1 h 10 min

Beef Fillet Steak with Café de Paris Sauce

Name: Beef Fillet Steak with Café de Paris Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4.00 Filetsteaks (80 g per person) Blonde d'Aquitaine Beef Label Rouge; x 4.00 French shallots; Salt; 2.00 tbsp Butter; 200.00 ml Dry white wine; 300.00 ml Whipped cream; 2.00 tbsp Dijon mustard; 80.00 g Ketchup; 2.00 tsp Soy sauce; 2.00 twigs Thyme; x 3.00 Anchovy fillets; (Tarragon) vinegar; 6.00 tbsp Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO; 1.20 kg Small potatoes (approx. 24); 4.00 tbsp Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO; Salt

By Stevan Paul, Editor

This classic French recipe for beef fillet steak is served with a rich, creamy Café de Paris sauce. Pair it with crispy, oven-baked ribbed potatoes for a delicious French meal.

Beef fillet steak with Café de Paris sauce is one of the great classics of French bistro cuisine. By combining a tender cut of French beef with a rich, herb-infused butter sauce and crispy potatoes, it has become a favourite on the menus of bistros throughout France and beyond. This timeless French steak recipe remains the first choice for anyone wishing to recreate authentic bistro flavours at home.

In France, cooking the steak to the correct degree of doneness is almost as important as the quality of the meat itself. A traditional beef fillet steak can be served bleu (very rare), saignant (rare), à point (medium) or bien cuit (well done), with saignant often considered the best way to enjoy its tenderness and delicate flavour. If you let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving, it will remain perfectly juicy.

This recipe uses beef fillet steak, which is cut from the fillet: the most tender and sought-after cut of the animal. As this muscle is hardly ever used, the meat is exceptionally lean and melts in the mouth – with a refined flavour that is more delicate than that of an entrecôte or ribeye. It is served with a homemade Café de Paris sauce made from shallots, butter, dry white wine, cream, Dijon mustard, tomato ketchup, soya sauce, thyme and anchovies, accompanied by crispy, oven-baked ribbed potatoes drizzled with French olive oil – for an elegant yet simple French dish.

Preparation time

20 min

Ingredients For

For the steaks and the sauce:
Blonde d'Aquitaine Beef Label Rouge

4 Filetsteaks (80 g per person) See the article
French shallots x 4
Salt
Butter 2 tbsp
Dry white wine 200 ml
Whipped cream 300 ml
Dijon mustard 2 tbsp
Ketchup 80 g
Soy sauce 2 tsp
Thyme 2 twigs
Anchovy fillets x 3
(Tarragon) vinegar
Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO

6 tbsp See the article
For the ridged potatoes:
Small potatoes (approx. 24) 1.20 kg
Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO

4 tbsp See the article
Salt

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Preparation

Wash the potatoes thoroughly, cut them in half lengthwise, and score the cut surfaces in a crisscross pattern with a small knife. Toss them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place them unsalted on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, with the cut surfaces facing up. Roast them in a hot oven at 200 degrees on the middle rack for 50 minutes. Season with salt just before serving.

For the sauce, cut the shallots in half, peel them, and dice them finely. Season the diced shallots with salt and sauté them in butter in a saucepan until translucent. Deglaze with wine and simmer uncovered for three minutes. Purée the cream with mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, thyme, and anchovies using an immersion blender; season to taste with salt and a splash of vinegar. Add everything to the wine reduction, purée with a hand blender, and bring to a boil once.

Sear the steaks in a skillet with hot olive oil for 2–3 minutes on each side (medium-rare), then season with salt. Purée the sauce again until frothy and hot, and serve it with the potatoes alongside the steaks.