The variety meat of the week is beef heart.

One advantage of beef heart is that since the heart is a muscle, the meat is closest in character to a slice of steak. It is also quite lean and full of nutrients, and can be very tender. The disadvantages are that there is a distinctive, although not unpleasant, flavor, slightly sweet with a hint of liver, and that it is a bit of a chore to trim the various arteries and whatnot away. I also found that I had difficulty finding the sweet spot for doneness and tenderness. I tried to pound out the slices somewhat, and I think that if I owned an actual meat mallet, this would have been a great help. As it was, I had uneven thicknesses and managed to overcook some slices and undercook others, getting only a couple at a nice, tender medium rare.

I cut the heart into slices and pounded them a little with my trusty pyrex measuring cup, then dredged them with flour and fried them in a little butter. I used the pan drippings to make a very good gravy with white wine and thyme, probably the high point of the dish. Next time, I will try the heart meat braised or in a stew, which I think would play to the strengths of the cut, both in texture and flavor.