Steak with ALL the Trimmings!
OK, I'm not quite sure what to call this meal, but it's basically a steak with ALL the sides.
My first attempt to cook sirloin steak sous vide!
I bought a 2½lb steak £45 if you're interested! halved it, and cooked the first half for 2 hours at 54.9°C.
I wasn't happy with that - it was too rare, and I never thought I'd hear myself say that!
But there were too many under-cooked chewy bits, even though the meat itself was excellent.
I'll try again with the other half at a higher temperature and report back.
The only other disappointment was the radish, which I wanted to open up like a concertina and have a pretty contrast between the red skin and the white insides.
But of course I'd forgotten that when you pickle them they lose their pink colour. So they tasted really well, but didn't look much.
Probably I should have tried soaking them in iced water.
The reason they're all pink in the photos is because I tried to rescue the situation by adding beetroot purée to the pickle. But of course that still didn't develop any colour contrast.
You can prepare the cold ingredients earlier in the day, or a day earlier. Even the sauce to warm up for serving. Though be cautious about over-pickling the radishes.
Essentially my process was as follows:
Looks great though 🤣
My first attempt to cook sirloin steak sous vide!
I bought a 2½lb steak £45 if you're interested! halved it, and cooked the first half for 2 hours at 54.9°C.
I wasn't happy with that - it was too rare, and I never thought I'd hear myself say that!
But there were too many under-cooked chewy bits, even though the meat itself was excellent.
I'll try again with the other half at a higher temperature and report back.
55.9°C is the ticket! Gorgeous meat, and even the gristly bits were palatable!
The only other disappointment was the radish, which I wanted to open up like a concertina and have a pretty contrast between the red skin and the white insides.
But of course I'd forgotten that when you pickle them they lose their pink colour. So they tasted really well, but didn't look much.
Probably I should have tried soaking them in iced water.
The reason they're all pink in the photos is because I tried to rescue the situation by adding beetroot purée to the pickle. But of course that still didn't develop any colour contrast.
You can prepare the cold ingredients earlier in the day, or a day earlier. Even the sauce to warm up for serving. Though be cautious about over-pickling the radishes.
Essentially my process was as follows:
- Prepare the orange & horseradish sauce, the tomato, the radish, the ham at your leisure.
- Cook the mushrooms and carrots together at 85°C, then add cold water to reduce the bath to 55°C (ish), add the steaks and let them all bathe for the next 2-3 hours.
- Make the Red Wine Sauce and keep warm.
- Start the fondant potatoes in the oven.
- Make up the Boursin mash from the spare bits.
- Blanche the edamame beans from frozen for 2 minutes, then add evenly sliced green beans for 1 minute, then drain.
- Sear the steak in a smoking-hot frying pan.
Assemble:- Smear Boursin mash strategically across warmed plates.
- Lay on slices of steak.
- Decorate with everything else.
- Drizzle over some sauce.
- Artistically scatter over a few frizzy pea shoots.
Looks great though 🤣
menu
THE STEAK
Sirloin Steak
THE TRIMMINGS
Mushrooms
Carrots
Mashed Potato with Truffled Boursin
Sirloin Steak
Salt uncovered overnight in the fridge. Then season with pepper, and sous vide with rosemary sprigs for 2 hours at 54.9°C.
Sear quickly to finish.
Sear quickly to finish.
Not well done enough for sirloin in my opinion. Though the meat itself was lovely, there was too much un-rendered fat and connective tissue.
THE TRIMMINGS
Mushrooms
Carrots
Season carrots (and mushrooms) with salt, sugar and thyme leaves, bag them and sous vide for 30 minutes at 84°C.
Orange & Horseradish Cream
I'd go a little hotter since the carrots, while very tasty, were not quite tender enough for my taste.
The cooked but firm mushrooms are a bit weird.
The cooked but firm mushrooms are a bit weird.
Reduce orange juice, cool, mix with horseradish cream, thicken with xanthan gum, strain.
Chill until required.
Tomato ConcasséChill until required.
