Beef & Madeira layered terrine / marbre

We all love a delicious terrine, but this layered terrine is going to blow your guests mind! A layered terrine is also known as a marbre, which means marble in French. This one is made from beef tail, beef tongue and a rich beef & madeira jelly. On the side we have a raisin & Pedro Ximinez gel, beurre noisette cooked apple and a beef and bay leaf broth.

The beef & madeira marbre

The brine & beef tail

3 liters	water
90 g	nitrite salt
3	bay leaves
3 g	coriander seeds
3 g	black peppercorns

Mix the water with the nitrite salt, the bay leaves, the coriander seeds and the black peppercorns. Now bring this to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn off the heat and let it cool down competently.

2	beef tails (2.2 kg)
0.5 bulb	garlic
300 g	rich demi-glace or reduced beef stock

While the brine is cooling down take the beef tails and if necessary cut them into smaller more manageable pieces. Just make an incision, break the joint and cut it off. In total I had 2.2 kilograms of beef tail. Now submerge the beef tail into the brine and let it brine for 24 hours in your fridge. Below you can find a full timetable for the brining and cooking times. The next day you can take the beef tail out of the brine and start panfrying it all around on a medium high heat. The fat from the tail will melt straight away, that’s why I don’t use any oil or fat. Now once you have a nice golden brown color all around take them out of the pan and let them cool down in your fridge.

Then transfer them into a vacuum bag and also add the garlic that’s cut in half with the rich demi-glace or reduced beef stock. Now vacuum the bag a 100%. I’m going to cook the tails sous-vide at 85 degrees Celsius for 16 hours. If you don’t have excess to a vacuum or a sous-vide, then you can also slowly braise the tails on a low heat. The sous-vide is just more reliable and you don’t need to keep an eye on it. Once cooked take the tails out of the oven and let them cool down for 10 minutes. Then open up the bag and gently place it on a tray. Now when still hot separate the meat from the bones, fat and any other unwanted parts. If you do this cold the gelatin will set and it’s super difficult to clean properly. Once cleaned pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and let it cool down in your fridge. The gelatin quantity is so high that it will set very well and you can easily scoop the fat off. Don’t throw the fat away, this is perfect for roasted potatoes or to pan frying meat. Now bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Meanwhile transfer the cleaned meat on your cutting board and chop it into small pieces. Then add it to the pan as well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The beef tongue

1	beef tongue (1.6 kg)
0.5 bulb	garlic
200 g	beef stock
5 leaves or 8.3 g	gelatin

For this we use the same brine. The one we made before is enough for both the tail and tongue. Submerge the beef tongue in the brine and let it brine for 48 hours in your fridge. The beef tongue I use is 1.6 kilograms. After the 2 days take it out of the brine and place it in a vacuum bag. Also add the garlic that’s cut in half with the beef stock. Now vacuum this a 100% and cook the tongue sous-vide at 85 degrees Celsius for 16 hours. Just like the tails you can also slowly braise the tongue on a low heat. I just prefer this method.

Once the tongue is cooked take it out of the oven and let them cool down for 10 minutes. Then open up the bag and gently place it on a tray. When still hot peel the skin off the tongue. This is very unpleasant to eat, so we throw it away. Then turn it around and remove any bloodvains and other unwanted parts. Just be care full that you don’t burn your fingers, it can still be very hot. After that pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and let it cool down in your fridge. The tongue almost doesn’t contain any gelatin, so we can just pass it through a fine sieve to remove the limited fat that’s now floating on top. Directly weigh the broth while you pass it through a fine sieve. For every 100 grams you need to soak 1 leaf or 1.6 grams of gelatin. I had 500 grams of cooking liquid. Then bring the liquid to a boil, turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Now slice the tongue in thin slices. Just look how juicy and tender this is! Then chop it into the same size as the beef tail and add it to the cooking liquid. Now let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The beef and madeira jelly & the bay leaf broth

2 kg	beef bones
1 kg	marrow bones
1	cow's foot
250 g	celeriac
200 g	leek
250 g	onion
250 g	carrot
150 g	celery sticks
400 g	canned tomatoes
6 cloves	garlic
4 + 5	bay leaves
4 sprigs	thyme
4 g	coriander seeds
5 g	black peppercorns
700 g	red wine
750 g	Madeira wine

First the beef broth. Place the beef bones on a tray and also add the marrow bones. Now toast them at 200 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes. While that’s toasting we can start chopping the vegetables. First clean the celeriac and cut it in big even slices. Cut those slices in even chunks. Then cut the leek in half and wash it well. The white part should already be clean, so focus on the green leaves. Then slice it in thin slices. Now cut the onion in half and clean them. Then slice them in thin slices as well. Now do the same with the carrot and the celery sticks. After that drizzle some oil in a big pot and start pan frying the vegetables. Now want a beautiful golden brown color all around.

