Beef Carpaccio a la Harry's Bar

It took a lot of convincing to get me to try carpaccio, as well as ceviche and sushi -- and today they are all favorites. I'm still a little skittish about raw meat, though, even if it is marinated. I always go to a very good butcher I trust -- Kuby's is my first choice -- and I prepare the dish as soon as possible. Raw food enthusiasts extol the health benefits of uncooked food, but to me it just tastes good!

The sauce below is an adaptation of the one served with the carpaccio at Harry's Bar in Venice, where the dish originated in the 1950s. This sauce is scrumptious -- in my opinion, worth every calorie. But if the sauce seems like too much, the carpaccio is also good with just a squeeze of lemon, or with a balsamic vinaigrette.
You can also eliminate the marinade. The Harry's Bar recipe does not marinate the beef -- I got that from a different recipe. Somehow it seems less raw if it's been marinated.

Carpaccio

1 1/2 pounds fat-free filet of beef (ask the butcher to slice paper thin)

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cognac
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped

Sauce:

2 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin oil
1 cup vegetable oil
2 dashes Tabasco, or to taste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish:

1 tablespoon capers
thinly sliced lemons
chopped parsley

Combine eggs, mustard, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a dash of Tabasco in a blender. Cover and pulse to mix. Turn the blender to medium and let it run while drizzling in the olive oil and then the vegetable oil. Continue to blend until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add Worcestershire and blend 10 more seconds. Taste and add salt if needed.

If you are slicing the beef yourself, partially freeze it and slice with a very sharp knife or preferably an electric knife.
Place each slice of beef between sheets of  waxed paper and pound until almost transparent.
Marinate beef for 4 to 6 hours, turning several times.

To serve, arrange slices of beef in a semi-circle and drizzle with sauce. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with capers and freshly ground black pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.