Recipe for :

This recipe form the new book from Chef John Burton Race entitled Coming Home .

The book accompnaies the TV series Return of the Chef which is about the return of John Burton Race and his family to England from their year in France. The series is centered around his acquisition of the premises for his new restaurant known as The New Angel (formerly the famous Carved Angel restaurant in Dartmouth), its refurbishment, teething problems and day to day running all interspersed with bits of family life.

If you would like to know more about The New Angel <click here>

If you would like to know more about the book have a look at the Hub-UK book review <click here>

Make sure that the beef you choose has some fatty marbling through the eye of the meat and that it has been hung for at least ten days. French beans and some deepfried new potatoes in their skins go well with this one.

Ingredients

2 x 1kg rib of beef on the bone
coarsely ground sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 bunch of watercress

Beef Marrow:
12 large slices of beef marrow, soaked overnight in cold, salted water in the refrigerator
4 shallots or 1 red onion, finely chopped
75ml red wine vinegar
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Red Wine Sauce:
75g unsalted butter
6 shallots or 1 red onion, finely chopped (try and use shallots where possible)
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig tarragon
300g plain flour
500ml red wine
250ml Beef Stock

Method

• First make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the shallots and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and tarragon. Add the flour and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in the wine, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by two-thirds. Add the beef stock and bring it back to the boil. With a ladle, skim off all the surfacing sediment and discard. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 30 minutes, reducing the volume by half.

• Next cook the beef marrow. Half-fill a small pan with water and bring to a simmer on the stove. Remove the marrow from the refrigerator and place in the water to poach for about 6 minutes. Drain the water and put to one side.

• Put the shallots in a bowl, pour over the red wine vinegar and season. Set aside.

• Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan on the stove on a high heat and turn the grill on full.

• Place the ribs of beef onto a tray and add half the groundnut oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Turn them over and rub in the oil. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan and place the beef on it. Fry for about 7 minutes on each side for medium, and for about 4 minutes for rare.

• Strain the sauce into another saucepan and bring it to the boil. Pour the sauce into a sauceboat.

• Remove the ribs of beef from the frying pan, place them on a baking tray and top with the beef marrow. Warm under the grill for about 1 minute, then place on a carving board. Sprinkle the red wine vinegar and shallots over the marrow.

Serves 8

John Burton Race
Recipe from Coming Home

©John Burton Race 2005