Cookbook Club Results and Reminder #3: A Trio of Tartares (Patreon)

Hi Cookbook Club Frienjis, 

Community Vibe Manager and Frienji-in-Chief Erin here! We’re halfway through this month’s recipe(s), a Trio of Tartares. But if you haven’t gotten to making this dish yet, don’t worry! There’s no rush to finish it and submit your feedback by a certain date—the steaks aren’t that high yet.

Let's take a look at how it's going.

The Report

60 Frienjis have submitted feedback so far. From that group, 50% reported feedback on the Korean Yukhoe version, 30% on the Giardiniera, and 20% on the Calabrian Chile. And, kindly, a handful of you went all out, testing and reporting feedback on two or all three versions of the trio. We appreciate everyone's time and dedication to this collaborative kitchen project!

84% of you used leftover steak and 16% used raw meat. There’s no shame in either game! Filet mignon, top sirloin, flank, and skirt are only a handful of the cuts we saw. And the most uncommon cut we saw wasn’t actually beef at all but rather bison skirt steak that Jon used for his family who doesn’t eat beef.

For the Calabrian Chile version, ironically, the hardest ingredient to find was… Calabrian chile paste! Likewise, Giardiniera proved difficult to find for its respective version. Luckily, nothing was too hard to track down for the Korean Yukhoe version. While shopping for this one, though, Nick S. shares they stopped by their local Asian grocery store and ended up picking up some MSG for the very first time. Hellloooo, umami taste receptors!

As usual, your kitchens and pantries were stocked and up to the task. And where ingredient substitutions had to be made, they were thoughtful and interesting:

IngridEK incorporated mushroom powder (from last month’s recipe) in place of the pinch of MSG.

Anne T. used their homemade sriracha while Chris M. used their homemade giardiniera.

And Bogatyr used leftover sauce bâtarde instead of an egg yolk for serving. Delish!

It was many people’s first time making tartare, and lots of you were excited to have a new option to use up leftover steak. And, for some, it simply reaffirmed that raw or lightly cooked steak isn’t your vibe—that’s okay, too! 

We wanted to give a special shoutout to those who made multiple versions of the trio, including Chris M., IngridEK, Michael M., Laura S., Andreas J., Nick S., Karen, Bethany K., Katie S., Brian C., Jon, Amy D., Jeff M., and Tyler C. (whose photo is below).

Dispatches from the Frienji Frontier

The stars aligned for Anne:

"I had a piece of filet in the fridge that was leftover from a NYE restaurant dinner because it was too rare for me to eat. Exactly 105 grams—perfect!"

Scottish Frienjis, check out this recommendation from Porcini in Edinburgh:

"I am so blessed to live in a city with an incredible food scene, but for special occasions my partner and I almost always default to this very low-key French restaurant in town that will bring the tartare ingredients to the table and make it how you like. We have gone so often now that they know my preferences without asking, down to the spice level (7, but a French 7, which is still barely spicy at all). Shoutout to L'Escargot Bleu in Edinburgh, they are truly wonderful."

Walk down memory lane with Karen:

"When I was growing up in the ’70s, tiger meat sandwiches were a go-to when my parents entertained—ground meat with egg and chunky onions served on party rye. This recipe took me right back to those fun times!"

From Jon, this is what it’s all about:

"My entire family loved both preparations, including my five-year-old daughter. My wife and I really enjoy cooking and trying new foods, and we are hoping our daughter will have a strong relationship with food and not be a picky eater. So, to see her eat two different versions of steak tartare and ask for seconds was a great moment."

Let's keep cookin'

So, what else are Frienjis cooking this week? With the cold weather, lots of you are reaching for stews or looking to clear out your freezer reserves (to make space to freeze more stews, obviously). Meandering Fox is making slow-cooked xinjiang lamb lollipops because it's their kid's favorite (man, these kids have good taste!), Charlie W. is making char siu pork for the first time, and Stephanie L. is perfecting their bread making techniques. Yum, yum, and yum!

Thanks for continuing to cook with us, 

Erin, Kenji, and the Cookbook Club Team.