Foodnight – 5th Course:
Surf n’ Turf Boeuf Onglet (Hanger Steak), with French fries, beurre blanc sauce, pickled red onions, and Jerusalem artichoke mash
Techniques: Sous vide, frying, emulsion, and pickling
Boeuf Onglet
The large tendon in the middle of the hanger steak must be removed.
Briefly scald the rosemary sprig and place it on top of the meat with pepper and a pinch of salt.
Then vacuum seal it and cook for 2 hours at 54.5 degrees Celsius in a sous vide/water bath.
After two hours, dry the bag and place the meat directly in the freezer for 60 minutes. The meat was then taken out and placed in the refrigerator until we were ready to sear it before serving.
Langoustine Tails
The tails were shelled and vacuum sealed with a little pepper and a pinch of salt. The shells were used for our bisque.
They were then cooked in sous vide/water bath at 46 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. Then they were chilled until they were to be served. Here they should briefly kiss a hot pan to get a slight sear.
Beurre Blanc Sauce
This French sauce is quite similar to béarnaise, but there is a significant difference as it does not contain herbs.
We melted 250 grams of butter in a saucepan over relatively low heat and then added 2 dl. chicken stock.
We then whisked 2 whole eggs with 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of 38% crème fraîche in a new saucepan. Then we slowly added a little of the butter/stock mixture while whisking vigorously, so the sauce could emulsify (thicken). The sauce was seasoned with lemon juice, grated lemon zest, white pepper, and salt. The sauce should be served immediately like a homemade béarnaise.
French Fries
Since French Fries take a long time to make, it was actually the first thing we started on that day. The potatoes were cut into suitable sizes with a mandolin slicer. The potatoes were soaked for an hour and then boiled for 10 minutes.
They were dried and placed in the freezer for an hour.
Then they were taken out and fried at 150 degrees Celsius for 7 minutes, dried off, and returned to the freezer for an hour and a half.
The same procedure was followed, this time at 170 degrees Celsius.
After another hour and a half in the freezer, they were ready to be fried at 190 degrees Celsius for 5-7 minutes, dried off – added salt and ready to serve.
Pickled Red Onions
The onions were cut into wedges and cooked for 3 minutes in a brine consisting of sugar/vinegar/water and peppercorns. The onion wedges were then removed and the brine was reduced by half – after which everything was poured into pickling jars.
The full recipe is here.
Jerusalem Artichoke Mash
1 kg Jerusalem artichokes were thoroughly scrubbed and cut into large cubes. 200 grams of potatoes were peeled and cut into large cubes. The Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes were boiled for about 25 minutes until tender. They were then allowed to cool while 50 grams of butter were browned in a pan and 15 grams of chopped hazelnuts were added for one minute in the butter.
Finally, the potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes were mashed, and the browned butter and hazelnuts were mixed in.
It was seasoned with vinegar, grated lemon zest, salt, and white pepper.
Result of the 5th course in Foodnight:
Almost everything worked in this phenomenal dish. The fries were crispy, the sauce was delicious and mild, the meat was intense and juicy, and the Jerusalem artichoke mash and pickled red onions perfectly complemented the dish.
We only failed with the langoustine tails, which simply weren’t dried enough before they went on the pan. This caused them to continue cooking instead of getting a quick sear. They became too dry and did not contribute the freshness that the shellfish should bring to a surf n’ turf.
Overall, the dish was fantastic and clearly one of the evening’s highlights.