Episode 68: Beef

Tripe Cassoulet
Beef Cheeks a la Souvavou
Roasted Beef Tenderloin Mont Blanc
Thai Beef Salad

TRIPE CASSOULET
2½ lbs honeycomb tripe (1.25 kilograms)
½ smoked pork hock
1 medium white onion, medium dice
1 medium carrot, medium dice
3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery, diced
6 ounces soaked haricot lingot (180 grams)
4 ounces chopped Italian parsley (125 grams)
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (30 millilitres)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (30 millilitres)
4 ½ cups strong chicken stock (1.125 litters)
Thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup of Philippe de Rothschild Sauvignon Blanc white wine (250 millilitres)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 40 minutes, cooking time is 2 ½ hours
Ease of preparation is moderate

Rinse the tripe well under cold water, scraping off any excess membranes.

Place the clean tripe into cold salted water, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and rinse under cold water. Pat the tripe dry, then cut into ½ inch strips.

In a large casserole dish, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium high heat. Sauté the pork hock – cut in quarters (ask your butcher to do it) - for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, half a tomato, and garlic, celery, carrots and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the tripe, thyme and bay leaves, cook for 1 more minute.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, and reduce the wine by a half. Add the white beans, mix well, finally add the chicken stock, and adjust seasoning.

Bring the casserole to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours. Check the tripe with a fork. It should be fork tender. The white beans should also be tender. Check the seasoning, add parsley and the remaining tomato dice to the cassoulet.

Top the cassoulet with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Finish under the broiler.

Yield: 4 servings
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BEEF CHEEKS A LA SOUVAVOU
4 large beef cheeks, halved
750 ml of Pelee Island Merlot red wine (3 cups)
½ cup diced carrot (125 grams)
½ cup onions (125 grams)
½ cup diced white leeks (125 grams)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
8 juniper berries
1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns (15 millilitres)
Flour for dusting
2 cups veal stock (500 millilitres)
8 large bacon lardons
8 cloves roast garlic
Butchers twine
2 tablespoons cold butter (30 millilitres)
chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 40 minutes, marinating time is 12 hours and cooking time is 3 ½ hrs
Ease of preparation is difficult

Trim any exterior gristle off the cheeks. Do not trim silver skin, which runs through the middle. (This will cook tender)

Place the clean cheeks in a container and add the vegetables, herbs, spices and red wine. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Remove the cheeks from the marinade and set aside. Strain the vegetables and spices from the wine. Place the wine in a small saucepan and quickly bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer.

With a boning knife, puncture 3 holes in the side of each portion of the cheek. Place 2 lardons and 1 garlic clove into each cheek Tie each cheek with butchers twine, “parcel style”. Season cheeks liberally with salt and pepper, and then lightly dust them with flour.

Bring a large casserole to medium – high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the cheeks. Brown for 3 minutes per side. When golden brown, remove and reduce heat to medium, then add the marinated vegetables and spices. Brown lightly for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the strained red wine to the vegetables, deglazing all caramelized residue off the bottom of the pot. Reduce by a half and add the cheek parcels. At this point, add the veal stock, bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, and check the seasoning.

Place dough seal on the inside of the casserole lid. Then place the lid on the casserole and check to make sure you have a good seal. Place cheeks in a pre-heated oven and braise for 3 hours.

Let the cheeks cool in the liquid. When cool, remove them. Strain the braising liquid from the vegetables, spices and herbs. Transfer to a small pot. Place cheeks into the strained liquid and bring to a simmer. Cheeks should be very soft and tender. Remove the cheeks from the pot to a plate. With scissors, carefully remove the twine.

While the “sauce” is simmering, add 2 tablespoons of cold sweet butter and check the seasoning. Finish with 1 tablespoon of minced chives.

Place each cheek in the centre of a potato, apple, and celeriac mash. Drizzle sauce around and a little on top. Finish the dish with freshly grated horseradish.

