ALL YEAR ROUND // Recipe for four
Beef cooked over coals, dark fruits, molasses glaze and amaranth
I love this cut of beef. We use David Blackmore rib-cap: cooked first in a water bath to firm up the proteins, then chilled and cooked over extremely hot coals in the fire pit behind the kitchen. We use different timbers in the fire pit, such as apple, peach or vine cuttings. Ask your butcher for rib-cap with a high ‘marble score’ (such as MB9+); another option would be striploin MB6+.
BEEF AND MOLASSES GLAZE
5 kg (11 lb) beef bones with marrow
5 brown onions, halved
100 ml (3½ fl oz) red wine
50 ml (13/4 fl oz) molasses
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Put the bones in a roasting tin and roast, turning once, until dark brown and caramelised. Transfer to a deep stockpot and cover with water. Add the onions and simmer, covered, over very low heat for 10–12 hours.
Strain the liquid and refrigerate until chilled. Remove the fat layer from the top of the stock. Return the stock to high heat, add the red wine and then simmer hard to reduce the stock by three-quarters. Stir in the molasses.
BEEF COOKED OVER COALS
1 Blackmore rib-cap MB9+
Put the whole rib-cap in a vacuum or cryovac bag. Seal and cook in a water bath at 78°C (172°F) for 36 minutes. Chill quickly in iced water. Use a chargrill pan or hot coals in a fire pit to cook the beef on high heat until it begins to char and blacken; this will take approximately 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
DARK FRUIT JUICES
100 ml (3½ fl oz) cherry juice
100 ml (3½ fl oz) blood plum juice
4 g (1/8 oz) xanthan gum
50 ml (13/4 fl oz) cherry vinegar
Combine the fruit juices and then whisk in the xanthan gum until thickened. Add the cherry vinegar and strain through a fine sieve.
DARK FRUITS
12 cherries
12 mulberries
12 wild blackberries
12 riberries
Dark fruit juices (left)
30 ml (1 fl oz) olive oil
Place all the fruits in a small saucepan with the dark fruit juices and olive oil and heat gently.
PLANTS TO FINISH