Black Cow Bistro head chef Craig Will preparing his dinky-di char-grilled Cape Grim scotch fillet with beetroot hollandaise and roasted field mushroom. Picture: WILL SWAN
WHEN Australia Day rolls around, all eyes are on the kitchen.
Lamingtons, lamb, pavlova and seafood - it's all on the agenda for January 26.
Black Cow Bistro head chef Craig Will presented his ideal Aussie meal: a char-grilled Cape Grim scotch fillet with beetroot hollandaise and roasted field mushroom.
"Beetroot hollandaise is something that I've done for a while and it's just such an Australian ingredient," Will said.
"Australia Day to me is barbecues, sun and water.
"People usually think lamb for a barbie, but I'm much more inclined to go with beef."
Char-grilled Cape Grim scotch fillet with beetroot hollandaise and roasted field mushroom
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x 250g pieces Cape Grim scotch fillet or similar
250ml sherry vinegar
100ml water
1 bay leaf
5 peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, skinned and whole
2 sprigs thyme
1 golden shallot, skinned and roughly chopped
2 large beetroot
4 large field or honey brown mushrooms
300ml clarified butter at 45C (warm not hot)
200g whole butter (room temp)
4 egg yolks
5ml Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
Salt and pepper
Method
1. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, thyme, garlic, shallot, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.
Remove from heat and strain when cold. This is the hollandaise reduction ready for use.
2. Wrap beetroots with foil then prick with a knife to allow the steam to escape.
Place in a deep-sided oven tray, fill tray halfway with water and bake in a 180-degree oven for about two hours or until cooked.
3. Once the beets have cooled slightly unwrap from the foil and remove their skins, dice into 1cm cubes and place into a blender or food processor, blend on high speed until a smooth puree is achieved, season with salt, pepper and a dash of hollandaise reduction.
4. To make the hollandaise, place the egg yolks and reduction into a medium sized bowl, over a simmering pot of water, whisk the egg yolks until they are light and fluffy, slowly add the clarified butter a little at a time until all of the butter is incorporated.
Now add the beetroot puree until the colour you desire is achieved - you may not need all of it. Finally, season with the Tabasco, salt and pepper.
5. Remove stalks from the mushrooms and clean off any remaining soil then brush with some of the whole butter, season with salt and pepper and roast at 180 degrees for about 8-10 mins, remove from the oven, and place aside until needed.
On a medium to hot char-grill or barbecue, grill the scotch fillet to desired cooking temperature, basting with a bit of the whole butter. Once cooked allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
6. To plate, top the grilled scotch fillet with a generous dollop of the beetroot hollandaise, place mushroom on top and garnish with some dressed fresh green salad leaves.