is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Do not pound it thin. Make three narrow tunnels through each fillet, following the direction of the meat, with a larding needle or the tip of a narrow paring knife. Thread one chilled bacon strip through each tunnel with a slim metal skewer, leaving the ends barely visible, then trim them flush. The cold makes the fat rigid enough to pass through the meat instead of folding inside it.

   If the bacon softens and refuses to thread, return the strips to the freezer for ten minutes. Do not enlarge the tunnels; large cuts let the juices escape.
2. 2

   Marinate for three hours

   Arrange the larded fillets in a nonreactive dish just large enough to hold them. Spoon over the Raw Marinade for Butcher’s Meat or Venison (No. 169), working its aromatics around and over every piece. Cover and refrigerate for three hours, turning the fillets every forty-five minutes so each side meets the marinade. The refrigerator replaces the cool pantry and oil-paper of the brigade method. Do not leave these small pieces overnight; the active vinegar would cure their surfaces and make them mealy.

3. 3

   Warm sauce and dry

   Warm the Sauce Poivrade prepared using Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) over the gentlest heat, then cover it and hold it off the burner. Lift the fillets from the raw marinade, scrape away every aromatic, and discard the used marinade. Press the meat firmly between several changes of paper towel, set it on a clean rack for ten minutes, then blot it once more. Trim any protruding bacon flush because exposed ends burn before the beef browns.

4. 4

   Heat the frying oil

   Set a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over high heat for about three minutes, then add the oil. It is ready when the surface ripples freely and the first faint thread of smoke appears. Keep the pan attended and lower the meat away from you. The original calls for smoking oil because anything cooler lets the marinade's remaining moisture collect before the outside can set.

5. 5

   Quick-fry the fillets

   Lay the fillets in the oil with space between them. Fry without moving for 60 to 90 seconds, until the undersides are deeply bronzed, then turn and fry the second sides for another 60 to 90 seconds. Roll each briefly against the pan to colour its edges. If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches (30 cm), work in two batches. Remove at 126 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) for medium-rare or 140°F (60°C) for medium; cook to 145°F (63°C) when serving anyone who requires the conservative safety standard. If liquid beads around the meat and the fierce hiss goes dull, lift the fillets to a clean rack immediately. Turn off the heat, pour the liquid into a heatproof bowl, wipe the pan with paper held in tongs, then reheat it with a little fresh oil and blot the meat again. Ça se rattrape. A flooded pan is a warning, not a verdict.

6. 6

   Rest and sauce

   Rest the fillets uncovered for five minutes so the crust stays firm. Stir any clear resting juices into the Sauce Poivrade, warming it gently without boiling; if it has tightened too far, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water at a time until it coats a spoon in a glossy film. Pool the sauce on a warmed oval platter and arrange the fillets over it rather than drowning their browned tops. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for the narrow, tapered end of the beef fillet, not four thick centre-cut tournedos. The book's three-ounce pieces marinate quickly and cook before their larding fat has time to escape.
• •Use firm, unsmoked dry-cured bacon or salt pork. A heavily smoked bacon overwhelms the game-like intention, while soft water-added bacon is nearly impossible to thread.
• •Refined grapeseed or sunflower oil can face the heat this method demands. Butter would burn before the beef sets. We don't apologize for butter, but we don't mistreat it either; let it give its gloss to the finished Sauce Poivrade.
• •Sauce Poivrade is the sharper accompaniment, peppery and acid-bright. Sauce Chasseur is the book's other suitable choice and brings mushrooms and tomato; use it as a complete replacement, never alongside the Poivrade.
• •A smooth celeriac or potato purée makes the proper quiet companion, catching the sauce without competing with it. Pour a structured red Bordeaux or northern Rhône wine and keep the rest of the plate simple.

Advance Preparation

• •The Sauce Poivrade prepared using Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) may be finished up to two days ahead, chilled promptly, and rewarmed over very gentle heat. Whisk in a teaspoon of warm water if it sets too tightly.
• •The fillets may be trimmed and larded earlier the same day. Begin their three-hour bath in Raw Marinade for Butcher’s Meat or Venison (No. 169) so they come out shortly before cooking.
• •Prepare Raw Marinade for Butcher’s Meat or Venison (No. 169) immediately before using it, as the source directs. Once it has held raw beef, discard it rather than saving or serving it.
• •Do not sear the fillets ahead. Their pleasure is the contrast between the dark, freshly fried exterior, the rosy centre, and the sharp glossy sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)