Beef sirloin with white asparagus, Solomon’s seal, craft ale

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 40 minutes
Not yet rated

You're unlikely to have seen a steak partnered with these wondrous accompaniments before — a craft India pale ale, Solomon's seal (a flowering plant with a sweet nutty taste) and white asparagus. Alyn Williams recommends using the Devon Ruby Red cattle breed for this beef recipe.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Beef sirloin

Oxtail

White asparagus

Solomon's seal

Potato

Equipment

  • Mandoline
  • Fine strainer
  • Pressure cooker

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 110°C/gas mark 1/4
2
Heat the pressure cooker with the lid off, season the oxtail pieces and seal the meat. Add the red wine and reduce by half
3
Add the beef stock, vegetables and herbs. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, bring up to full pressure then reduce the heat. Cook at a medium pace for 40 minutes
4
Release the pressure, remove the meat from the bone and dice the cooked vegetables. Mix the two together and set aside
5
Pass the juices into a pan, bring to a gently boil and reduce until sticky. Add this to the oxtail and mix well
6
Now make an emulsion to cook the Solomon’s seal. Bring the water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and then whisk in the butter until emulsified. Set aside until ready to use
7
Heat a little oil in a frying pan, season the sirloin and seal on the fat side until golden and rendered, then roll the beef in the pan to caramelise the remainder. Finally, add a couple of knobs of butter and finish roasting for 3-4 minutes, remove and rest in a warm place
8
Sear and colour the raw asparagus in a pan with a little oil and butter until golden brown. Finish with a healthy splash of the ale and cook until the beer emulsifies and thickens into a sauce
9
Bring the emulsion back to the boil and blanch the Solomon’s seal for 2 minutes in the emulsion. Strain and set aside
  • 12 solomon's seal buds, washed
10
For the Charlotte potato slices, wash the potatoes thoroughly and slice on a mandolin to a thickness of 2mm. Blanch in boiling salted water for 1 minute, strain and refresh in ice water
11
Remove from the iced water and pat dry. Heat the butter is a large frying pan and once foaming add the potatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, just to coat in the butter. Remove from the pan, season and set aside
12
Warm the oxtail in a pan, carve the beef into 4 pieces and top with the oxtail
13
Arrange on a plate with the asparagus, potato thins and Solomon’s seal, then drizzle with the reduced beer
First published in 2015

Alyn Williams has worked at some of the very best kitchens in Britain, training for many years under Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsay. His plates display his own unique culinary personality – brilliantly accomplished, playful and with remarkable interplay of flavours.

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