Some lesser known cuts of meat deserve more attention…
The pear, a very lean muscle from the beef thigh that gets its name from its pear shape, is great for cutting into brochette cubes and marinating, slicing into thin steaks and cooking in butter in a cast iron pan, or… to make tartare.
In fact, the pear is the ideal cut for tartar: lean, not much to trim off, and very flavorful!
A pear weighs about 3lbs, so you can take what you need for your tartare, cube the rest and marinate (no more than 4 hours if using vinegars or alcohol). Here is a great marinade for pear brochettes:
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2.5 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Freshly ground pepper
This way, you get two meals out of one cut!
There are many different variations of tartare, but here’s two of our favorites… Both start the same way- Dice the pear by hand with a sharp knife to get the texture you desire.
The first variation is asian fusion tartare: for 1.5 lbs of pear, you will need
- 1 french shallot
- half a bunch of cilantro
- 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 teaspoons light soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds. Chop the shallot and cilantro finely, zest half the lime and squeeze to get a tablespoonful of juice. Mix lime, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil and sambal oelek together. Add meat, shallot, cilantro and lime zest. Plate and sprinkle sesame seeds. Enjoy with a spicy mango salad!
The second variation is more of a classic Belgian tartare. For 1.5 lbs of pear, use
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
- 1-2 french shallots, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon gherkins (Maille)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- Worcestershire sauce to taste
- 1 farm fresh egg yolk
- 3-4 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise.
Mix all together, season with lots of salt and freshly ground pepper and enjoy with slices of baguette you drizzled with olive oil and toasted in the oven.