Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan and Dijon Vinaigrette

written by cookeatlove on February 21, 2011 in Appetizers with 12 comments

I am going to a dinner soiree this evening and am in charge of the “lavish” appetizer.  I was wondering what to make and then thought of what I would normally order in a restaurant.  The last time I had beef carpaccio I was quite delighted with it.  I began researching how to make it at home and came up with a million and one different methods.  The most common was to freeze it, then slice it, then pound it if it was too thick.  I experimented a bit and even tried to use my mandolin (bad idea with frozen meat).  Then the most strange and curious thought came to me, what if my local butcher would slice it for me?  Indeed!  My kindly butcher not only sliced it paper thin for me (and yes he put it in the freezer for 2 hours first), but he offered many suggestions and warm support for my endeavor.   I tried a few different types of plating for this dish and I like the rolled carpaccio look the best so that is how I am going to serve it tonight.  There are also photos for the traditional way of plating it.  I love this Dijon vinaigrette.  I really brings out the flavor of the beef without overpowering it.  Oh yay.  It should be a fun night.  I am also making a green pea puree which I will post later on.

Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan and Dijon Vinaigrette

-500 g fresh, raw beef tenderloin, thinly sliced-see note above about how I attained mine.  Otherwise Alton Brown has some suggestions for slicing your own.
-Salad greens-you can use any kind you like.  I used frisee and dandelion leaves.
-Chives- either chopped or left long as presented in the pic above.

-Parmesan cheese sliced with a vegetable peeler.  This creates nice thin slices.  Use the sides of the cheese.

-olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling over the finished dish.  The amount is up to you.

Sauce:

2 T Dijon Mustard
2 T capers, roughly chopped

4 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar- get a really nice kind.
11/2 t salt
Fresh ground pepper
3 T water

Directions:

Prepare the salad greens and dress lightly with olive oil.  Spread some of the Dijon sauce over a slice of beef.  Place a small amount of the salad greens on  the slice of beef.  Gently roll the beef around the greens.  Repeat this process until you have as many as you need.  Arrange on a plate and lightly drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Arrange chives on top of the rolls.

Method two:  Layer the beef thinly on a plate,  spread the sauce all over the beef.  Top with salad greens, Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.  You may make a large platter for others to share or individual plates.

tags: beef Carpaccio

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