BEEF RIB, COFFEE, CHOCOLATE....


Beef rib in a coffee and spice crust, with a chocolate potatoes puree...
  

I named this recipe "beef rib à la Bourguignonne" although it has nothing to do with the traditional Burgundy sauce involving wine and shallots. In fact, I found this recipe on a Burgundy wine site, and it is true that Pinot noir in general, and red Burgundy in particular, are a good pair with chocolate and coffee. For instance, I now incorporate some chocolate in my Boeuf Bourguignon.
This nice thick beef rib was rubbed in, and coated with, a mix of ground coffee, crushed coriander seeds, crushed juniper berries, crushed cardamom seeds, black pepper, a tiny bit of cumin and thyme, before "dry-marinating" for a 1 hour at least in and out of the fridge. To help the "encrustion" (sorry for the neologism), I placed a foil wrapped brick on top of the rib.
The rib was seared on each side, including the edge, in oil and butter, before being roasted for around 8 minutes at 350F, then rested another 8 minutes to let the blood distribute equally in the meat: you see the colors and contrasts of the meat... and no SV at all .
I made some big potato and sweet potato fries (blanched first, oven dried, and deep-fried twice), crispy outside and fluffy inside, and bound together with a chive string.
I mashed the normal/sweet potato trims cooked in milk and them with the meat juice and heavy cream in which I had previously melted some semi-sweet chocolate morsels, to make a delicious slightly chocolate-flavored puree served as a sauce.
And to pair this relatively original, but simple to make and delicious dish, I picked up a Corton-Pouguets - Domaine Rapet 1999 from my "French reserve".

Comments

  1. This looks positively yummy. I remain, however, skeptical on the notion of a potato-chocolate melange. Your culinary judgment always appears impeccable, but this time, with my tongue firmly in cheek, I must ask: Is there corroborating testimony as to the deliciousness of that particular mixture, in combination with the other elements on the plate?

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    Replies
    1. Haha Carol :) - Like Saint Thomas ;) - I was positively surprised myself! Since I didn't post the full recipe, as few explanations: First, I use chocolate really like a spice or a condiment, and not as a flavor, and I dosed it carefully and progressively, tasting it till I get the chocolate in the background, but not beyond. I didn't keep track of figures, but I might have put 12 morsels in my cream and used 50% of it. So 6 morsels for probably the equivalent of 1 potato and 1 1 sweet potatoes (I used the trims from the fries). And this is the second point, 50% of potatoes and 50% of sweet potatoes. Chocolate and sweet potatoes is "relatively" common (look on line). Btw, the color is due to the color of the puree is mainly due to the sweet potatoes. And if you look online too you will also see quite a number of dessert/cake recipes associating potatoes and chocolate. And if you want a last point, my picky 20-year old stepdaughter loved it. If this, this is not a sign. But once again, the chocolate was not prevailing at all.

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    2. Aha, your stepdaughter is the corroborating witness! And this is a great explanation. I've never mixed white and sweet potatoes, so I'll have to try that combination, something I would never have thought of.

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