CUTLETS, FILLETS, etc.
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Navarin for lunch; whilst the cutlets can be trimmed to taste at home.
In France, where beef steak is appreciated, or, rather, where slices of meat broiled, fried, or sauté are to be served under that name, the filet is chosen in preference to the parts from which we obtain our steak, i.e., the rump or the round, which are by all means considered so tender as the meat derived from what we know as the “undercut.” But in England these what is gained in tenderness in the arrangement is lost in flavour. However, the fact remains that when fillets of beef are spoken of, the sliced undercut is properly meant. At the same time, many a cook ignores this, and quietly makes her steak, rump or other- wise, by cutting it into the required shape and serving it with the desired garnish. Like mutton, beef also is served both as filets, grenadins, médaillons, noisettes, escalopes, etc., but in these cases the meat is usually more or less larded, and in any case, is smaller than the less pretentious filets. Properly speaking, for filets the filet is cut out in one piece, and is then sliced in a slanting direction to produce small wedge-shaped slices; these are then peppered and brushed over with, or dipped into, good salad oil or dissolved butter, and broiled for eight minutes or so, turning them once or twice in the process; they are then arranged on a very hot dish, and served with any vegetable garnish to taste. Usually a little savoury butter is spread on the dish, the fillets laid on this, and then a tiny ball of the same butter is placed on each fillet as it is to be served, after it has been garnished with fried