New Zealand is known as the homeland, perhaps, the most weightless cake - meringue "Pavlova". There are two versions of the history of the emergence of this dessert from meringue and whipped cream. According to the first, the merenga was prepared for a banquet, arranged in honor of the visit of the famous ballerina.
One of the organizers, having bitten off a piece of cake, exclaimed in admiration: "Like Pavlova !, comparing dessert with light dances of the dancer. The second version says that the cook, who created Pavlova, tried to convey the airiness of the ballet tutu by available means.
Among the many "name" dishes, one of the most mysterious is the beef steak "Chateaubriand". As it is easy to guess, it is named after the French writer François Rene de Chateaubriand, known not only for his books, but also for his political career, his love for Madame Recamieux and the recipe for cooking beef with a vegetable garnish.
The authorship of the magnificent dish from the tender cut is attributed to the personal chef Chateaubriand - a certain Montmira, who first cooked the dish in about 1822. But about the rest of the historians and cooks are arguing on this day.
First, there is still no consensus on what part of the beef carcass is more suitable for the creation of Chateaubriand. Most cooks from equal countries prefer to use the tenderloin, but they have opponents who challenge such a choice. Secondly, no one can say with certainty how exactly Montmirai was preparing a steak.
Some believe that the piece was fried from the outside and remained damp inside. Others argue that first-class beef was kept between two pieces of medium-quality meat, which provided the beef with a special juiciness. At the same time, "external" pieces were roasted until charring, and then they were simply thrown away.
Thirdly, there is no general opinion about the sauce. In particular, many believe that Montmirai served steak with béarnéz sauce. At the same time, there is a quite reliable hypothesis that a special sauce was prepared for Chateaubriand, boiling white wine, shallots, butter, herbs, lemon juice in a meat broth. The quality of the seasoning used laurel leaf, thyme and basil. Curiously, this sauce does exist in classical French cuisine and is even called "Chateaubriand sauce". But is he related to steak? Questions, questions, questions ... As for the "Chateaubriand" steak, experts came to a consensus in only one: the chateau potato, cleaned in the form of olives and fried until golden, was served as a side dish. Other - a field for conjecture, fantasy culinary experiments.