BEEF
FILLET WRAPPED IN PARMA HAM, ENDIVE TATIN, GREEN PEPPERCORN AND HERB
BUTTER, POTATO WAFER AND PEPPERCORN REDUCTION 
180 - 200 g
beef fillet
sliced parma ham
4 pieces endive
puff pastry sheet
sugar for making caramel
250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
50 g green peppercorns
100 g assorted green herbs (parsley, chervil, chives)
1lt demi-glace or veal jus
200 g finely diced mirepoix for the sauce (Onion, garlic, carrot, celery,
smoked bacon, thyme, bay leaf)
2 tablespoons of crushed black peppercorns
1 bottle of red wine
4 large potatoes
For the fillet:
Trim the top and the tail from the beef fillet
keeping for another use. Roll the centre fillet tightly in double layers
of cling wrap and tie the ends firmly so you have a long tube.
Refrigerate for 24 hours. Slice long even layers of parma ham. Remove the
fillet from the fridge and cut even portions of approximately 180 - 200
g.
Remove the plastic. Lay one slice of the sliced ham on a board and roll it
around the fillet portion. Tie each rolled fillet with string so as to
keep the ham in place when it is cooking.
For the butter:
Blanch the selected green herbs in boiling salted
water until soft and then refresh in iced water. Once chilled, squeeze
as much water as possible from the herbs and blend to a fine purée in a
blender or liquidizer.
In the same blender, mix the green peppercorns
until as fine as possible.
In a bowl, now carefully mix the soft butter,
puréed herbs and green peppercorns until you are left with a naturally
green looking butter. Season to taste. Layer out some cling film on a
table and place the butter horizontally towards the bottom. Carefully
roll up tightly, the same way as you did the beef fillet and tie up both
ends with string. Ideally, you would have a roll of butter the same
diameter as the beef fillet.
For the
tatin: Trim off the bottoms of the endives and then cut
length-wise into fine strips. In a small pan boil some sugar until you
have a good colored caramel. Pour a little caramel into your
selected moulds which you have selected. Just enough caramel to coat the
bottom. In a frying pan heat a little oil and add the strips of sliced
endive. Sauté quickly seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper until soft.
Once ready pour into a colander and leave to cool and drain any excess
moisture. Roll out puff pastry and cut out discs slightly
larger than the moulds. When the sautéed endive is cold, arrange
neatly into your already caramel coated moulds until fairly compact.
Place the puff pastry disc on the top of the endive. Gently push down
and tuck in the edges.
For the sauce:
Gently sweat the
mirepoix ingredients in a hot pan
until they are well caramelized. Add the crushed black peppercorns
followed by the red wine. Leave to reduce until a syrup-like liquid is
achieved. Add the demi-glace or veal jus and again leave to simmer and
reduce until you have the consistency you desire. Strain through a fine
sieve and check for seasoning with salt.
For the potato wafers:
Peel and slice your largest available potatoes
length ways. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you need
approximately six slices per wafer per person. Rinse the slices in cold
water and dry with a paper towel. In a medium heated fryer, cook the
slices until soft and pliable. No colour is needed at this stage and you
are not aiming to actually fully cook the potatoes. Drain and pat dry
the slightly cooked slices. On a tray and parchment paper, layer one
third of a slice over another, sixes slices at a time. Once all wafers
are prepared, place another parchment paper on top and another tray on
top of that, pushing down. Place the trays in a low oven (100ºC) and
leave to dry out and cook until crisp.
To
finish: Season the beef and in a hot pan, seal the beef
fillet on either side. Place in an oven and cook until your desired
preference is reached. Place the tatin in the oven and cook until the
puff pastry is a good golden brown. Once ready, turn out your
tatin and place on the plate along with your fillet. If desired,
deglaze the pan in which you cooked your fillet with your sauce, or
serve as is.
Drizzle some of the sauce on the plate, decorate with
a potato wafer and finish by cutting a slice of your butter and sitting on
top of the beef.
CALVADOS
AND APPLE STEWED MUSSELS
mussels (1
large bowl per person)
splash of olive oil
2 onions finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 carrots cut into fine strips (jullienne)
2 leeks cut into fine strips
3 sticks of celery cut into fine strips
3 apples peeled and cut into cubes
chopped coriander
chopped chives
Calvados - approximately 150 ml (to taste)
apple juice - approximately 250 ml (to taste)
cream - approximately 250 ml (to taste)
(Serves
4)
In a large pot with a lid, sauté the chopped
onions and garlic. Add the mussels and give a good stir. Pour in
the Calvados, bring to the boil and flambé. Add the julienne vegetables
and cream and place the lid on the pot. After a couple minutes, all the
mussels should have opened, discard those that have not. Finish off by
adding the cubed apple pieces and chopped herbs before dividing up into
the serving bowls.