Peel, deseed tomato. Cut into small pieces. Marinate in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Pickled Radishes
Concertina radishes. Marinate in rice vinegar with pinches of salt and sugar diluted with equal quantity water.
Crispy Serrano Ham
I forgot that the vinegar would bleach the nice colour contrast from the radishes leaving them all pale and sad.
Maybe just sit them in seasoned cold water until required?
Maybe just sit them in seasoned cold water until required?
Cover ham slices with wax paper and bake held flat between two baking sheets for 20-25 mins at 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Cool on kitchen roll.
Red Wine SauceCool on kitchen roll.
Sweat steak trimmings, shallots, garlic, black peppercorns, thyme, rosemary in butter.
Deglaze with red wine and reduce. Thin with stock. Strain.
Season with balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Maybe some Dijon mustard.
Thicken with xanthan gum.
Keep warm.
Fondant PotatoDeglaze with red wine and reduce. Thin with stock. Strain.
Season with balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Maybe some Dijon mustard.
Thicken with xanthan gum.
Keep warm.
Mashed Potato with Truffled Boursin
Boil potatoes You can use the trimmings from cutting out your fondant shapes., mash with cream and butter, mix with Boursin.
Edamame Beans
Simmer for 3-4 minutes in seasoned water.
Green Beans
Simmer for 1-2 minutes in seasoned water.
Pea Shoots
For decoration. Though you can eat them too 🙂
By every cook and their dog!
Boursin Mashed Potato
side staple veg
I thought I might have invented Boursin mash. But of course, it's everywhere.
I made mine with the truffle-flavoured Boursin so it didn't feel superfluous adding chopped chives at the end.
I used about a 1:4 weight of Boursin:potato. You could get away with less. Many do. Boursin is expensive.
Or you could use one of the cheaper Philadelphia cream cheeses, I suppose.
I made mine with the truffle-flavoured Boursin so it didn't feel superfluous adding chopped chives at the end.
I used about a 1:4 weight of Boursin:potato. You could get away with less. Many do. Boursin is expensive.
Or you could use one of the cheaper Philadelphia cream cheeses, I suppose.
Ingredients
- potatoes, peeled evenly chunked
- Boursin about ¼-⅛ the weight of potato
- chunk of butter
- splash of double cream
- salt & pepper
Optional Extras:- chopped herbs like chives or parsley
- minced garlic
- finely chopped bacon
- caramelized onions
- sour cream
Peel the potatoes, cut into sizeable chunks and simmer in salted water until softened.
Season and stir in herbs if you like.
If you insist on adding minced garlic, you probably want to simmer it up with the cream for a few minutes so it's not too sharp.
Mash with chunks of butter and lubricate with cream, then whip through the Boursin.Season and stir in herbs if you like.
Absolutely delicious mash!
You could also add garlic or herbs. But then if you're already using herbed garliced Boursin what's the point?
You could also add garlic or herbs. But then if you're already using herbed garliced Boursin what's the point?
Crispy Serrano Ham
ingredient meat
More a method than a recipe but here you are.
It works with any thinly sliced prosciutto - like Parma ham for instance.
It works with any thinly sliced prosciutto - like Parma ham for instance.
Ingredients
- thinly sliced Serrano ham
- baking parchment
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Place the thin ham slices between two sheets of baking parchment or wax paper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they've rendered and darkened. Don't worry if they're still pliable - they'll crisp up as they cool down.
Carefully peel them from the baking parchment and set them uncovered on some kitchen roll to cool off.
Place the thin ham slices between two sheets of baking parchment or wax paper.
Mine did their best to stick to the parchment, so you might want to try the siliconed variety.
Put them on a baking tray and add something on top to keep them flat and prevent them curling up while they cook - another baking sheet or a dish.Bake for 20-25 minutes until they've rendered and darkened. Don't worry if they're still pliable - they'll crisp up as they cool down.
Carefully peel them from the baking parchment and set them uncovered on some kitchen roll to cool off.
It works.