Hereford beef fillet with white asparagus
This beautiful beef is served in the restaurant with confit garlic emulsion and greens to go along with it.
3 HOURS 20 MINUTES + COOLING + CHILLING | SERVES 4 6 | A LITTLE EFFORT
BEEF SAUCE
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
beef trim 1kg, 80% meat 20% fat, room temperature
carrots 2, diced
onions 2, diced
chestnut mushrooms 250g
bay leaves 2
sherry vinegar 100ml, plus a splash
red wine 200ml
good-quality beef stock 2 litres
good-quality chicken stock 1 litre BEEF DRIPPING POTATO TERRINE
reserved fat from the beef trim onions 3 large, sliced
thyme 4 sprigs
unsalted butter 150g
Maris Piper potatoes 2.2kg, peeled and thinly sliced
garlic 3 cloves, sliced
vegetable oil a dash PARMESAN CRUST
breadcrumbs 85g
parmesan 15g, finely grated
thyme 2 tsp of leaves
Beaufort cheese 40g, finely grated
unsalted butter 125g, melted WHITE ASPARAGUS
white asparagus 6 spears, trimmed and peeled
whole milk 200ml
thyme a sprig
lemon a piece of rind
BEEF
thyme a few sprigs
rosemary a few sprigs
aged beef centre cut fillet 800g, trimmed, room temperature
olive oil 1 tbsp, for frying
unsalted butter 60g
garlic bulb 1, cut in half through the head
1 To make the beef sauce, brown and caramelise the beef trim with a splash of vegetable oil in a large stock pot. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate and reserve the beef fat for the terrine. Lower the heat, add the diced carrots, onions, mushrooms and bay, and cook gently for
10 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for 5 minutes, then add the wine. Cook until reduced by half. Add the browned meat trim and both stocks, turn up the heat and skim off any foam. Simmer for 2 hours, strain into a clean pan and reduce to a saucy consistency. Cool, strain and chill.
2 To make the potato terrine, heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a 20cm x 15cm tray with baking paper. Heat the beef fat in a frying pan and cook the onions over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Add the thyme and butter, and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat with a lid on. Once the onions are golden, remove the thyme, add a splash of sherry vinegar and sliced garlic, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Cool.
3 Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
Mix the cooled onions with the potatoes and season well. Arrange the mixture neatly in the tray. Cover with baking paper and tin foil, and bake for 1 hour until tender. Cool for 1 hour, then put something heavy on top and press for at least an hour or overnight. Cut into portions with a ring cutter.
4 For the parmesan crust, blend together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, thyme, Beaufort, melted butter and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor. Tip out the mixture on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and flatten out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Chill for 2-3 hours. Cut into rings with the same cutter you used for the terrine.
5 Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Lightly tie the herbs on top of the beef with string. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over a high heat in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the beef and sear well on all sides, then slightly lower the heat and add the butter and the garlic. Keep basting for a minute and then roast for 8-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet).
6 Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the terrine for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until caramelised. Put the parmesan crust pieces on top of the terrine and grill for 1-2 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Reheat the sauce. Cook the asparagus for 3-4 minutes in 200ml of just-boiled water and the remaining ingredients until tender. Carve the beef fillet and season. Serve each piece with the terrine, veg and plenty of the sauce.
PER SERVING 6 1,908 kcals | fat 106.2G saturates 57.4G | carbs 132.4G | sugars 20.1G fibre 20.7G | protein 85.8G | salt 3.7G