Fine Dining Braised Short Ribs w/ Potato Gratin, Pea Puree, Roasted Carrots & Pickled Onions

beef broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water + bouillon cubes

Vegetable broth is lower in calories, and using water with bouillon is cost-effective.

red wine

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic wine

💰Cheaper: grape juice

Grape juice can provide sweetness without the alcohol.

Chop 100g celery, 100g carrots, and 100g onions to make the marinade and set aside.

Pour 1 bottle of red wine (750ml) into a saucepan, bring to a boil to burn off the alcohol.

Add the chopped mirepoix, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 5g crushed juniper berries, 2 bay leaves, and 5g thyme sprigs to the wine, then bring back to a boil.

Remove from heat and let the marinade cool completely.

Trim the beef short ribs and transfer to a large airtight container.

Pour the cool marinade and veggies over the short ribs, cover, and let marinate in the fridge overnight.

The next day, remove the short ribs and strain the marinade through a fine sieve to separate the veggies from the liquid.

Pat the short ribs dry and season with salt and pepper on all sides.

Flash sear the short ribs in canola oil in a pot over high heat for 45 seconds on each side, then remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add the drained veggies, and cook for 3 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the seared short ribs back into the pot, followed by the red wine marinade.

Add enough beef stock to cover the meat (around 1 liter) and season with salt and pepper.

Bring everything to a boil and cover with a cartouche (round piece of parchment paper with a hole in the center).

Braise in a preheated oven at 275F (135C) for 3.5 hours.

Once done, take the pot out of the oven and let sit for 1 hour to cool down a bit, then discard the cartouche.

Carefully take the short ribs out, remove the bones and any tough membranes.

Transfer short ribs to a container, cover with a piece of parchment, press with something flat and heavy, and put in the fridge overnight.

Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve, discard the solids, and put the liquid in the fridge overnight.

For the potato gratin, add 200ml heavy cream to a saucepan along with 50ml whole milk and bring to a boil.

Add 5 thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf, 2 sliced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and mix well.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and let infuse for 20 minutes before straining through a fine sieve and setting aside.

Peel starchy potatoes and thinly slice using a mandoline.

Arrange sliced potatoes into a baking dish lined with parchment paper and top with a few tablespoons of the infused cream.

Sprinkle grated Emmental cheese on top and repeat the layers (potato, then infused cream, then grated cheese) for 10 layers.

For the top layer, add a few small knobs of unsalted butter and season with salt.

Bake in a preheated oven at 300F (150C) for around 90 minutes until cooked through and the top is brown and gratinated.

Let cool, then press with something flat and heavy in the fridge overnight just like the short ribs.

For the pea puree, clean, peel, and dice 1/2 onion.

Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent but not colored.

Add 250g defrosted frozen peas and cook for 1 minute.

Add a handful of mint leaves, cover with hot water, and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Transfer peas to a food processor with a few tablespoons of liquid and blitz, adding more liquid if needed.

Season to taste with salt and sugar, then add a pinch of xanthan gum and blitz again until smooth.

Strain puree through a fine sieve, set aside, and keep warm.

For the pickled red onions, clean, peel, and cut red onions into strands or rings.

Make the pickling liquid by adding 100ml water and 100ml red wine vinegar to a saucepan along with 1 star anise, 10 coriander seeds, 5 black peppercorns, salt, and sugar to taste.

Bring to a boil and pour over the red onions, covering with plastic wrap touching the surface so the onions stay submerged. Let pickle for at least 1-2 hours.

For the roasted carrots, peel and clean baby carrots, then season with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast in a preheated oven at 390F (200C) for 20 minutes.

Toast some breadcrumbs until crispy golden brown, then mix with thyme leaves, salt, and pepper to taste.

Cut roasted baby carrots in halves, brush the cut side with oil, and cover with the breadcrumb mixture, then set aside and keep warm.

To make the sauce, take the braising liquid out of the fridge and remove the solidified fat that raised to the top.

Strain through a fine sieve into a saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce by half, then season with salt and sugar.

Add a few tablespoons unsalted butter and mix well, then add cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. Set aside and keep warm.

To finish the gratin, take it out of the fridge and cut into portions of desired shape and size.

Sear in a skillet until golden brown and crispy on one side, then flip, add unsalted butter, thyme, and baste for 1-2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

To finish the short ribs, take them out of the fridge and cut into portions of desired shape and size, the same as the gratin.

Sear in a skillet until golden brown on one side, then flip, add unsalted butter, thyme, and baste for 1-2 minutes.

Remove the short ribs and wipe the skillet, then add a few tablespoons of sauce into the skillet over medium heat and cook until thickened into a glaze.

Add the short rib and glaze with the sauce and get ready for plating.

To plate, swipe a few spoons of pea puree onto the plate, then place the glazed beef short rib in the center of the plate.

Place the potato gratin next to the beef, slightly offset, and arrange the roasted baby carrot halves above and below the beef and potato.

Pipe a few dots of pea puree into the gaps, garnish with microgreens on the dots, followed by the pickled red onions, and finish off with the sauce poured at the table.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: