– This is an exquisite dish for true gourmets. A true meat classic. It is obtained from the thickest part of beef tenderloin, which has no fatty layers and connective tissue. The steak is cooked until rare or medium rare, which conveys the extraordinary juiciness of the meat and its creamy taste.

The history of the dish began in the mid-19th century, when the personal chef of Viscount François-René de Chateaubriand prepared it for him. The Viscount's guests loved the dish, and after some time, Chateaubriand steak found its way onto the menus of expensive French restaurants. Even though Chateaubriand steak is a gourmet dish, you can always buy beef tenderloin and cook this delicious cut at home!

In order for the finished Chateaubriand steak to be above all praise, we recommend strictly following the recipe and observing the correct temperature conditions. But first things first.

The Chateaubriand cut has an oblong cylindrical shape and impressive thickness. Steaks are cut at least 3 cm thick, so some people have difficulty cooking them.

Advice from T-Bone: Once you buy your beef tenderloin, don't rush to cook it right away. Tie it with kitchen twine or regular thread, securing the original shape, and keep it in the refrigerator for at least a day, wrapped in a clean cotton towel.

There are several ways to cook. You can quickly sear the meat in a frying pan, turning it constantly to brown on all sides, and then grill it in the oven. The finished meat can be cut into slices and fry each piece on both sides for 30 seconds. The finished pieces of tenderloin are poured with sauce and served with a side dish. A good option for those who like medium and medium well roasted.

The classic way to cook Chateaubriand steak is to pre-fry it in a pan and bring it to the desired degree of readiness in the oven. It is very important to control the internal temperature of the meat. Ideally, it should not exceed 55 degrees.

Advice from T-Bone: meat will acquire new flavors if you season it with pepper, olive oil, Provençal herbs and garlic before frying. But it’s better to salt the steaks at the very end.

Dry or wet aged beef does not require marinating, tenderizing or hammering. But a simple marinade, in which the meat will sit for half an hour at most, will not be superfluous.

Classic steak Chateaubriand It will taste better if you marinate it in a spicy paste before frying. It is made from butter, herbs and garlic. Chop all ingredients as finely as possible. Place the herbs and garlic in a mortar, season with salt and pepper, and grind well. Then add a little olive oil, stir and rub the resulting mixture onto the cut.

Final advice:
Chateaubriand steak is a lean cut and is easy to dry out. To prevent this from happening, cook it over high heat in a well-heated frying pan. Brown the meat thoroughly on all sides, turning it constantly. After the steak is fried on all sides, immediately transfer it to a baking dish, cover with foil (it will prevent the meat from burning) and place in the oven preheated to 220 degrees. Warm up the steak for literally another 3-5 minutes, and then let the meat “rest” without removing the foil.

During the times of Ancient Rome, a ritual of sacrifice was performed in temples. The priests fried large pieces of beef on grates in order to place them on the sacrificial altar. One of the priests took a piece of meat, intending to move it, but the meat turned out to be too hot and fell out of his hands. He immediately raised his hands to his lips to cool them, and noticed that meat juice remained on his fingers. He was amazed by the amazing aroma, and could not resist trying what the dish he discovered tasted like. It was thanks to this incident that the priest, who fried meat, without knowing it, became the discoverer of steaks, and since then a steak has been considered a piece of beef cooked over an open fire.

England is the second home of steak

Great Britain learned about steak in 1460 after a description of this dish appeared in the recipe book of Baltis Platinus. Since that time, the name “beefsteaks” has come down to us, that is, beef steak. Steaks in England became a cult food; the preparation of this dish was treated as a significant event, although in fact it was one.

Club-steak - only the most famous and famous

Steak was not a food for everyone. Cooking steak requires special conditions, and accordingly, a special atmosphere. All this, step by step, created the concept of steak culture. In 1735, a famous theatergoer, the director of one of the London theaters, created the Steak Society, which existed until 1867. The club's members included famous people - actors, members of the royal family. Over time, the society grew into a club, hence the name of one of the types of steak - club steak.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the recipe for cooking steak came to the mainland and gained popularity in France, Germany and other European countries. At the same time, many decided to deviate from the norms of using the entire part of the carcass with bones - this was the reason for the emergence of such dishes as “fillet steak”, “Chateaubriand”, “tornedos”, “filet mignon”.

Is American steak different or just different?

After steak made its way to America, the Americans unanimously declared - this dish was created especially for us! One of the long-standing American traditions is holding so-called “barbecue parties” in the open air. Due to the fact that the steak is cooked over an open fire, it fit perfectly into the atmosphere of this holiday. As a result, the steak gained mass popularity, but this did not reduce the uniqueness and specificity of this dish. Already in a new role, as a dish for outdoor parties, steak returned to England and other countries - that is, it gained a new circle of popularity, because of which steak was mistakenly considered part of American culture.

Argentines are connoisseurs of taste...

But, despite the fact that America has created a whole steak cult, Argentina is considered the country of the modern and most delicious steak. Beef specially raised on grain feed is cut and kept for several days, i.e. to use the words of the Argentines - they allow it to ripen. Beef for stacking is called “marbled” and really looks like marble, because... the meat is intertwined with thin layers of fat. Today, Argentina is a global supplier of its signature beef. For example, in Russia, lovers pay a lot of money for a piece of marbled beef and claim that they have never tasted a tastier steak.

"East is a delicate matter"

Among the variety of recipes, it is worth highlighting the method of preparing steak that originated in Japan. In the Land of the Rising Sun, “Kobe steak” was invented, which is prepared from a special type of veal. Six months before slaughter, the animal is actively fed yeast-clarified beer and the back is massaged, thanks to which the steak acquires a special taste and extraordinary softness.

Briefly about the most important things

Steak is a rather simple dish, but what makes it so popular? The fact is that a steak is not just a piece of meat fried on both sides over an open fire, but a whole culture - from the skill of butchering the carcass to the special atmosphere created in the process of its preparation.

Steak is a thick piece of meat cut crosswise from the carcass of an animal or fish (Modern English Dictionary)

Steak is a portioned piece of beef with a thickness of at least 3 cm (opinion of many chefs)

Which of these definitions is true? In fact, both are considered true. Steak lovers say that after cutting off the legs, head and tail from an animal carcass, everything else can be used to prepare steak - after which the carcass is chopped into portioned pieces.

As we can see based on the above definitions, the concept of steak is interpreted quite broadly. At the same time, steak culture never stands still, looking for new ways of development and implementation. After all, portioned pieces of pork, cut properly, can also be considered steaks, although this contradicts historical facts.

But beef invariably remains the Queen of steaks, and in accordance with this, the following types of steaks are distinguished, the name of which depends on what part of the carcass the meat was cut from:

Rib steak - cut from the subscapular part of the carcass, has a large number of fatty streaks.

Club steak - cut from the back at the thick edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle, has a small rib bone.

T-bone steak (T-bone steak) - cut from a section of the carcass on the border between the dorsal and lumbar parts in the area of ​​​​the thin edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle and the thin edge of the tenderloin.

Porterhouse steak - cut from the lumbar region of the back at the thick edge of the tenderloin.

Sirloin steak - cut from the lumbar back in the area of ​​the head of the tenderloin.

Roundramb steak - cut from the top piece of the hip.

These names reflect the influence of American culture on the development of steak and are traditionally considered classic types. An indispensable attribute of the above-mentioned steaks is the obligatory presence of bone, their naturalness (i.e., the complete absence of additional processing before cooking - stripping veins, excess fat, etc.).

In general, there are many different steaks that arose in the process of development of steak culture and the influence of different countries and peoples on it. World cuisine has more than 100 types of steak varieties, which are more or less tied to the culture and culinary traditions of a particular national cuisine. Ethnic influences on steak culture have led to the emergence of many boneless beef steaks, primarily in American cuisine.

Europe gave the world steaks from parts of carcasses that had not previously been used on the American continent:

Beefsteak or sirloin steak: cut from the head of the beef tenderloin.

Chateaubriand: The thick edge of the center cut of beef (can be roasted whole, or portioned).

Tornedos: small pieces from the thin edge of the central part (used to make medallions).

Filet Mignon: The thinnest cut of beef tenderloin (never rare).

A little history and my favorite recipe for a wonderful steak Chateaubriand!!!


The Chateaubriand steak is named after Viscount François-René de Chateaubriand, a French writer of the early 19th century: according to legend, it was the Viscount’s cook who first prepared this dish. Chateaubriand appeared on the menu of Parisian restaurants after 1850 and gained little popularity among gourmets. Restaurant critics then joked that Chateaubriand was nothing more than a decent way to eat almost raw meat. However, after a few decades, this steak became one of the “cult” steaks among steak lovers in both Europe and the USA.

“Chateaubriand” is made from tenderloin (in the American “meat” tradition, this cut is called “thunderloin”). The steak goes to that part of the tenderloin where the muscle becomes almost perfectly cylindrical. The steak is cut strictly perpendicular to the grain - pieces with a thickness of 4 to 8 centimeters.


Ingredients:
Beef tenderloin – 500 g
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Butter - 25 g
Thyme (greens) - 4 sprigs
Garlic - 4 cloves in peel
Salt - to taste
Medium ground pepper - to taste


Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Grease a block of beef tenderloin on all sides with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat the frying pan very high, add olive oil, and when it is hot, put the meat in the frying pan. Fry it on all sides (1-1.5 minutes on each side). Then add butter, thyme, unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Every two minutes, pour the juice that is released during the frying process over the beef and turn it over to another side. After the specified time has passed, remove the pan from the oven. Place a spoon in the center of the tray so that it lies face down; Place the meat across it and garlic around it. Let the meat sit for a few minutes (during this time, excess fat will drain and the meat will cool slightly). Place the beef on a board and cut crosswise into slices (1 cm). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and serve.

