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Sunset (Sara Schneider, "Best Beef" Dec. 2003) Best BeefKobe-style beef is tender, flavorful, and now available in the West Until recently, Japan boasted the best beef in the world but harbored a secret. Kobe cattle are legendary for their tender meat-and for the massages and beer- and sake- laced diet they're given. But since the early 1970s, many of those Kobe cows have actually been raised in the United States, where both land and feed are cheaper. Here, as in the Kobe region of Japan, they come from the ancient Wagyu breed, which yields meat finely marbled with fat and therefore both tender and flavorful. You wouldn't expect this to be good health news, but the fat is less saturated than the fat in other beef, and the meat is lower in cholesterol. Even better news: Western producers of Kobe-style Wagyu-who are doing it sans sake and massages but with traditional feed routines and without growth hormones-are beginning to market their meat here. And while it's not cheap, it doesn't command $100 a portion, as it can in Japan. Bala Kironde, owner of Preferred Meats in Oakland, California (www.preferrcdmeats.com or 510/632-4065), explains, though, that not all Wagyu is created equal: Breeding counts, among other things, and there are various grades. He stands by Kobe from Idaho's Snake River Farms (available in high-end supermarkets or from Snake River Farms, www.snakeriverfarms.com or 800/657-6305). James Ormsby, executive chef of PlumpJack Cafe in San Francisco (415/563-4755), serves several cuts of Snake River Kobe. He offers this simple tenderloin-quickly sauteed to sear the outside but not melt the marbling inside-for a special holiday meal. Kobe Pepper Filet Mignon Prep and Cook Time: About 25 minutes Notes: Rounds cut from the small end of the beef tenderloin are sold as filet mignon; substitute USDA prime or choice beef for the Kobe if desired. Start the potatoes first, then make the green peppercorn sauce; keep it warm over low heat while you cook the beef. Demiglace and stock bases are sold in some supermarkets, specialty food stores, and some cookware stores (such as Williams-Sonoma); reconstitute a stock base to the demiglace level to use in the sauce. Make: 4 servings 4 pieces Kobe-style beef tendeloiln (cut from small end, each about 1 1/2 in. thick and 8 oz.; see notes), fat trimmed Kosher salt 3 tablespoons cracked black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter Rosemary roasted potato wedges (recipe follows) Green peppercorn-brandy sauce (recipe follows) 1. Rinse beef and pat dry. Season all over with salt. Put cracked black pepper on a small, rimmed plate. 2. Heat olive oil and butter in a 10-to-12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. When butter just begins to brown, press a flat side of each piece of beef into pepper to form an even crust (discard any leftover pepper); set beef, pepper side down, in pan and cook until browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn pieces and cook until other sides are browned and a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 125* for rare, about 8 minutes longer, or 135* for medium-rare, 12 to 13 minutes. 3. Transfer beef to warm plates and let rest for 5 minutes. Mound rosemary roasted potato wedges alongside beef. Pass green peppercorn-brandy sauce to add to taste. Per serving of beef: 506 cal., 59% (297 cal.) from fat; 48 protein; 33 g fat (13 g sat.); 3.1 g carbo (1.3 g fiber); 183 mg sodium; 156 mg chol. Rosemary Roasted Potato Wedges Scrub 4 russet potatoes (8 oz. each) and cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick wedges; pat dry. In a large bowl, mix potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread level in a 10- by 15-inch nonstick baking pan. Bake in a 450* regular or convection oven, turning occasionally with a wide spatula, until potatoes are golden brown and tender when pierced, 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 210 cal., 15% (32 cal.) from fat; 4.9 g protein; 3.6 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 41 g carbo (3 g fiber); 301 mg sodium; 0 mg chol. Green Peppercorn-Brandy Sauce In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter; add 2 tablespoons minced shallots and stir often until limp but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup brandy and 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; increase heat to medium-high and boil, stirring often, until liquid is almost evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 2 cups veal or beef demiglace (see preceding notes); reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming off any residue that comes to the surface, for 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine and salt to taste. Just before serving, over low heat, whisk in 2 more tablespoons butter; pour into a gravy boat. Makes about 2 cups. Per 1/4 cup: 42 cal., 55% (23 cal.) from fat; 0.7 g protein; 2.5 g fat (0.9 g sat.); 4.4 g carbo (0 g fiber); 398 mg sodium; 3.9 mg chol. -Sara Schneider |
