Steak-frites recipe from Mastering the Art of French Eating | eat. live. travel. write. (2024)

Some of you might remember how excited I was for my friend Ann‘s book, Mastering the Art of French Eating when it was published late last year. Now I’m excited to let you know that it’s is available in paperback! It’s the book I recommend to anyone interested in food and France as the one guide book they must read before they travel there!

Ann’s done her research about French food, that’s for sure! The book focuses on Ann’s attempt to build a life for herself in France whilst her husband is off in Iraq. She becomes intent on learning all about French cuisine, in a fashion not-unlike Julia Child who set about, well, mastering the art of French cooking! Ann takes us on a journey around France (10 different regions) as she researches the signature dishes of those areas. She was fastidious in her research (it’s a tough job, right, but someone has to do it!) and painstaking in her attempts to reproduce those dishes once back in her own kitchen. The result is part French cookbook, part travel guide, part memoir – basically a book you won’t want to put down and one you will want to read over and over again. I have the advance copy still on my iPad over 18 months later and I can’t bring myself to delete it. Because it means no matter where I am, I will always have something great to read!

I mean, who doesn’t go to Paris and not want to know where the best steak-frites is to be found? I’m a huge fan and it’s one of the meals I *always* order when I eat out in Paris. It can’t be beat.

And it doesn’t matter how much I try, it’s hard to recreate that Paris experience at home…

Ann Mah understands this, which is 1. why she’s my friend and 2. why she’s written a fabulous recipe which I have the good fortune to be allowed to reprint here!

When you close your eyes and think of the quintessential Paris meal, what comes to mind? For me, it’s always been steak-frites, a juicy hunk of meat accompanied by a pile of fries so hot they sting your fingers.

This recipe for skirt steak with shallots is my interpretation of a set of loose instructions given to me by William Bernet, a former butcher and owner of Le Severo, a steak restaurant in Paris. Bernet ages his own beef, well-marbled cuts that have been hung in a dry, chilled space for weeks or months. The process concentrates the meat’s flavor and breaks down its connective tissues so that it becomes buttery and tender. At Bernet’s restaurant, most of the meat arrives sauce-free. This recipe is one of the few exceptions.

Bavette aux echalotes

Prep time

Cook time

Classic French steak with shallot sauce.

Author: Ann Mah

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: French

Serves: 2

Ingredients

  • For the steak:
  • 1 skirt steak, 9 to 10 ounces, patted dry
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon mild-tasting oil such as sunflower or grape seed
  • For the sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • ½ cup chicken broth or beef stock or water

Instructions

  1. Preparing the steak:
  2. Trim the steak of excess fat and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Test the heat of the pan by touching a wooden spoon to the oil—if the oil is hot, it will lightly sizzle.
  5. Place the steak in the pan.
  6. Cook for 2 minutes, until the underside is well seared and browned.
  7. Turn the steak and cook the second side for 40 to 50 seconds, or until medium rare. (Skirt steak is a thin cut, and the meat cooks very quickly.)
  8. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with a tent of foil, and keep warm while you make the sauce.
  9. Making the sauce:
  10. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with the meat drippings.
  11. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes.
  12. Add the red wine vinegar, thyme, and stock (or water), and bring the liquid to a boil.
  13. Cover and cook until the shallots have softened and the liquid has almost disappeared.
  14. Swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter and add any juices released from the meat.
  15. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding a few drops of vinegar if needed.
  16. Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips.
  17. Serve with the shallots spooned on top, accompanied by mashed potatoes or steamed green beans.

Hungry for more? Check out Ann’s Where to eat in France series. Warning – you’ll be wanting to pack your bags after you read it!
Buy Mastering the Art of French Eating on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store in your country) or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.

Please note: The product links from Amazon and The Book Depository are affiliate links, meaning if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price which goes towards maintaining eat. live. travel. write. Thank you in advance!

Win a copy of Ann Mah’s Mastering the Art of French Eating (Canada/US) (closed)!

That’s right – thanks to the kind folks at Penguin Paperbacks, I have one paperback copy of Mastering the Art of French Eating up for grabs for readers in the US and Canada.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment below telling me which one of the recipes featured in the book would you like to try and why?

Steak-frites
Andouillette (tripe sausages!)
Crêpes
Salade Lyonnaise (salad with perfectly soft boiled eggs)
Soupe au Pistou
Cassoulet
Choucroute
Fondue
Boeuf Bourguignon
Aligot (a dish made with mashed potatoes, melted cheese, garlic and crème fraîche)

2. For a bonus entry, tweet the following message:

Enter to win @annmahnet’s Mastering the Art of French Eating (paperback) on @eatlivtravwrite from @PenguinPbks http://bit.ly/11x7bVO

Then come back to leave me a comment telling me you did.