Béarnaise sauce recipe:

Bearnaise sauce or béarnaise sauce is usually served with grilled meat or fish. Essentially it is an emulsion of beaten egg yolks mixed with boiled wine vinegar.

Chateaubriand is a ready-to-eat hot dish made from the thick center edge of a beef tenderloin. As a rule, meat from young bulls of certain breeds is used for these purposes (most often Angus and Hereford).

Calorie content

100 grams of chateaubriand contains about 267 kcal.

Compound

Beef tenderloin (central part), salt, pepper, vegetable oil.

How to cook and serve

As noted earlier, Chateaubriand steak is made using the thick end of the center cut of beef. In most cases, it is cooked whole. First, the meat is fried for one minute on each side until a golden brown crust forms on its surface. During subsequent baking, it will not allow the juice to leak out of the meat. During the frying process, the meat is sprinkled with salt on all sides. Then it should be placed in a baking dish, peppered and placed in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius. The baking time ranges from 10 to 25 minutes and depends on the desired degree of roasting. In 10 minutes you will get a rare chateaubriand steak, and in 25 minutes it will be completely cooked. After the cooking process is complete, Chateaubriand steak is traditionally served with Chateau potatoes and Béarnaise sauce.

Beneficial features

Chateaubriand steak is much healthier than most other fried and baked meats. In particular, the consumption of this food product stimulates the processes of metabolism and hematopoiesis, helps strengthen bone and muscle tissue, and also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulating effects.

Restrictions on use

Individual intolerance, increased blood cholesterol levels, urolithiasis.

Story

It is believed that the author of this meat dish is the personal chef of the Viscount de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) - Montmirey. He was the first to cook a steak from the thick end of a beef tenderloin. At that time it was served with a sauce of shallots, white wine with added butter, lemon juice and wormwood.

Chateaubriand is the king of steak, truly a luxury dish. It is prepared from young beef fillet, usually from the middle of the tenderloin.

There are several types of preparation. You can fry the fillet in pieces and then grill it in the oven for a short time. You can fry it in pieces on all sides, then cut pieces 4-5 cm wide and fry an additional 30 seconds on each side. I also saw how they grilled in the oven for some time. Very good for grilling over fire. There is a method of frying and then gentle cooking in the oven with a thermometer, where the temperature in the core of the meat is 55°C, cooking for 1.5 hours. I'll show you another method.

I like to cook this way because it’s quick and easy, and the results are extraordinary. I don't know a more delicious steak. Herbs play a special role here, which I selected optimally to taste. During frying, the herbs partially burn out, creating a smoking effect and the entire steak is saturated with this smoke. According to Chateaubriand cooking rules, meat can range in color from pink to blood red and, accordingly, from medium to bloody done. The meat is incredibly juicy and juice flows out when cut. Served with vegetables of any preparation, green salads and watercress, it can also be served with potatoes, but this is rare. Now let's get started. Good culinary inspiration to everyone and I look forward to your feedback!

Chateaubriand is a tender and juicy steak made from the head of beef, served with traditional Béarnaise sauce. Usually one steak is enough for two servings, which makes it an excellent option for a romantic dinner. This steak was first prepared by the chef of Viscount De Chateaubriand, which is why it got its name. Around the mid-19th century, the dish became firmly established on the menus of French restaurants, and then spread throughout the world.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the meat: Place the tenderloin on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes to warm and oxygenate the meat.
2. To prepare the Béarnaise sauce, place quartered shallots, 4 sprigs of tarragon in a small saucepan, add vinegar and white wine.
3. Place everything on low heat. Boil everything until the volume is reduced to 2 tablespoons of golden liquid. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve.
4. Melt the butter in a separate bowl or pan (it is important to make sure it does not boil) and leave to cool. Add black pepper, chopped tarragon and parsley (2 sprigs each) to the oil.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with a tablespoon of ice water. Place the resulting mixture in a steam bath and beat until foam appears, gradually adding melted butter.
6. Combine both bases and add fresh chopped herbs. Add salt to taste.
7. Place the steak on a hot and oiled frying pan. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until an appetizing crust appears - this way you will “seal” the juices.
8. Then cook the steak to your desired doneness. The best option is Medium (10-15 minutes) - in this case the middle will turn out to be a pleasant pink color. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt.
9. Serve the Chateaubriand steak with sauce and vegetable side dish.

Bon appetit!