Ideas for leftover chateaubriand besides sandwiches?

February 24, 2013 7:37 AM

I have a huge portion of leftover chateaubriand from a top-notch steakhouse I went to last night and I'm trying to decide how to morph it into dinner tonight. I saw this thread but nothing really stood out at me so I'm looking for other ideas. I don't really want to turn it into sandwiches but I will if the collective wisdom tells me that's the best way to go. Also, the meat is a little more rare than I'd prefer so is there a way I can cook it a bit more without ruining it?
posted by _Mona_ to food & drink (9 answers total)

Stroganoff?
posted by Max Power at 8:13 AM on February 24 [2 favorites]

I don't have a microwave, so I've gotten creative in heating up leftovers. I'd suggest you slice the cold steak in to thin strips, maybe put them on a nice hot bed of mashed potatoes/polenta/roasted veggies, and pour over a hot sauce. Use your judgement, but you could also throw the steak slices in the sauce in the pan for maybe 15sec to cook it more. It'll cook very quickly now that its in slices.

The sauce can be based on what you've got on hand. I'd start off with sautéing a shallot in butter, then a cup of red wine or; some diced mushrooms and beef stock; mustard and chicken broth. Then cook it down until slightly thickened. A pinch of cornstarch might help. Salt to taste. Then turn off the heat and whisk in a pat of cold butter.

Or go for a cheese/béchamel sauce and sprinkle flour over the buttery shallot, whisk it into a pasty rue. Add broth/milk then melt in some parmesan or blue cheese, black pepper. Salt to taste.
posted by fontophilic at 8:23 AM on February 24 [7 favorites]

Fajitas/tacos or stir fry would both be great.
posted by phunniemee at 8:25 AM on February 24 [1 favorite]

Maybe because it's Sunday morning and I'm a big fan of brunch, but this steak hash recipe is making me hungry.
posted by xingcat at 8:39 AM on February 24 [1 favorite]

Thai beef salad. Adjust to your tastes, the only constants are the lime, basil and mint.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:56 AM on February 24 [4 favorites]

So you have a chunk of Tenderloin, famed for its tenderness and somewhat for its flavour, that has been cooked (rare) and is now presumably in the fridge.

Its an expensive cut that should be eaten rare, so I think its a waste to do anything like a Stroganof or Fajitas/tacos with it.

I'd probably just try and re-heat it and cook it a bit more without drying it out too much or overcooking it too much. Maybe melt some butter through it or some Rocquefort cheese over it to keep it moist when heating it up, or serve it with a simple mushroom sauce to overcome possible dryness?

Leave it out of the fridge for about an hour so it can warm up to room temperature before you start trying to reheat it. then just Fry it in a moderate heat pan with a bit of oil. - or even just stick it in 180C oven for say 15 minutes with the butter or cheese on it?
posted by mary8nne at 10:32 AM on February 24 [1 favorite]

Best and easiest way to heat up leftover steak is to slice it up in about 1/2" thick chunks then toss it in a frying pan with butter for a minute or two, just until it's heated through. Add a touch of salt and pepper and it's fantastic. My favorite way to serve it up would be over baby spinach salad with some bleu cheese on top, or alongside eggs for breakfast. Mmm, steak and eggs!
posted by platinum at 10:46 AM on February 24

My go-to solution is to slice it up and serve it cold. Eat it with the best, fresh, hot fries you can and spend the effort on making a great bearnaise sauce to go with it. Serve with precisely two salad leaves.
posted by MuffinMan at 11:33 AM on February 24

Steak salad?

Turn the oven on to warm (200 or so), take the steak out of the fridge and slice it, spread it on a plate (pour over any juices). Then turn the oven off and put the meat in to warm up a bit; give it maybe 10 minutes.

Take as many plates as you want servings, and pile up baby-spinach or mixed mesclun. Add a few sliced vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers are all classics). A creamy dressing (blue cheese if you like it) is a standard choice, but anything will do. (I've even used the mushroom sauce that was served with the steak)

By now your steak should be warm. Arrange it over the greens, and pour any juice over the salad as well (in my opinion).
posted by aimedwander at 10:49 AM on February 25