The Raw Truth (and Other Rare Occurrences)

In partnership with

Hello, friend.

Well, we did it. I made the Steak Tartare (Les Halles, p. 133).

(We’ll pause here while the vegetarians and vegans flee the room.)

And yes, I ate it, too.

It was the least I could do. It’s not a hard recipe, nor is it time-consuming—but the ingredient list is surprisingly long for such a simple dish.

I suppose the goal is to make it not taste like you’re sucking on a raw steak, and there are enough highly flavored ingredients here to ensure that.

The Lineup

What’s on this vast list, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

• egg yolks

• Dijon mustard

• anchovy fillets

• ketchup (yep)

• Worcestershire sauce

• Tabasco

• black pepper

• salad oil

• cognac

• onion

• capers

• cornichons

• Italian parsley

• fresh sirloin

And then, of course, the white toast points—so you can eat this like a civilized human by shoveling it into your mouth with an appropriately sturdy triangle of bread. Like caviar, except it’s from a cow and not a fish.

The Missing Fries

I was out shopping with a copy of the recipe I’d found online. Once I got home, I realized the Les Halles version included a lovely last-sentence detail: French fries.

And boy, would that have been better than the Caesar salad I served with it.

Alas, there were no potatoes or frozen fries to be found in my house.

Have you had Steak Tartare? I’d had it once before, at a nice restaurant. It was delicious. I don’t recall fries being involved. (shrug)

The Ghost Speaks

If the restaurant was built to serve this dish, it’s certainly worth trying.

Unless you’re my husband, who would not eat this if his life depended on it. But that’s okay—I didn’t have to share. I cooked the other half of the sirloin for him because I’m nice that way. He also didn’t really eat his salad.

Stay Calm, Energized & Radiant This Season

The holiday rush is here—don’t just survive it, glow through it. Start every day with Pique’s Sun Goddess Matcha, the ultimate ritual for calm focus, sustained energy, and radiant skin. Unlike coffee, which spikes and crashes your energy, this matcha keeps you steady, alert, and glowing from within. Crafted by Japanese tea masters in Kagoshima, it’s ceremonial-grade, organic, and shaded longer for higher L-theanine and chlorophyll—meaning more calm, more clarity, and a daily dose of antioxidants that support skin, detox, and immunity.

This isn’t just a drink—it’s your secret to thriving through the season. And now’s the perfect time to stock up or gift it. For a limited time, get up to 20% off for life + free gifts.

✨ Elevate your ritual. Energize your glow.

Get up to 20% off

The Math and the Metric

The recipe serves six. I don’t have five friends who live close enough to eat this, so after weighing the sirloin I had bought, I did a little math to adjust the rest of the ingredients.

Like any respectable cookbook, Les Halles provides the measurements in grams—so you can weigh your damn ingredients instead of trying to eyeball a third of a quarter cup. There are imperial measurements, too, but math is virtually useless in the face of cups and tablespoons.

Be sure to chill a plate in the fridge before plating the tartare, so it doesn’t slump.

And here’s a tip I didn’t do but should have: put the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping. It’s much easier to get a fine chop when you’re not chasing slippery bits of meat all over the cutting board.

Kitchen Exorcism

Background: yesterday was an absolute shit-fuck of a day. I was in a mood when it came time to start dinner.

The ghost seemed to know I needed some help getting through the endless prep, so we sang along to “Ain’t No Man Alive Can Handle Me” by Bertha Mae Lightning. On repeat.

We thoroughly shook our booties while I attempted to finely dice the onion and cornichons, praying I wouldn’t slip and cut myself.

I didn’t.

In a somewhat better mood, I mixed in the chopped beef as the final step and dug out my biscuit cutter—a three-inch ring I spooned the mixture into, pressing it down a bit before sliding the ring off.

It wasn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever made, but it was really good. I ate most of the two servings myself. I wished for fries and more toast points, but it was fine.

Anyway, I encourage you to try it. And wash your damn hands a lot while you’re making it. Even use the nail brush. Or just wear gloves.

The Feast Ahead

Thanksgiving is approaching.

There’s an entire chapter in Appetites devoted to Thanksgiving recipes—including two turkeys. One “stunt” turkey, dressed up with frills and garnishes, and one carved in the kitchen, out of sight, to be served to the guests.

That, my friends, is clear evidence of Anthony’s skill and devotion to the food he cooks. And proof that he had multiple ovens.

I’ll be perusing those recipes this week, choosing what I want to make this year.

Am I making all the T-day recipes? Hell no. But you go right ahead, if your knees and feet can handle that much kitchen time.

In reverence and rebellion,
Michelle Davis
Your kitchen medium

100 Genius Side Hustle Ideas

Don't wait. Sign up for The Hustle to unlock our side hustle database. Unlike generic "start a blog" advice, we've curated 100 actual business ideas with real earning potential, startup costs, and time requirements. Join 1.5M professionals getting smarter about business daily and launch your next money-making venture.

Get the guide