Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, also known as that French restaurant famous for serving just one dish—steak and chips—often has a long queue outside. Their signature dish, entrecôte, translates to ribeye steak, which forms the heart of this culinary experience. I’m taking on the challenge of recreating their renowned steak and chips at home, with a special twist on the sauce.
The Steak: Reverse Searing for Perfect Results
We’ll start with the ribeye steak, and I’m opting for a reverse sear method. This involves cooking the steak at a low temperature, 140°C, to ensure even cooking throughout before giving it a final sear for that perfect crust.
The Sauce: Cracking the Café de Paris Code
Now, onto the pièce de résistance—the sauce. The recipe for the iconic sauce is a well-kept secret, adding a touch of romance to the dish. Through some culinary sleuthing and taste testing, I believe it’s a Café de Paris butter emulsion. With over 14 ingredients involved, here’s my take on it:
My Café de Paris Hollandaise
Ingredients:
- 1 medium shallot
- 250g butter
- Medium handful of tarragon
- Medium handful of parsley
- 2 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 5 walnuts
- 1 tin of anchovy fillets
- 10 small capers
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Black pepper to taste
Method:
- Prepare the Ingredients:
- Finely dice the shallot.
- Chop the tarragon and parsley.
- Blitz the walnuts, anchovy fillets, and capers together until finely minced.
- Make the Base:
- Soften the diced shallot in a pan with a small amount of butter.
- Add the remaining butter and let it melt gently over low heat.
- Add the tarragon, parsley, mixed herbs, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, walnut-anchovy-caper mixture, and white wine vinegar.
- Season with black pepper.
- Blend Together:
- Once everything is combined and heated through, blend the mixture until smooth.
- Prepare the Hollandaise:
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk until it starts to thicken.
- Slowly drizzle in the butter mixture, whisking continuously to create an emulsion.
- Remove half of the mixture and set aside.
- Intentionally break the remaining mixture by cooking it on high heat briefly, then mix it back together to achieve a warmed, thickened sauce.
Cooking the Steak
Once the sauce is ready, it’s time to focus on the steak. After cooking it in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 47°C, I gave it a quick pan sear to develop a crust. Letting the steak rest is crucial to lock in the juices before serving.
Plating Up
Slice the rested ribeye and serve it alongside crispy French fries, a mustard, vinaigrette, and walnut salad, and of course, a generous serving of the Café de Paris sauce.
This entire process requires some effort, but the end result is a meal that rivals the one you’d queue for outside Le Relais de Venise. It’s a rewarding culinary journey that I highly recommend trying yourself. The flavours, the textures, and the satisfaction of cracking that sauce code make it all worthwhile. Enjoy your homemade taste of Paris!
