Roast Beef With Blackberry & Port Sauce

Roast Beef With Blackberry & Port Sauce

The secret to keeping this topside juicy is fragrant Bay Leaves whizzed up into a verdant green brine.  Add a rich port-spiked sauce and you are in for a treat-- just make sure you have enough left over for sandwiches.

Ingredients:

2kg beef topside from the joint i.e.  (4 1/2 pounds top sirloin roast)

3 tablespoons fine sea salt

10 fresh bay leaves

2 large red onions, trimmed (skin-on) and halved width ways 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

250ml (1 cup) ruby port (or rich red wine)

500ml pot fresh beef stock, 

1 tablespoon Red Currant jelly

300g (2 cups) frozen blackberries defrosted

Directions:

The evening before cooking (or up to 2 days before), brine the beef. 

Whizz the salt and 5 bay leaves in a small food processor, until finely ground to a pale green salt.  Put the beef inside a rimmed baking dish and coat evenly with the salt mixture.  Cover with foil and chill until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 150*C (300*F).  Put the remaining 5 bay leaves in a medium, deep roasting roasting pan with the onion cut side down.  Wipe off and discard the brine from the beef, then pat dry with kitchen towel.  Put on top the onions and coat with oil.

Roast for 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours, checking with a meat thermometer until cooked to your liking.  Carefully transfer to a serving platter and leave to rest for 30 minutes carefully tented with foil.

Meanwhile make the sauce.  Put the roasting pan (with the onions and bay leaves in) on the stove with a high heat.  Sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until just starting to thicken.  Pour in the port and boil rapidly, scraping the base of the pan as you go, until thickened again.  Add the stock and redcurrant jelly whisking again for another 1 - 2 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve onto a medium pan, pressing to extract as much juice as possible.  (discard the onions and bay).  Add any resting juices from the beef plus the blackberries.  Simmer briskly for 2-3 minutes, until thickened to your liking and the berries have burst a little, season if needed.  Thinly slice the beef and serve the sauce on the side.

Warm Fig and Chocolate Sponge Cake

I made this cake for dinner last night, 8/20.  It was decadent!
Warm Fig And Chocolate Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup superfine Sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
12 ripe black figs, stems removed and cut into halves lengthwise
2 eggs, whites, and yolks separated
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped into 
    scant 1/2 inch pieces
Creme fraiche, for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Add 1/4 cup sugar to a small, oven-proof, high-sided saute pan with a 6-inch base.  Cook over medium-high heat swirling the pan a few times until the sugar has melted and turned ti a dark caramel color, 5 to 8 minutes.  Carefully add the rum ~ it will spit and seize up a little ~ and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring until combined and thick.  Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice and figs, and set aside to cool.

Add the egg yolks to a medium bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar.  Whisk by hand until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.  Add the cream, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and orange zest, then whisk until smooth and thick.

In another bowl using a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites by hand with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until they form stiff peaks, 4 to 5 minutes.  Fold gently into the yolk batter, then pour mixture over the figs in the saute pan.  (It should cover the figs completely).

Sprinkle all over with the chocolate and bake until the batter rises and it is cooked through about 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven, divide among four bowls and drizzle with any remaining liquid from the pan.  Serve hot, with some creme fraiche alongside.
Serves 4