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Ratatouille & Chateaubriand

post #1 of 18
12/4/07 at 12:36pm
Thread Starter 
I wanna impress (my self really) but also my girlfriend with a French theme dinner. Chateaubriand I make like this...
Paint about 500 g (12-14 oz) of tenderloin (of course, after maturation for a week or son, not more) with olive oil and sprinkle it with a peppers mixture. I put it on a hot pan and leave it there for a minute on each side just to close the pores and kkep the blood inside. Then I put it in a hot (230 celsius) oven for about 15 mins depending on the rednees I wish to achieve. And that's it. Open to suggestions. And what about ratatouille? I've found numerous recipes for it but I don't want to try them all. Do you have one you like? One that's actually properly good?
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post #2 of 18
12/4/07 at 2:08pm
No offense intended, but aren't you a "former chef"? I am somewhat aghast that someone who calls himself a "former chef" can't prepare Chateaubriand and Ratatouille off the top of their head. I mean come on, we've all made each of these dishes 100's of times at work, why should home cooking be any different?
Just my opinion though....
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post #3 of 18
12/4/07 at 2:45pm
jigz, ducatony is from another country whose cuisine is different, so it's possible for him to be a former chef. He's respectful enough to post in this general category. So hopefully that takes care of your "beef." ;)
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post #4 of 18
12/4/07 at 3:28pm
Chateaubriand is a rather mild tasting cut of beef. I'd make some kind of simple finishing sauce -maybe just a reduction of the pan juices and some red wine or bourbon and a sprinkling of herbs, tarragon? italian parsley?
Also, though ratatouille is delicious, I think combining it with the mild tasting beef would overpower the main course. I suggest something simpler that complements the beef, like steamed asparagus with lemon creme fraiche or a gratinee of thinly sliced potatoes. Maybe a simple fennel salad with olive oil, lemon juice, shaved parmesan and cracked pepper.
Just my take on it. Chateau is expensive and delicate, let her remember that, not the overly bright ratatouille.;)
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post #5 of 18
12/4/07 at 11:10pm
Thread Starter 
Former chef in a Pizza and Spaghetti restaruant. Last time I checked, you can't have either of the above-mentioned there. And even if I made it 100's of times, I would still want to have a few new advice...

And the only reason I opened this topic here because I thouth it was the right place. What's the difference between this subforum and the professional chef's? This one is for amaters and that one's for pro's or what?
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post #6 of 18
12/5/07 at 4:33am
OK keep it going. Address the original post please.
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post #7 of 18
12/5/07 at 5:52am
Addressing your post, please be advised that "searing" in a hot pan does not "close the pores to keep the blood in". It merely adds flavor by carmelizing the surface. I tend to use a heavy cast iron skillet heated up as hot as my 15K BTU burner can make it, S&P and some EVOO and drop the chateaubrian in the pan and brown on top and bottom 3 minutes each, then into a preheated 450 F oven for about 6 minutes for medium rare.

Ratatouille just doesn't seem to be the right side dish in this situation. I also agree with a pan sauce or a demi-glace for the steak.

doc
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post #8 of 18
12/5/07 at 6:19am
Actually, I'd make Chateaubriand, lobster, bearnaise, and chateau potatoes. :D
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post #9 of 18
12/5/07 at 6:48am
True!

Luc H.
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post #10 of 18
12/5/07 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
I disagree... From my experience and from advice I've recieved from a few chefs, you have to sear it for as you say adding flavor, but also to close it up. It's like in surgery where you use electricity to burn a blood vessel in order to close it up. Good steakhouse chefs first burn the steak in fire and then put it on coal...
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post #11 of 18
12/5/07 at 1:57pm
In carefully controlled testing, the well seared meats weigh less than less seared meats. In other words, they have less moisture weight when done. However, they taste better and so it is the preferred method. But no moisture is saved in this method, more is driven out.

You cauterize living tissues because the fluids there are under pressure from being pumped around by the heart and other muscle action. Not so in meat for cooking.

