Raw and Ready

There's nothing like a night with the girls, a few bottles of vino, and some raw meat.

Know what I mean?

In all honestly, my archaeologically-inclined pal Kristin inspired the evening's festivities. For the past few month's she's been on a mission to find New York's best Steak Tartare.

I was determined that it would be found in my home.

So a dare - and dinner table were born.

You don't just jump into Steak Tartare though. You need to give Steak Tartare a proper build.

Therefore we began with a drumroll, a bottle of well-selected Chardonnay and Tartare - Tuna Tartare that is. (Pictured above.) The classic Mediterranean dressing of chives, capers, mayonnaise, piment d'espellete and other sundry ingredients, played beautifully against the ruby red sashimi-grade tuna I'd purchased that morning from my local fishmonger. We scooped the lovely stuff up with endive leaves, but quickly realized that we still hungered for more.

That's what raw can do to women. We want more.

Decided it was wise to take a break and return to some food that wasn't of the raw category. I quickly whipped up plates of bruschetta, topped with chickpeas in a thyme vinaigrette; fig preserves and Serrano ham; and basil oil with roasted red peppers, sliced egg and sea salt. (Pictured below.)

In a word: Yum!

But "yum" didn't last for long. We were ladies with raw red meat on our minds.

I let Kristin chop the filet mignon into a fine mince. She did it beautifully. I added diced shallots, anchovies, cornichon, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire Sauce and more, spooning out the glorious mixture onto our plates, graced with a dollop of Dijon-enhanced creme fraiche and a bit of salad on side. (Pictured below.)

Need I say more?

Kristin and company agreed: The best Steak Tartare can be found in my home.

And, what can you possibly serve to follow up the best Steak Tartare in town?

Copious amounts of cheese, of course.

In a word: Yum!