At The Chefs Counter: Smoked Beef Tartare, Beef Dripping Toast

Ingredients

• 300g good quality dry aged rump of beef or sirloin
• 50g fine capers-chopped
• 20g chives
• Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 80g good quality parmesan
• 4 thick slices good sourdough
• 100g smoked beef dripping
• 200g smoked oil – cold pressed rapeseed oil
• 1 large egg yolk
• 20g white wine vinegar
• 50g Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Maldon Sea Salt
• 2 large banana shallots – thinly sliced
• Small pinch salt
• 50g white wine vinegar
• 25g caster sugar
• 25g water
• 2 – large banana shallots – thinly sliced
• Small pinch salt
• 500g plain vegetable oil or plain rapeseed oil

Method

1. Quickly sear the beef in a very hot dry pan on all sides to remove any bacteria
2. Chill the beef in freezer quickly to stop it cooking
3. With a sharp knife remove all the cooked meat and any fat or sinew on the outside of the beef
4. Wrap tightly in cling film and leave in freezer for about 1 hour to firm up
5. Add egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, salt to a mixing bowl, while whisking slowly add in the oil in a steady stream until fully incorporated. Place in fridge
6. Bring vinegar, sugar and water to a simmer, remove from heat
7. Slice the shallots and season with a pinch of salt
8. Cover with the pickle liquid. Set aside
9. Warm the oil in a suitable pan (big enough to safely hold the oil) to 140c
10. Slice the shallots very thinly, season with salt, let sit for 10 minutes, squeeze out any excess water
11. Pat dry shallots with kitchen towel
12. Fry gently in the oil until there is no more moisture coming out from the shallots and they have taken on a light golden colour
13. Place on kitchen towel to dry off any excess oil
14. Remove the beef from the freezer and remove the cling film
15. Finely dice the beef with a sharp knife. You should have about 200-250g of fine cut beef
16. Add two spoons of smoked mayonnaise, the capers, chives, pinch Maldon salt and fresh ground black pepper.
17. Mix well and taste, if you want more mayonnaise then add a little bit more to your liking
18. Slice the bread into 1-inch-thick slices
19. Warm the beef dripping in a pan large enough to hold all the bread in one layer
20. On medium heat, cook the toast until nice and golden colour on each side, place on kitchen towel to drain, sprinkle with salt
21. Place the warm toast on the plates. Top with the beef tartar, then the pickled shallots and the crisp shallots, finish with a generous topping of grated parmesan
22. Serve immediately