Huevo deCountry egg with beet, liquid herb salad with “cocido vasco” (basque broth) carpaccio and smoked cheese
Martín Berasategui
Chef: Martín Berasategui
Country: España
City: 20160 Lasarte-Oria (Guipúzcoa)
Address: Loidi, 4
(+34) 943366471martin@martinberasategui.com
Martín Berasategui has achieved with this dish two things: one, to stress the importance of the egg in haute cuisine, which has made a comeback in recent years with quite relevant successes; and two, to break with the stereotypical low-temperature recipes, almost always authored by the same chef. What’s more, because egg whites cost practically nothing, especially in gastronomic terms, they have done away with these, since it is not a question of saving money nor stuffing the clients’ bellies. With the intelligence that characterizes him, he maximizes the impact of the yolk – raw, just hot – as it envelops the truly gourmand “cold cut” of pork, impregnated with creaminess in the form of small cheese balls and given vegetal notes with the addition of beet, truffle, sprouts and the liquid salad of aromatic herbs. Very appetizing: succulent yet boasting a certain amount of freshness.
The Recipe
Ingredients
carpaccio of “cocido vasco” (basque broth)
- Beet discs
- Smoked Idiazabal cheese balls
- Country egg yolks
- Liquid salad of herbs
- 3 sprouts of arugula, 2 of red turnip
Cream of “cocido vasco”
- 200 g fresh cream
- 450 g “cocido vasco” stock, reduced to a third
- “Cocido vasco” stock
- Garlic, cabbage, carrot, leek, chickpeas, oxtail, pork jowls, water and salt.
Fresh herb puree
- 100 g parsley leaves
- 80 g chervil leaves
- 50 g whole chives
Coldcut of “cocido vasco”
- Truffle puree
- 450 g truffle fragments
- 30 g olive oil
- 450 g mineral water
Ingredients to finish the puree
- 400 g of the truffle puree base
- 500 g truffle juice
- 400 g white truffle oil
- 150 g butter
Method
For the discs:
Take the boiled beet and split down the middle, then slice using a meat slicer to 0.5-1 cm.
For the Idiazabal cheese balls:
Cut into balls 1/2 cm thick.
For the yolks:
Separate the whites from the yolks and place in a small shot glass covered with sunflower oil, to be drained at assembly time.
For the salad:
Portions: 4 soup spoon of “cocido Vasco” cream + 1 dessertspoon of herb puree
For the cream:
Reduce the cream very slowly with the stock until obtaining the desired consistency and flavor.
For the stock:
Cook all the ingredients in water over very low heat for six hours.
For the fresh herb puree:
After separating the leaves, rinse with cold water to clean. Place in a saucepan with an abundant amount of water and heat. When it starts to boil, add salt and baking soda. Once at a rolling boil, add the well-drained herbs. Stir well, return to a boil and move to a plastic container. Place in a Thermomix with just 10 soup spoon after straining and blend for 3 minutes on high speed. Remove and strain for a smooth, refined puree.
For the cold cut:
Remove the nerves and fat from the meats and press into a square shape.
Cool while applying a light amount of pressure to get rid of any excess liquid.
Once cool, slice thinly with a meat slicer in square shapes, 7 cm per side.
Preparation
Sweat the truffle fragments in oil over low heat, cover with water and continue to cook covered in a Teflon pan for 20 minutes. Move to a Thermomix for 3 minutes on the highest speed until obtaining a very fine puree.
To finish the puree
Cook the butter over low heat until obtaining a light beurre noisette. Add the puree base and cook over high heat for 20 seconds. Cover with the truffle juices away from heat, add the oil, blend in a food processor and salt to taste. Ready to serve.
Plate finishing
Upon order, using the appropriate dish, place the previously warmed beet disc at the center.
Top with the egg, strained of its oil, with a dash of salt and pepper. Surround with 6 small balls of smoked Idiazabal.
Using a soup spoon, drizzle the liquid salad of herbs over the egg.
Lastly, place the cold cut of “cocido vasco”, 5 points of truffle puree and the corresponding sprouts (3 of arugula and 2 of red turnip).