TRIPLE SEARED KOBE BEEF
Serves 6
I learned the technique of triple searing from Chef Matt Merges, and I believe it is the best way to eat beef. In this dish we season Kobe beef rib eye with rock salt and then sear it briefly on all sides. Then we marinate in sake and sear it again. Finally, we marinate the beef in the best quality soy sauce we can get our hands on—at Moto this was a 90-year aged soy sauce, but you can use tamari—and sear the meat again until it is cooked to a perfect medium-rare. All the different flavors are layered into the crust of the meat, creating a complex savory explosion in your mouth.
We top the steak with a seasoned foam made with Sapporo beer to amp up the sweet, earthy notes in the beef. As a final touch, we use a Class IV CO2 laser and a two-dimensional representation of an orange to impart a smoky orange flavor to a wine glass, which is then filled with Pinot Noir to pair with the beef. That elusive orange note pulls everything together. As you savor this dish, you’re enjoying a classic combination of red wine and beef in a way that you’ve never experienced before.
Note: If you are disinclined to purchase or build a Class IV CO2 laser (see Glossary, here), you can approximate its effect with wooden matches.
BEER HEAD:
350 grams Sapporo beer
10 grams shallot
5 grams garlic, smashed
2 grams thyme leaves
10 grams egg white powder (see Sources, here)
TRIPLE SEARED KOBE BEEF:
600 grams center cut Kobe rib eye (about one 1¼-pound steak)
30 grams rock salt
10 grams canola oil
300 grams sake
300 grams soy sauce
LASER WINE:
100 grams orange juice powder or six 1-inch pieces of orange zest
750 grams red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Class IV CO2 Laser (see Glossary, here; optional)
Edible paper for printing (see Sources, here)
Printer and ink for edible printing (see Sources, here)
Handheld steamer (optional)
BEER HEAD:
Put the beer, shallot, garlic, and thyme in a medium bowl, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes at room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and add the egg white powder. Use a hand mixer to blend the powder into the liquid, cover, and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to plate.
TRIPLE SEARED BEEF:
Season the steak lightly with salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes for the meat to absorb the salt. Put the sake and soy sauce in individual bowls, each large enough to hold the steak. Put the canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil has just begun to smoke, add the rib eye and sear the beef for 30 seconds on all four sides, using tongs to hold the steak to sear the edges. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the beef to the bowl with the sake, turning the meat to coat it completely. Marinate in the sake for 15 seconds. Set the pan back over medium heat and sear the beef again, this time for 20 seconds on each side. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the beef to the bowl of soy sauce, turning the meat to coat it completely. Marinate in the soy sauce for 15 seconds. Set the pan back over medium-high heat and sear the beef again for 20 seconds on each side, continuing to turn the meat until it is medium rare, when a thermometer inserted in the steak reads 135°F. Remove the beef from the pan and let it rest on a warm plate for 10 minutes before slicing.
LASER WINE:
Print a picture of an orange onto edible paper. Lay the printed paper face down on a sheet of parchment. Steam the paper with a handheld steamer or brush the back of the paper lightly with boiling water to soften the top layer and make it sticky. Use a small strainer to dust the orange juice powder onto the back of the paper. Put another sheet of parchment on top of the seasoned paper and set a cutting board on top of the parchment to press the paper. Once the paper is dry, 20 to 30 minutes, use a paper cutter or sharp knife to cut out the pictures into individual bites.
Set up a Class IV CO2 laser and put on protective eyewear. Place the orange-flavored paper in an alligator clip in front of the end of the laser opening. Hold a red wine glass upside down over the flavored paper. Turn on the laser to vaporize the paper and collect smoke inside the glass. Place the glass upside down on a counter, trapping the smoke inside. Allow the smoke to dissipate naturally while you cook the beef. Once the smoke has dissipated, turn the glass over, pour wine into the glass, and serve immediately.
Alternatively, just before serving, light a match and hold it over the center of a wine glass. Take 1 of the pieces of orange zest between 2 fingers, holding it skin side out, and squeeze the zest over the match so the orange oil from the rind sprays over the flame and into the glass. Repeat with the 5 remaining glasses. Pour the wine into the glasses and serve immediately.
TO FINISH:
Slice 80 grams of rib eye into 10 slices for each portion. Fan the beef on 6 square plates. Using the whisk attachment on an immersion blender, whip the Beer Head for 3 minutes to create a nice layer of foam. Spoon 5 grams of Beer Head over the beef on each plate. Serve the wine alongside the beef in the smoked wine glass.