Phil
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post #12 of 18
12/5/07 at 2:05pm
absolutely true Phil!!!
(sealing the juices by searing meat is such a persistent culinary myth)

Luc H.
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post #13 of 18
12/5/07 at 2:21pm
Harold McGee has quite a bit to say on this in On Food and Cooking. Searing and 'sealing' have become synonomous, which just isn't the case. As stated above, searing does benefit the appeal of the product by creating a crusted surface ripe with flavor and more eye appeal.
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post #14 of 18
12/5/07 at 8:37pm
You are one the right track. If you really wanna know what happens to your meat during the browning reaction (not caramelization) that it undergoes...look up Maillard Reaction.
Ask yourself why nobody ever refers to thier bread as having a caramelized brown crust.
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post #15 of 18
12/5/07 at 10:36pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, you're right. Doesn't matter anyway. It is the way it is done for whatever reason. But this isn't a topic about that. RATATOUILLE!!!

I've found a recipe I wanna try: (tell me what do you think):

Serves 6
1 large eggplant
2 green bell peppers
3 small zucchini
3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 onions chopped (approximately 1½ cups chopped)
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
3/4 cup parsley leaves (optional)
red wine vinegar (optional)
  1. Cut the eggplant into medium cubes and place into a colander. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces and place into a separate colander. Sprinkle the eggplant and zucchini pieces with sea salt and let stand for 30 minutes.
  2. Core and seed the bell peppers, cut into small strips and set aside. Coarsely chop the onions and set aside.
  3. After the eggplant and zucchini have stood for thirty minutes, drain and dry the eggplant and zucchini pieces with a towel.
  4. Use four separate cooking pans to sauté the eggplant, zucchini, pepper and onion each in its own pan. Heat the olive oil before adding the vegetables. Sauté for approximately 15-25 minutes until soft, testing as you go. Do not overcook. Set aside.
  5. In a large cooking pot, add olive oil, chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook approximately 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and tender but still have a bit of shape to them.
  6. Place a third of the tomatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of parsley on top.
  7. Arrange half of the eggplant, zucchini, green pepper and onion on top of the tomatoes. Add half of the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put the last of the eggplant, zucchini, green pepper and onion and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
  8. Cover the casserole dish and simmer over low heat for ten minutes. Uncover and baste the casserole with the juices. Raise the heat slightly and cook uncovered for up to ten minutes more, basting every few minutes, until enough juice has evaporated that you have just a few spoonfuls of flavored olive oil.
  9. Mince the parsley leaves and place them in a serving bowl. Place some red vinegar in a small pitcher. Serve the parsley and vinegar alongside the ratatouille.
Ratatouille can be served hot as a meal all its own or cold as an hors d’oeuvre or accompaniment to cold meats. Ratatouille improves with time and reaches the height of its flavor on the third day. Enjoy this traditional dish that concentrates the essence of the Provence region.
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post #16 of 18
12/6/07 at 3:34am
Sounds like a good recipe, but I'd add a little basil too to complement the sweetness and a touch more garlic.
Still wouldn't serve it with Chateau, maybe a good rib eye, though.
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post #17 of 18
12/6/07 at 5:11am
Well, technically speaking, the Maillard Reaction involves amino acids and a reducing sugar in the presence of heat. Carmelization is a similar process in that it is non-enzymatic browning. However, a piece of meat is not composed simply of protein. It also is loaded with blood. Blood contains glucose, which is a sugar, so the browning/searing of a steak is really a combination of the Maillard Reaction and carmelization.

My guess is that, technically speaking, the resultant flavor is probably due more to the Maillard reaction simply because there is more protein by weight than blood glucose.

However, not having studied the composition of meat (I'd rather be carnivarous and eat it!), I'm not sure what else is going on. For one point of interest, there is fat to contend with, which is neither a sugar or a protein. I can only conjecture that since fat is the result of a living body converting glucose for storage purposes and if one is on a diet, if the body requires more glucose than is being consumed, it takes the stored fat and reconverts it back to glucose. Maybe the heat is doing the same thing to the fat, I don't know! Again, I like the flavor that fat gives to meat (i.e. hamburger) but I don't particularly like eating pieces of fat.

My mother used to cut the browned rind off of steaks and swallow it whole, like a long snake! Ugh!

doc
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post #18 of 18
12/17/07 at 5:26pm
the oven temp is too high, this temp will give you rings of well done around the outside 1/6th of an inch. The oven should be around 190c or around 350 - 375 F. let it rest for about 30 mins before carving it. As for the Ratatouille you need to find the one you like, thats why there are so many!
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