Sunday, January 25, 2009

Comforting Winter Beef

Our Duo of Beef is two different cuts of beef, sirloin and short ribs, prepared two different ways in consideration of the best method for each cut. The sirloin is first trimmed and cut in half the entire length of the strip. Steaks are then cut from two lengths of the strip, so they are thicker and a bit rounder than a typical strip steak. They actually look more like a small filet mignon. The steak is then pan-seared and roasted in the oven to medium rare.
The ribs are braised for about 3-4 hours with aromatics, herbs, red wine, and veal stock.

This dish is often accompanied by a potato pie that has sliced potatoes, thyme, diced tomato, onion, and garlic, all tossed with a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper, then layered into a small roasting pan, and baked in the oven for about 1-2 hours. When cooled to room temperature, the potato pie is cut into three inch diameter circles. These are heated in a slow oven and served with Swiss chard braised with sliced shallots and coriander, and butternut squash diced and roasted in the oven until golden.

The sauce is is a combination of some of the de-fatted braising liquid along with a roasted shallot veal reduction.

This beef dish is good for ski season as it offers a balance of roasted and braised meats, while addressing the winter fix of an elevated comfort food that is deep, rich, but not heavy as one might think.

Part of the challenge at Hemingway's has always been to translate traditional dishes into a modern, cleaner, yet satisfying cuisine.