BEEF SKEWERS WITH CARAMELISED SAUCE
WHAT ARE THEY?
Skewers of tender beef pieces, lightly seared, dipped in a sweet and sour sauce, with candied onions, served warm.
TIME TO MAKE
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour 40 minutes
EQUIPMENT
20 × 8 cm long wooden cocktail skewers
VARIATION
Replace the beef with duck, the honey with sugar and the veal jus with duck jus.
TRICKY ASPECT
Cooking the beef.
TECHNIQUES TO MASTER
STORAGE
This sauce can be frozen in portions in airtight containers. Thaw the night before and bring to the boil before using.
HOW DO YOU REHEAT MEAT WITHOUT OVERCOOKING IT?
The proteins in meat coagulate between 50 and 65°C. Beyond 60°C, the meat will cook a second time and be overcooked. When reheating in the oven at 60°C, the meat will reach a core temperature of about 55°C after 40 minutes: it will be warm without having cooked again.
ORGANISATION
1 day before | Make the recipe.
1 hour before | Remove from the refrigerator. Reheat the skewers at 60°C. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan. Assemble.
MAKES 20
SAUCE
50 g wildflower honey
50 g balsamic vinegar
10 g soy sauce
5 g Worcestershire sauce
500 g liquid veal stock
salt
5 g potato starch (optional)
GLAZED ONIONS
20 small pearl onions
15 g unsalted butter
salt
20 g sugar
MEAT
600 g beef topside
20 g grapeseed oil
20 g unsalted butter
1 For the sauce, make a ‘gastrique’ – a simple sweet and sour sauce: caramelise the honey and vinegar in a saucepan while whisking for 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and veal stock, season with salt and cook over a low heat for 20–30 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; cook for longer if necessary. If required, you can use potato starch to thicken.
2 Glaze the onions. Shake the saucepan to coat them well. Cut the meat into 40 pieces of 15 g each.
3 Heat the grapeseed oil in a frying pan, then add the butter. When it turns brown, sear the beef pieces without stirring them, working in batches. Turn them over when they start to caramelise. Turn out onto a baking tray and repeat until all the beef is cooked.
4 Place a piece of meat, an onion then a second piece of meat on each cocktail skewer. Set aside on a baking tray covered with plastic wrap. Bring the sauce to the boil, dip the skewers in it, tapping them on the side of the pan to drain, and arrange on individual plates. Serve immediately. If preparing the skewers a day ahead, refrigerate the meat immediately after cooking, then reheat and assemble the following day.