Beef carpaccio
- Preparation 30 min
- Refrigeration 1 h
- Servings 4
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🥩 The luxury appetizer that’s impossible to mess up
My beef carpaccio is one of my favorite recipes for entertaining and it’s just impossible to mess up. A beautiful piece of center-cut beef tenderloin, a good double mustard vinaigrette, maple-marinated shallots and some shaved parmesan. That’s it. It’s fresh, it’s summery, it’s easy to make and the result tastes like a real fine dining Italian restaurant dish. If you’ve always thought that carpaccio was too intimidating to make at home, wait until you see: it’s probably the most refined appetizer you can pull off to impress.
🍯 Maple-marinated shallots, my signature
The secret that sets my version apart from all the classic carpaccios you see elsewhere is my shallots marinated in apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. I developed this little trick because I felt there was a lack of a bright and sweet-tangy note to balance the richness of the raw meat and the saltiness of the parmesan. The maple brings this typically Quebec sweetness to an Italian classic, and the apple cider vinegar softens the shallot so it’s never aggressive on the palate. It’s this personal touch that transforms a good carpaccio into a great carpaccio.
🎉 For entertaining, dating, celebrating
This is the appetizer I pull out when I want to make an impression. Romantic date night, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, holiday meals, dinner with friends when we want to bring out the big guns. It impresses every time without requiring two hours in the kitchen. You marinate your shallots in the morning, make your vinaigrette ahead of time, freeze your tenderloin for 1 hour, and plate at the last moment. Serve this as an appetizer before a beautiful creamy risotto or light pasta and you have a meal worthy of a fine restaurant, made in your kitchen.
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🥩 Get center-cut beef tenderloin
Ask your trusted butcher for a beautiful piece of center-cut beef tenderloin (about 2 inches thick). It’s the perfect cut for carpaccio because it’s round, uniform and tender. Avoid the ends of the tenderloin. They’re thinner and irregular, so harder to slice into beautiful uniform pieces. Tell the butcher it’s for carpaccio or tartare: he’ll give you an ultra fresh piece, ideally from the same day.
🍣 Sushi quality, absolutely without fault
The beef is eaten raw here, so freshness is non-negotiable. Buy it the same day from a trusted butcher and specifically ask for a piece for tartare or carpaccio. He knows it’s meant to be served raw and will give you his freshest piece. Never use pre-packaged beef from the grocery store or beef that’s been sitting in your fridge for 2-3 days.
❄️ The 1-hour freezing, the secret to slicing
Put your tenderloin in the freezer about 1 hour before slicing, or until the meat is quite stiff without being completely frozen. It will depend on the thickness of the tenderloin. For a super thick tenderloin, maybe a bit longer. It’s this stiff-but-not-frozen texture that allows you to slice thin as paper. If you don’t freeze, you’ll pull the meat instead of cutting it and you’ll end up with torn slices.
🥄 Flatten between 2 sheets of parchment
After slicing, place each slice between two sheets of parchment paper and gently flatten with a rolling pin. It’s my preferred method. Uniform, controlled, zero risk of tearing. The flat side of a chef’s knife with quick taps also works very well if you don’t have a rolling pin. Doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be good.
🍯 My maple-marinated shallots
This is my signature and it’s what transforms this classic carpaccio into a Le Coup de Grâce version. The apple cider vinegar + maple syrup + salt combo tenderizes the shallot and gives it this sweet-tangy profile that perfectly balances the richness of raw beef. 30 minutes marination minimum, but you can make them up to 24 hours ahead. Keep the marinade. You can use it as a vinaigrette for a salad the next day.
🧀 Real Italian parmesan in generous shavings
No jarred parmesan, no Kraft powder. Buy a real piece of Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) from Italy and make your shavings yourself with a vegetable peeler while pressing on the piece. Be generous. The parmesan layer should be bold, not shy. It’s one of the three great flavor pillars of carpaccio (beef, vinaigrette, parmesan), you don’t want to make the mistake of forgetting it or skimping on it.
❄️ Plates in the freezer 10 min (optional but it does the job)
Put your serving plates in the freezer for 10 minutes before plating. It keeps the raw beef at a cool temperature throughout service, it’s more pleasant to eat and prevents the meat from “cooking” slightly on contact with a warm plate. Little restaurant trick that changes the whole experience.
✅ What to serve with my beef carpaccio?
