Today for a change I thought I would introduce you to a dish which is more one you would share with your partner whilst the children are in bed (yes we do do this sometimes :-)), a classic French bistro dish: la bavette à l’échalotte. As most of my dishes it is really easy to make but delicious. Vegetarian friends beware; this is a carnivore meat lover kind of dish!

Bavette is a really popular French cut of beef yet it can be quite hard to find in the UK. As it is one of my husband’s favourite cuts I have been several time on a mission to find some. Whether it is at my local butcher or at the butcher of my local high-end supermarket no one has bavette on offer… my solution: internet (Ocado, French click, Chanteroy, Abel & Cole…)

Beef Bavette - Croque-Maman, A French mum's cooking secrets (small)

Copyrights www.carnivor.fr

You could think that if it is this tasty it must be atrociously expensive… well no… it is pretty much at least three times cheaper than filet and it has so much more flavour so go for it! The only reason why you don’t find it easily is that it is so tasty and unique butchers like to keep it for themselves, a cheeky perk of the job isn’t it? Bavette is then also known to be the butcher’s cut :-)

Bavette and shallots go beautifully together and by making a red wine shallots comfit you will achieve Parisian bistro like results.

Bon appétit!

 Bavette a l'echalotte - Croque-Maman, A French mum's cooking secrets (title)

 

 
Bavette a l'echalotte SQ

Bavette à l’échalotte

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 2 people

A classic French bistro dish: la bavette à l’échalotte.

Print

Ingredients

  • 10 g butter
  • 4 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
  • 20 cl red wine
  • 2 beef bavettes

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter very gently in a small saucepan. As soon as it is melted (you do not want it to brown), add the sliced shallots in the pan. Cook on a gentle heat (let them sweat- they should not brown) for about 10 minutes.
  2. Pour the red wine into the saucepan. Leave to cook for 20 to 30 minutes on a gentle heat. You need the red wine to have almost all evaporated.
  3. Pan fry your beef bavettes as you like them cooked.
  4. Remove your bavettes from the frying pan. Add the red wine shallots comfit to the pan to get all the flavour from the meat and serve the comfit on top of the meat.