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Michel Roux Jr’s roast rib of beef and cep gratin with almond and apricot beignets
Serves 12 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- olive oil, to fry
- fore rib of beef (approx. 4kg with the bone), at room temperature
- splash port or Madeira
- splash port or Madeira
For the cep gratin
- 1.1kg fresh ceps (porcini)
- 30ml olive oil
- 8 shallots
- 2tbsp butter
- 10 slices Parma ham, cut into small dice
- 5 spring onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 10tbsp dry white breadcrumbs
For the almond and apricot beignets
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 200g butter, softened, plus extra to fry
- 400g whole almonds
- 8 eggs
- 8tbsp plain flour
- 16 dried apricots, chopped
- 4tbsp chopped parsley
- groundnut oil, to deep-fry
To coat the beignets
- 4tbsp plain flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 400g dry white breadcrumbs
Method
To prepare the beignet mixture, sweat the onions in some butter until translucent. Blanch the almonds in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and rub off the skins. While still warm, transfer to a blender and blend until almost a paste. Scrape this into a bowl and mix in the 200g of butter, then beat in the eggs, one at time. Stir in the flour, apricots, parsley and softened onions and season to taste. Using two tablespoons, shape into quenelles and transfer to the fridge until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/Gas 4. Heat a flameproof roasting tin over a high heat, add a little olive oil and the beef and seal all over. Transfer to the oven and roast for 60 minutes if French- trimmed or 90 minutes if the flap and flat backbone is still on – the meat should be medium-rare with these timings. Remove from the oven and leave to rest, loosely covered, for around 30 minutes while you cook the accompaniments.
Turn the oven up to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Trim the ceps, clean with a damp cloth, then slice thinly. Heat the olive oil in a pan and, when hot, add the ceps and fry until golden brown. Season and drain in a colander. Sweat the shallots in a pan with the butter, then add the ham to the shallots and cook until soft. Add the spring onions and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix the ceps and the parsley with the shallots and transfer
to a gratin dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make a jus. Pour off any beef fat left in the roasting tin, then place it over a high heat. Pour into this a generous splash of port or Madeira and red wine. Boil, scraping the bottom to dissolve all the meat sugars. Add a glass of water, boil for 3-4 minutes, add any juices that have run from the meat, and pass through a fine sieve. When the gratin is just about cooked, roll the quenelles in flour, then in beaten egg and finally in breadcrumbs. Heat the groundnut oil and deep-fry the beignets until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with black pepper. Carve the beef at the table and serve with the jus, cep gratin and hot beignets.
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