My beef carpaccio is the refined appetizer I serve before an Italian or Mediterranean main course. Perfect follow-up: a creamy risotto, light pasta or a beautiful fish dish. As a direct accompaniment on the table, my parmesan croutons for bruschetta are perfect for scooping up the remaining vinaigrette on the plate. For a complete meal, follow with my balsamic marinated beef tenderloin on the bbq or my The best traditional Greek salad to stay in the Mediterranean freshness.
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Beef and marinated shallots
- 12 oz (340 g) beef tenderloin, ultra fresh (sushi/tartare quality)
- 1 French shallot, sliced into thin rounds
- ¼ cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1 pinch of salt
Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) black truffle oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish
- About 3 tbsp (45 ml) capers, drained
- About 2 oz (60 g) parmesan, in generous shavings
- 1 cup (60 g) arugula
- Olive oil
- Fleur de sel
- Fresh ground black pepper
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Preparation
- Put the beef tenderloin in the freezer 1 hour before slicing, or until the meat is stiff without being completely frozen. This is what allows you to cut into thin slices. If your tenderloin is very thick, you can cut it in half before freezing.
- Meanwhile, marinate the shallots: combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and salt in a small bowl. Add the shallot rounds, mix and let marinate minimum 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Prepare the vinaigrette: whisk together both mustards, maple syrup and lemon juice. Incorporate the olive oil in a stream while whisking to emulsify. Add the truffle oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the beef from freezer. With a sharp knife, slice on the bias as thin as possible. Place each slice between two sheets of parchment paper and gently flatten with a rolling pin (or the flat side of a chef’s knife) to thin without tearing.
- Optional but it does the job: put the serving plates in the freezer for 10 minutes before plating to keep the beef nice and cold during service.
- Arrange the beef slices in a fan pattern on 2 large serving plates. Garnish with marinated shallots (drained), capers and arugula. Drop spoonfuls of vinaigrette here and there on the beef (without covering everything, we want to see the meat). Drizzle with a stream of olive oil, sprinkle generously with parmesan shavings, fleur de sel and fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
Carpaccio is a classic Italian appetizer composed of ultra thin slices of raw beef, usually served with a vinaigrette, parmesan shavings, arugula and capers. It’s a refined dish that’s surprisingly simple to make at home. The secret is the quality of the meat, good slicing and a vinaigrette that elevates the whole thing. My version twists the classic with maple-marinated shallots and a double mustard truffle vinaigrette for a Quebec profile on an Italian base.
Three essential rules. First, meat quality: ultra fresh center-cut beef tenderloin from a trusted butcher, sushi quality. Second, partial freezing: 1 hour in the freezer so the meat is stiff-but-not-frozen, which allows thin slicing. Third, flattening between two sheets of parchment with a rolling pin for uniform slices without tearing. The rest, vinaigrette, shallots, parmesan, that’s the soul of the dish but it’s the work on the meat that makes the difference.
Yes, and that’s exactly what makes it an extraordinary dish. The beef is never cooked. It’s just sliced ultra thin and served as is with its vinaigrette. That’s why meat quality is absolutely non-negotiable: buy from a trusted butcher who confirms the piece is meant to be consumed raw (sushi/tartare quality). Avoid pre-packaged grocery store beef or a piece that’s been sitting in your fridge for a few days.
Ask your trusted butcher for a beautiful piece of center-cut beef tenderloin, about 2 inches thick. The center of the tenderloin is round and uniform, so easier to slice into equal pieces. The ends of the tenderloin are thinner and irregular. Possible but more difficult. Count about 12 oz (340 g) for 4 people as an appetizer. Also ask your butcher to prepare it the same day, and specify “for carpaccio”: he’ll give you his freshest piece.
You might find it pre-sliced in some fine grocery stores (IGA, Provigo, some Costco), but honestly it’s three times more expensive and mediocre compared to what you make yourself. For the price of one commercial carpaccio platter for 1 person, you buy a center tenderloin from your butcher and feed 4 people with a result ten times better. The homemade recipe is also the only way to have my maple-marinated shallots and a truffle vinaigrette that elevate everything.
It’s the perfect refined appetizer before an Italian or Mediterranean main course. Serve it with my parmesan croutons for bruschetta to soak up the vinaigrette that remains on the plate. For the main course, follow with my balsamic marinated beef tenderloin on the bbq, my the best traditional greek salad or a homemade creamy risotto. Finish beautifully with my white peach sangria to stay in the gastronomic spirit of the evening.
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