I bought a 3.5 kg veal filet from a freshly slaughtered calf at my local butcher. The meat was boneless, which is not ideal when dry-aging, but it was the finest freshly cut piece he had.

The meat was hung on a hook in my own dry-aging cabinet:

Since the meat was only hanging on a hook, it became crooked from hanging. So after 6 days, it was laid flat instead:

After 10 days, it straightened nicely and was ready to eat. I cut off 1.5 kg, and the rest was put back in the cabinet to continue aging for another week.

The meat was trimmed, i.e., the bark from the sides and the fat cap/silver membrane was removed from the top.

The meat was seasoned with salt and pepper and vacuum-sealed.

Then it was cooked in my sous vide/water bath for 4 hours and 15 minutes at 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit).

The meat was taken out of the bag and dried well with a dish towel.

Then it went on a scorching hot frying pan and fried for 30-45 seconds on each side in ghee.

The meat was sliced thinly and sprinkled with Maldon salt. It became delightfully mild and tender.

One of the keys to success with a real sauce is generally temperatures. There should not be a big difference between them. Therefore, we always recommend melting the butter well in advance and letting it sit at room temperature. All the other ingredients should also be taken out of the fridge well in advance - preferably 45-60 minutes before you make the sauce.

Typically, we mix our Bearnaise Sauce in a saucepan, but when making large portions, we use the following mixer with a heating function:

We have a cheap version of the well-known Thermomix TM5 using a SILVERCREST KITCHEN TOOLS® Monsieur Cuisine édition plus (mixer/multimachine with a heating element), so this recipe is based on their approach. The machine helps to whisk and ensures that the heating temperature doesn't get too high. You can always make your Bearnaise Sauce in other ways - we have many different recipes and guides here.

Melt your butter - either in the machine (which then needs to be cleaned before you start) or in a saucepan on the side. Make sure it has cooled slightly before you start. Generally, you should "clarify" the butter by removing the white whey from it. We never do this, and we can't taste the difference.

Insert the stirring attachment in the machine and pour essence, lemon juice, and egg yolks into the bowl. Mix together for 10 seconds on level 5.

Start the REVERSE program and set it to 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) on level 3 for 7 minutes.

After 2 minutes, add the butter slowly, and when the last 5 minutes have passed, all the butter should have been added. Keep an eye on the sauce consistency through the lid.

Add the chopped tarragon leaves and season with salt, cayenne, and white pepper.

Serve immediately.

The idea behind this salad was to have a counterbalance to the rich and heavy bearnaise sauce. Inspired by this recipe (and with the ingredients we had on hand), we made a salad.

Thinly slice the pointed cabbage and romaine lettuce.

Pour the lemon juice and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Toss the pointed cabbage and romaine lettuce in it and let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the kale and cut them into smaller pieces.

Put butter in the pan and roast the kale for a few minutes over medium heat.

Season with salt and pepper and let them cool a bit.

Wipe the pan clean and break the walnuts into smaller pieces. Toast them over medium heat for a few minutes and let them cool afterward.

Mix olive oil with some salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, coarsely chopped pickled red onions, and small apple cubes to make a vinaigrette.

Place all ingredients in a large dish: Place the pointed cabbage and romaine lettuce at the bottom, toss in the vinaigrette, and add the crispy kale and walnuts on top at the end.

Serve with french fries, either prepared in the fryer or in the oven.