Yield: 4 servings
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ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN “MONT BLANC”
4, 6 ounce beef tenderloin filets (200 grams each)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon minced shallots (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (15 millilitres)
2 ounces olive oil (60 millilitres)
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (250 grams)
8 ounces 35% cream (250 millilitres)
2 ounces foie gras (60 grams)
1 ounce port (30 millilitres)
2 teaspoons minced truffle (10 millilitres)
White pepper
Salt
4, 1 ounce slices of foie gras (125 grams)
4 slices black truffle
4 pieces caul fat 5 by 5 inches
1 cup reduced veal jus (250 millilitres)
1 cup red wine (250 millilitres)
2 ounces sliced shallots (60 grams)
2 ounces chopped truffle (60 grams)
4 ounces foie gras butter (125 grams)
1 ounce chopped chives (2 tablespoons)
2 large leeks cut in half and cleaned
2 ounces sliced shallots (60 grams)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (5 millilitres)
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup cream (250 millilitres)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 1 ½ hours, marinating time is up to 24 hours
Ease of preparation is difficult

Combine the rosemary, thyme, shallots, garlic and olive oil to create a marinade. Marinate the beef tenderloins and set aside (for up to 24 hours)

Dice the skinless chicken breasts, and push the meat through a meat grinder (mo hole). In a food processor, combine the ground meat and foie gras with 1 ounce of cream. Pulse the mixture, being very careful not to over heat. Refrigerate the chicken purée

Over a bowl of ice, push the chicken and foie gras mixture through a fine “Tami”. Fold in the remaining cream, port and minced truffle, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

In a medium saucepan combine the shallots and the red wine and reduce by three quarters. Add the veal jus and reduce by a quarter. Set aside

Heat a heavy bottomed pan, season the beef tenderloins and sear on all sides. Keep the meat very rare. Let the tenderloins cool

Taking the cleaned leeks, slice in half moons. Blanch the leeks in boiling salted water and then refresh in ice water.

Melt the butter and sweat the shallots and the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the leeks and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the cream into the pot and reduce by half. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg

Take the seared tenderloins and place them in an ovenproof dish. Top each tenderloin with 2 ounces of foie gras mousse, then with the 1 ounce slice of foie gras, and finally with the sliced truffle. Cover each tenderloin with a piece of caul fat

Cook the beef tenderloin “Mont Blanc” for 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare. While the beef is cooking, bring the sauce to a boil, add the chopped truffle and stir in the foie gras butter. Finish the dish with chopped chives.

Pre heat the leeks and place in middle of the plate and place roasted tenderloin on top. Sauce the plate.

Yield: 4 servings
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THAI BEEF SALAD
1 pound flank steak (500 grams)
3 ounces vegetable oil (80 millilitres)
¼ teaspoon freshly minced ginger
1 clove garlic
3 star anise
Grated zest of ½ an orange
1 stalk lemon grass finely diced
6 tablespoons dark Soya sauce (90 millilitres)

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate

For the salad:
1 head of Boston lettuce leaves
Coriander leaves
Mint leaves
Tam basil leaves
1 carrot, julienned
1 green mango, julienned
2 ounces peanuts, toasted and crushed (60 grams)
1 ounce deep fried shallots (30 grams)
jicama, julienned

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons peanut oil (30 millilitres)
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 garlic clove minced
¼ of a red Serrano chilli thinly sliced and de-seeded
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemongrass
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1 tablespoon fish sauce (15 millilitres)
3 tablespoons lime juice (45 millilitres)
3 tablespoons hot water (45 millilitres)
2 tablespoons sugar (30 grams)

Clean the flank teak, removing any visible sinew. Combine all the marinade ingredients with the vegetable oil, and rub into the flank steak. Allow the steak to marinade for no less than 4 hours.

Remove the flank steak from the marinade, also removing any debris of the marinade. In a thick-bottom cast iron pan over high heat, sear both sides of the flank steak, which should take no longer than 2 or 3 minutes, forming a dark golden brown colour. Remove from the pan and place to one side and allow to relax for a few moments before shaving as thinly as possible.

For the dressing, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the shallots, garlic, chilli, lemongrass, ginger and lime leaves for 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce, limejuice, sugar and water and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool and pass through a fine chinois (or sieve).

Arrange the Boston leaves on a plate. Toss together the carrot, mango and jicama, shallots, peanuts, mint leaves and Thai basil. Mix in the dressing and divide the salad on to the Boston leaves. Arrange the thinly sliced beef neatly on the salad and drizzle a little extra dressing over the top, sprinkle with coriander and serve.

Yield: 4 servings
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Recipes courtesy of Chef Michael Bonacini of Toronto’s Oliver Bonacini Restaurants, including ‘Canoe’; ‘Auberge du Pommier’; ‘Biff’s’; ‘Jump Café’; & ‘Steakfrites’