Ok, it might sound a bit silly but this dish came about as celeriac was on sale in the supermarket for 50 cents!! I love its sweet, earthy celery like flavour with a nutty undertone that works extremely well with lots of different dishes. I've used it two different ways in this dish, as a puree to add a creamy, velvety almost sauce like element to the dish, and as a pickle to add that acidity and texture to the fatty wagyu. The dish is then completed with a black garlic and red wine jus to tie all the element together with an explosion of umami for every single bite. To be honest, as nice and amazing the wagyu was, every single element on this dish was its fair match when it comes to delivering flavours. It was a dream to eat, especially with a lovely bottle of red.
Wine pairing suggestion - I enjoyed the dish with a 2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz, with flavour profiles of liquorice, blackberry, clove, spicy vanillin cedar and peppered end notes that complimented the black garlic and the wagyu perfectly for me.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hr
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Wagyu Steak
- 2 wagyu steak
- salt
- pepper
Pickled Celeriac
- 1/2 celeriac
- 1/2 cup verjus
- salt
Truffle Celeriac Puree
- 1/2 celeriac diced
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- pinch of nutmeg
- 3 tbsp butter
- truffle salt
Black Garlic and Red Wine Jus
- 1 large shallot sliced
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp black garlic dressing*
- oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
Method
1. To make the pickled celeriac, thinly slice the celeriac with a mandolin. Add the verjus in a saucepan with the sliced celeriac and a tiny pinch of the salt to taste. You'll want to under season this and the celeriac puree in the next step as the steak and sauce will be salty. Bring it to boil on the stove and simmer for 2 minutes until it's just lightly softened but still has a good crunch. Let it cool in a bowl and set it aside to continue to absorb the flavour and acidity of the verjus.
2. Make the celeriac puree by adding the diced celeriac, milk, chicken stock, nutmeg to a saucepan, bring it to boil and reduce to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes until its fully softened. Transfer the cooked celeriac and 1/4 cup of the liquid to a food processor and blitz into a smooth puree.
3. Make the black garlic and red wine jus by caramelising the sliced onion in a saucepan until dark brown. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and cook until the mixture has reduced into a syrupy mixture. Add the red wine and the chicken stock, bring to boil and reduce to about 1/2 cup of liquid. Pass the sauce through a stock bag to filter out the impurities and the onion. Return it back to the pot, add the black garlic dressing and incorporate the butter for a shiny sauce that would just coat the back of a spoon with a thin layer. Season to taste.
4. Heat cast iron pan over high heat until scorching hot, season the steaks with salt and pepper, and coat it generously with oil. Cook the steak until medium rare (time required will be depending on the thickness and the cut of steak used).
5. Assemble by placing some sauce in the middle of the plate. Place a piece of the steak on it, along with the pickled celeriac, and truffle celeriac puree. Enjoy!
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