MUST EAT

In the land of the Charolais beef, you would expect to find a comment or two on how to cook a good steak. But then we all have a different viewpoint about how we like our meat. What is for sure is that in France there are three ways to present a grilled steak:

‘BLEU’ (or blue in English), where a thin cut steak is cooked for 20 seconds each side; or if you prefer it rare ‘SAIGNANT’, then it is cooked for 45-60 seconds per side. At the top end of the scale is ‘A POINT’, which the Brits would call medium and that’s about 90 seconds per side but ensuring you turn it several times. (Editor: I normally ask for ‘a point plus’ which adds another 15-20 seconds – everyone seems to know what I mean).

Ask a French chef how the British like their steak and he will likely say “cremated”, which of course is mostly untrue but a good story to tell. However, many do like it well done and this is ‘BIEN CUIT’ and involves cooking and turning the steak several times to ensure there is no pink in the meat.

Charolais beef is a versatile meat and can be cooked also as a roast ‘ROTI’, or braised ‘BRAISÉ’, which is what the Americans call a pot roast and is particularly good for tougher cuts of the meat. Finally, there’s boiled beef ‘BOUILLI’, which surprisingly is a traditional English dish and is particularly good with tough cuts, as the boiling tenderises the meat.

No matter, what your preference, enjoying a steak is one of those highpoints in your visit to the region and we are grateful to the team at La Maison du Charolais for these explanations. They are well worth a visit and you will find them at 43, route de Mâcon in Charolles, where they will show you what a good steak tastes like in their restaurant.