Ever made beef carpaccio at home?
The first time I ever had beef carpaccia was at Charlie Palmer Steak in Las Vegas. It was fantastic. Impossibly thin slices of tender ultra rare beef served chilled, topped with a simple salad of greens dressed with lemon and olive oil. There was some fantastic bread to go along.
My question is...have you ever made carpaccio at home? I am thinking about doing this for a nice dinner for my wife and I. I would just like to hear some stories on how it went.
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biondanonima
May 11, 2011 02:20 PM
Yes, I've done it several times. I like to take a center cut from the loin (more uniform round shape) and sear it briefly, then freeze it briefly to firm it up for slicing. A very sharp, thin serrated knife actually works well here (I use my bread knife). The better quality beef you can get, the better it will be!
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bushwickgirl
May 11, 2011 10:17 AM
Yes, and it requires a very sharp slicing knife at home, or a meat slicer, as you would see in a deli. I use beef tenderloin from the tip (thin end) of the loin, partially frozen, maybe about 2 hours, absolutely raw, and like to dress it with a drizzle of good olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. I prefer the arugula salad on the side, just my preference, and good bread to go with, of course. Shaved Parmesan is a classic topper.
The classic way is to dress the greens with a lemon vinaigrette and plate on top of the beef.
If you don't have access to a meat slicer, no matter, slice the beef 1/8-1/4 inch thick and layer between plastic wrap or a zip-loc bag, and pound the beef gently until paper thin. Totally doable at home. Serve immediately or very soon after preparing, as you want to maintain that fresh red color and no oxidation on the beef.
