Thomas Frake’s steak tartare with a confit Burford Brown & soft herbs
Finely diced fillet steak, generously seasoned with gherkins, capers and herbs, served with a slice of perfectly toasted bread makes steak tartare a simple yet classic dish. The quality of exquisite ingredients shines through, and Thomas crowns his steak with a gloriously golden confit Burford Brown yolk, adorned with fragrant soft herbs.
Method
For the confit egg yolks, set the oven to between 60°C and 64°C. Fill a small saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and carefully separate the eggs. Add the golden yolks to the oil and discard the whites. Tip – use the whites to make a deliciously light and fluffy meringue later. Set the yolks in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes.
For the steak tartare, place a frying pan over a high heat. Rub the steak in vegetable oil and very quickly sear all sides. This should take no more than 30 seconds and take care not to cook or colour the steak brown. Finely dice the steak and add to a bowl. Finely chop and add the cornichons, capers, chives, and shallot as well as the tabasco, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well, then taste to check the levels of seasoning and adjust, if required.
To plate, divide the mixture between two cookie cutters or presentation ring moulds. Do not press the steak down too hard, as the mixture should remain slightly loose. Cover the top with the soft herb mix, make a small indent in the centre, and carefully top with the gorgeous confit egg yolk, which should nestle in the indent. This is best done with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately with crisp sourdough toast.
Ingredients
2 Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs
500ml vegetable oil, plus 1 extra tablespoon for frying
180g fillet steak
6 cornichons
1 tablespoon capers
1 banana shallot
1 tablespoon chives
1 tablespoon Tabasco Green Mild Pepper
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 slices sourdough toast, to serve