Bleu, saignant, à point, bien cuit ?
How do you like your steak? Very rare (walking), rare, medium, or well done?
I was first introduced to this heavenly couple, that being steak au poivre with Gratin Dauphinois, at a luncheon at the Brasserie Lipp. The Brasserie Lipp is located on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement which is on the Left Bank. What could be a more classic Brasserie-type dish than this? I can’t think of one. In France and for that matter the rest of the Francophone world, Brasserie is a type of restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. It’s a big brother to a Bistro (that comment might start a war.) Typically, a brasserie is open every day of the week and serves the same menu all day. Economy and efficiency, French-style.
Coming back to this particular brasserie for just a moment, Léonard Lipp opened his brasserie in the 1870’s after fleeing Alsace during the Franco-Prussian War. It has also been a meeting place for television personalities, ministers (it is located halfway between the French Senate, and National Assembly), as well as actors, and myself among others. If you have read Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast then you are as familiar as I am with this institution. Papa Hemingway had another hangout (well let’s say he had more than one) which is quite nearby called “Les Deux-Magots” which I frequent on occasion but that’s a story for another day.
Let me return to my meal. The steak au poivre (steak with peppercorns) is a classic French dish. It is usually served with a flamed cognac pan sauce but if you don’t have any cognac, brandy or maybe grandpa’s Bourbon will do the trick. For the record your honor, this steak dish, in my humble opinion, can stand by it’s little ol’ self without a side dish of substance and be damn proud. You could throw in a tossed salad (hence its name) with a selection of cheeses, something light for desert, maybe a little mousse and voila you would be happy and sleepy by the time you get back to work.
But, let’s say you want to marry your thick-cut-well-marbled strip steak with some spuds? I don’t mean the powder and milk kind; I’m talking scalloped potatoes officially known as Gratin Dauphinois with a rich cheesy taste and a wonderfully crispiness on top. I can remember having Gratin at an early age when we were in Paris. In fact I can remember having a lot of things including my watered down wine. Some food groups went down faster than others like cooked carrots which would stare at me from my near empty plate. Just thinking about that, well let’s move on. So my plan is to join these two dishes into a French culinary matrimonial feast. A light meal in spirit. But it will be a spectacular event of that I have not doubt. I still have to go around to the corner market for a few incidentals then ponder, deeply the best wine for this tasty marriage and maybe a cheese. I am already late so à bientôt.