Cook's
Note: This is a quick recipe and actual cooking time should
not take much longer than 5 - 10 minutes as the mussels will be
overcooked, there will be no texture left in the vegetables and apple,
and the sauce will in all likelihood have reduced too thickly.
RED
WINE AND STRAWBERRY SOUP
2 bottles of red wine
300 ml orange juice
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anis pods
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
10 pieces of clove
3 bay leaves
500 g of sugar
1 kg strawberries
phyllo pastry
100 g melted butter
icing sugar
600 g natural yogurt
150 ml cream
2 vanilla pods
mint leaves
For the soup:
Place the red wine, cinnamon, star anis,
peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, 350 g sugar and orange juice in a pot and
bring to the boil. Leave to simmer softly for an hour without reducing
the liquid too much. Pour soup and all contents into a bowl and place in
the fridge to get cold.
For the frozen yogurt ice cream:
Scrape out the vanilla pods and mix with the
yogurt, cream and 150 g sugar. Pour into an ice-cream machine and
churn until cold.
For the
phyllo wafers: Cut the
phyllo pastry into long rectangle strips (5 - 10 cm). For each wafer you want to make,
four strips per wafer are
needed. Butter each strip of phyllo and then give a good dusting of
icing sugar. Place one on top of the other. Place your wafers in a hot
oven and cook until you have a good caramelized golden brown.
To finish:
Wash the strawberries before trimming off the
bottoms. Pour the chilled soup through a strainer onto the strawberries.
Leave to soak for an hour before serving. Once ready to serve, place
some strawberries in a bowl, pour over some chilled soup and place a
ball of frozen yogurt on the top. Stick one of your wafers into the
frozen yogurt for that extra texture and decorate with mint leaves.
PROVENÇAL
BRAISED LAMB NECK
sliced lamb neck (2-3 per persons)
4 carrots chopped (for mirepoix)
4 sticks of celery chopped (for mirepoix)
2 leeks chopped (for mirepoix)
3 onions chopped (for mirepoix)
1 head of garlic cut in half (for mirepoix)
50 g thyme
4 bay leaves
olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
sliced basil leaves
5 tablespoons tomato paste
12 plum tomatoes peeled, de-seeded and diced
1 bottle white wine
salt and pepper
For the lamb neck
braise: Season the lamb neck with salt and pepper and
colour on both sides in a very hot pan with a little of the olive oil.
Add all the mirepoix vegetables, the half garlic, thyme, bay
leaves
and three tablespoons of the tomato paste. Cover with water and bring to the
boil. Leave to simmer, skimming the top of any impurities with a ladle
regularly. Keep checking the lamb until the meat is soft. Once ready,
remove from the pot and place on a tray ensuring that there are no
pieces of vegetables stuck to the meat. Strain a little of the stock
over the cooked lamb to help maintain moisture and leave to cool. The
remaining stock can be reserved for other uses.
Cook's
Note: This step of the recipe
can be made a day or two in advance if needed.
For the
Provençal: Sweat the finely chopped onion and garlic in a
suitable sized pan with a little olive oil. Add three tablespoons of tomato
paste followed by the bottle of white wine. Bring to the boil and reduce
for a couple of minutes before adding all the chopped tomato and sliced
basil. At this stage add the already cooked lamb neck to the Provençal
mixture, turn down the heat and cover the pan with a lid or tin foil. We
are only reheating the lamb and further developing the taste. If the
mixture starts becoming too thick, add some of the reserved lamb stock to
thin it down. It should not be to thin and should still remain fairly
chunky. Finish off by checking if salt and pepper is needed.
Cook's
Note: We like serving this with a good potato
purée and
possibly green beans, however tagliatelle and creamy polenta are also
options should you prefer.
MONT
ROCHELLE HOTEL & MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS•Franschhoek
Phone +27 21 876 2770 •
Fax +27
21 876 3788
Email: gm@montrochelle.co.za
Website:
www.montrochelle.co.za
A
SHOWCOOK.COM PRODUCTION
Photography by Franz Lauinger
At
exquisite Mange Tout, Ryan Smith has created a series of haute
cuisine, signature dishes, creating a stir on their superb menu. Ryan
has been invited to introduce a Mont Rochelle table at a top hotel in
London, the Goring and the famous Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St
Moritz, Switzerland.