Eligibility and contest rules

  • Open to to Canadian and US residents only.
  • No purchase of any product necessary for entry.
  • Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all qualified entries on Tuesday November 25th 2014 after 6pm EST.
  • Winner will be contacted via email on Wednesday November 26th 2014 and will have 48 hours to respond.

_________

Disclosure: Pamela Dorman Books provided me with a review copy of Mastering the Art of French Eating. I was not required to post about this, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions are my own.

Steak-frites recipe from Mastering the Art of French Eating | eat. live. travel. write. (2024)

FAQs

What is steak frites in French? ›

Steak frites, meaning "steak [and] fries" in French, is a dish consisting of steak paired with French fries.

What kind of steak is used for steak frites? ›

Traditional steak frites can be found in many different varieties, as the cut of meat typically varies by region! Some folks use rump steak, whereas other recipes use ribeye, flank steak, or porterhouse. Our recipe for steak frites uses juicy, well-marbled ribeye.

What is the history of steak frites? ›

Belgium and France both claim to be the inventors of steak frites. While most history books point to Belgium as the creator, the popularity of steak frites can be attributed to French chefs, who have mastered the dish.

What's the difference between steak fries and French fries? ›

Steak fries typically have a width of half an inch or more, while traditional french fries are thinner. Steak fries are also often longer than other fries, and they are not curly or waffle-cut. They're just thick slabs of fried potato.

Are steak fries healthier than French fries? ›

Steak fries tend to fall on the healthier side of the french fry spectrum. The thicker cut allows for a higher ratio of spud to oil. But not at Friday's. Here, ordering steak fries over standard fries will more than double your fat intake--in fact, two-thirds of these calories are supplied by pure fat.

What is the difference between steak and steak frites? ›

Steak is a meat generally sliced perpendicular to the muscle fibers, potentially including a bone. Steak frites is a dish of steak cut into strips and fried with butter and garlic until browned, and served with French fries.

Is steak frites French or Belgian? ›

steak frites, a simple dish of beef steak alongside strips of deep-fried potato, commonly known as french fries. Its origins trace back to France and Belgium, and it is a mainstay in the cuisine of both countries. The dish can also be found in French-style bistros around the world.

What is another name for steak frites? ›

It's also known as filet de Boeuf in France. A French steak Chips is a steak with some chips that has been rolled in butter and herbs. This adds a lot of flavor to the steak and makes it very aromatic and delicious. The French people have a name for this method called beurre maÎtre d'hôtel.

What is the softest steak to fry? ›

Black Angus filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef used for steaks. It comes from the smaller end of the tenderloin and should be well-marbled. You can grill it or cook it in a skillet and is best served blue rare or rare.

Who invented steak frites? ›

Belgium and France both claim to be the inventors of steak frites. While most history books point to Belgium as the creator, the popularity of steak frites can be attributed to French chefs, who have mastered the dish.

What was the first country to eat steak? ›

Although people have eaten beef since prehistoric times, many people consider steak as we know it today to have originated in Florence, Italy. On August 10, 258 AD, St. Lawrence became a martyr when he was burned alive in Rome. The Feast Day of St.

What do steak frites taste like? ›

To me, it is one of the world's greatest dishes. Sure, the rich, meaty flavor coupled with the crunch of fries contrasted by a sharp béarnaise sauce feels decadent. Some might even attribute this to my caveman's brain and say that eating meat is genetically hard-wired into us.

Are French fries better in oven or fried? ›

There are many advantages of baked fries over fried fries. Baked fries are lower in calories and fat, and they're also much easier to make at home. When you fry potatoes, a lot of the potato's natural nutrients are lost in the process. But when you bake potatoes, they retain more of their vitamins and minerals.

Why are French fries called junk food? ›

Some common examples of junk foods include sodas and snack foods, such as potato chips, crackers, and candies. Popular fast-food items, such as hamburgers and French fries, are frequently classified as junk foods because they contain a lot of calories but few nutrients.

What are the 4 types of fries? ›

Cheese fries – fries covered with cheese. Chili cheese fries – fries covered with chili and cheese. Crinkle-cut fries – also known as "wavy fries", these are cut in a corrugated, ridged fashion. Curly fries – characterised by their helical shape, cut from whole potatoes using a specialised spiral slicer.

What is steak called in France? ›

Bifteck/ steak – steak. Bavette – undercut – from the skirt, textured with long muscle fibres. Filet – fillet. Steak à hacher – used for steak tartare and steak haché.

What is the meaning of the French word frites? ›

Frites is the French word for French fries. In English-speaking countries, frites is used on menus to indicate that the fries are prepared in the Belgian or French style.

What does Les frites mean in English? ›

British English: chips /tʃɪps/ NOUN. potatoes Chips or potato chips are thin pieces of potato fried in oil. American English: French fries /ˈfrɛntʃ ˌfraɪz/

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