Fillet of beef, shallot marmalade, celeriac purée and essence of port

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This slow-cooked beef recipe is a wintery dish of fillet steak matched with confit garlic, a root vegetable purée and buttery spinach. Daniel Clifford's recipe excels at the task of drawing maximum taste from each component, resulting in a remarkably rich main course that will be a heartening sight on any plate. Any leftover confit garlic and garlicky duck fat should be refrigerated quickly and used within two days.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Beef fillet steaks

Port reduction

  • 125ml of port
  • 125ml of beef stock

Garlic confit

Celeriac purée

Shallot marmalade

Spinach

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender

Method

1
Make the port wine sauce by placing the alcohol in a hot pan and reducing by half. Once the port has a thin syrup-like consistency, add the beef stock and reduce the liquid by half - the consistency should be of a light gravy
  • 125ml of port
  • 125ml of beef stock
2
Break down the heads of garlic into individual cloves, making sure to keep the outer skin intact
3
In a pan, simmer the cloves in the duck fat for 30 minutes until tender. Drain, cool and remove the outer skin of garlic. Before serving, you will need to quickly colour the garlic in a pan of hot butter
4
To make the purée, peel the celeriac, chop into 2cm cubes and put in a pan with an even measurement of milk and water. Boil for 20 minutes or until soft, then drain
5
Blend the celeriac cubes in a food processor until smooth, then add the boiled double cream, pass through a sieve and keep warm until needed
  • 200ml of double cream
6
To make the shallot marmalade, heat the caster sugar in a pan until it resembles a golden caramel and add the sliced shallots. Cook for around 30 minutes or until tender
7
Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and continue to cook until the mixture becomes sticky. Add the red wine and reduce until all the liquid has evaporated. Allow to cool
  • 50ml of red wine vinegar
  • 250ml of red wine
8
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
9
Season and then sear the steaks in a hot pan for 30 seconds on each side. Place in the oven and cook for 4-10 minutes depending on your preference, turning halfway through the cooking time. Rest the meat in a warm part of the kitchen for 4 minutes before cutting
10
Sauté the spinach in a little butter in a pan until wilted
11
To serve, sweep the celeriac purée across each plate. Spoon the shallot marmalade onto the centre of the sweep, and top with a large cut of the steak. Place two small spoonfuls of the spinach either side of this, and top with 2 bite-sized pieces of the steak. Place a larger spoonful of the spinach next to the large steak
12
Finish by scattering the 3 browned cloves of confit garlic across the plate and drizzle with the port wine reduction
First published in 2015

A broad range of experience in some of the top kitchens in the UK and France along with hefty doses of innovation, dedication and originality have led Daniel Clifford’s style to be widely praised.

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