While that’s pan frying blend the canned tomatoes till smooth. I use canned tomatoes because these are made from very ripe tomatoes and therefor super flavorful. Once you’re happy with the color of the vegetables deglaze the pan with the blended canned tomatoes and also add the garlic that's cut in half with the 4 bay leaves, the thyme, the corianders seeds and the black peppercorns. Then keep on pan frying till the bottom of the pan has a nice fond. When that’s the case deglaze it with the red wine and let it reduce for 90%. Now there is a lot of deglaze and reducing, but this is what gives the sauce depth and it’s richness. Just take your time to do this properly. Then add the toasted bones to the pan. Now normally I would deglaze the oven tray as well, but this one was so clean that I skipped this step. However, I did pass the fat through a fine sieve. Just like before it’s great for pan frying and roasting vegetables. Now we also need to add a cow’s foot to the broth. Normally I order these cut, but I accidently ordered it whole and it was too big for the pan. Just cut it all around on the joint and cut it in half. Then it should fit pretty well. Now add enough water to submerge all the ingredients and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer on a low heat for at least 12 hours. I had mine simmering for even 24 hours. If needed add some more water in between.

Once you’re happy with the result pass the broth though a fine sieve and let it drip for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop. Then reduce the broth on a low simmer. While it’s reducing use a ladle to skim off any fat that’s floating on top. If you do this properly it will result in a super clear broth. Then pour 500 grams of the broth into a pan and add the 5 bay leaves. Let it infuse for an hour. After, remove the bay leaves and season the broth with a beef garum or salt. The garum just adds another layer of flavor. Then keep it in your fridge for later. Now back to the jelly. Reduce the remaining broth till you’re left with 900 grams and then set it aside for later. Then also reduce the Madeira wine till you’re left with 300 grams. Add the reduced madeira to the 900 grams of reduced beef broth and mix it well. Keep it in your fridge for later.

How to layer the marbre

For this I use a layer frame to get the most even layers, click here for more infomation. Now you could also use a normal container, but with the frame even layers are guaranteed. Begin with a layer of parchment paper and then a layer of beef tongue. The tongue is slightly warmed so you can spread it. Level it with a pallet knife and then place another layer frame on top. Let it set in your fridge. Once set add 130 grams of the beef jelly. The jelly is at room temperature before pouring it on top. Let it set as well. While that’s setting we can prepare the next layer. Fill a layer frame that’s sitting on some parchment paper with the beef tail and level it. Again, just like the tongue it’s slightly warmed up so you can spread it. Then remove the frame and gently turn it around on the set jelly. Remove the paper and level it. Now again let it set before repeating this process as many times as you want. In total I had 13 layers. So 4 layers of beef tongue, 3 layers of beef tail and 6 layers of the beef & madeira jelly. Just be sure that the layers get enough time to set properly and that the temperature of every new layer is around 30 degrees Celsius. Then the gelatin in the layers will slightly melt and fuse together.

Once you’re happy with the result let it set in your fridge for at least 2 hours before you can start removing the frames. Just be gently so you don’t damage all your hard work. Now I know it’s a lot of work, but just look at these layers! So tight and perfect! Then we can portion the marbre. The most logic step for me was a slightly warm and sharp knife, but the result was horrible. Use a serrated cold knife for the best even result. These are portions of 6 by 6 centimeters. Now keep them covered in your fridge for later.

The marbre timeline

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Make the brine.	Add the tails to the brine and brine it for another 24 hrs.	Pan fry the tails and cook both the tails and tongue sous-vide.	Reduce the madeira and finish the jelly.
Brine the beef tongue for 48 hrs.	Start the beef broth.	Pass the broth through a fine sieve and reduce it.	Clean the cooked tails and tongue & build the marbre and let it set.

The raisin and Pedro Ximenez gel

150 g	raisins
300 g	Pedro Ximenez
60 g	sherry vinegar
5 g	agar powder

Mix the raisins with the Pedro Ximenez, the sherry vinegar and the agar powder. Now blend it till smooth. Be sure to use a strong and fast blender for the best result. Then pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil for at least 30 seconds. Stir it every now and then to prevent it from burning. After that pour it into a bowl and let it set in your fridge. Once set transfer it into a blender and blend it into a smooth gel. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The beurre noisette cooked apples

250 g	butter
2	granny smith apples

First we need to make the beurre noisette. Begin by heating the butter and continue heating it to caramelize the solids. Stir it every now and then. Once a golden color has formed you can set it aside for later. Now take the apples and peel them. Then cut little balls out of the apples with a pommes Parisienne scoop. The apple trimmings you can just eat or use for another recipe. Now transfer the apple balls into the beurre noisette and heat them up on a low heat. Continue heating the apples till cooked. This takes about an hour. Then transfer the apples and beurre noisette into a container and keep it in your fridge for later.

The sweet and sour apples

100 g	white wine
100 g	water
100 g	white wine vinegar
100 g	sugar
3 g	salt
4 sprigs	thyme
2	granny smith apples

Begin by mixing the white wine with the water, the white wine vinegar, the sugar, the salt and the lemon thyme. Now bring this to a boil. Once it has boiled let it cool down out of the fridge. Then pass the sweet and sour through a fine sieve and keep it in your fridge for later. After that again peel the apples and cut them with a pommes Parisienne scoop as well. Directly submerge the balls in the sweet and sour and keep it in your fridge for later.

The final prep and how to finish the dish

For the final prep we only need to slice some raisins in 6 or 8, depending on the size. Then we can start to finish the dish. First place a slice of the marbre on a plate or bowl and start laying both the apples and the gel around it. First the sweet and sour apple, then a dot of the gel and finally a beurre noisette apple. The beurre noisette apple is slightly warmed so it has melted. Continue laying till your all around and then gently place the sliced raisins on the sweet and sour apple. Also add some lemon thyme leaves on the gel and then it’s ready to be served! On the table you only need to finish it with the delicious beef & bay leaf broth that’s just slightly warmed.