Fine dining amuse with oxtail, pommes soufflé & baba

We're going to cook with some delicious Australian winter truffle, but you can use these recipe with other truffles as well. We're going to make a pommes soufflé ring that's stuffed with a truffle cream, an oxtail glaze and if you're having some trouble with pommes soufflé then I'm also making a baba au truff! It's so good!

The oxtail broth

3 liters	water
120 grams	nitrite salt
2 kg	oxtail
3	shallots
5 cloves	garlic
4	bay leaves
	Beef stock
	Ponzu vinegar

First we need to brine the oxtail. Mix the water with the nitrite salt and mix it well to dissolve the salt. Then add the oxtail and make sure everything is submerged. Now let this brine for 24 hours in your fridge. After that drain the liquid and let the oxtail sit for at least 30 minutes to remove as much water as possible. Then add a drizzle of oil to a hot pan and pan fry the oxtail till golden brown on all sides. This is going to take some time, but the flavor is so good! Now take them out of the pan and continue pan frying the remaining oxtail. Meanwhile take the shallots, cut them in half, clean them and chop them. Then remove the last oxtail from the pan and pan fry the shallots. Also add the cloves of garlic that are cut in half. Once they start to color deglaze the pan with some beef stock and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Then pour it into a big pot, add the oxtail and submerge it completely with beef stock. Finally add the bay leaves and then bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling cover the top with a piece of parchment paper or a lid and transfer the pot into an oven. Cook it at 85 degrees Celsius for at least 14 hours. The next day you can remove the parchment paper and gently take the oxtail out of the broth. Let them cool down for 5 minutes and the remove the meat from the bones and fat. I’m not using it today, but I will in the next video, so stay tuned! After that pass the liquid through a fine sieve and reduce the broth till it has reached the desired flavor. While reducing use a ladle to remove any fat that’s floating on top. When that’s done pass a through a super fine sieve once more. Now the flavor is spot on! It’s so rich and powerful. If it’s too powerful you can add a little drizzle of ponzu. This will balance the heaviness of the broth and give it a fresh kick. Then keep it in your fridge for later.

The pommes souffle ring

	Waxy potato
	Potato starch or corn starch
	Egg white

First slice a waxy potato on a mandolin in thin slices. Be careful because a mandolin is super sharp! The slices need to be around 1 to 2 millimeters thin. Now lay the slices opposite on your worktop. Then dust the top half with potato starch or corn starch and use a brush to remove any excess powder. Be gentle so you don’t damage the potato. Then use a brush to add a super thin layer of egg white on the bottom half. Now place the egg white side on the powdered side and don’t press the slices together. Only lay them on to off each other. Then cut them with a big round cutter and remove the outside. Cut the center with a small cutter. Now directly deep fry them at 170 degrees Celsius and based the top with the hot oil to make them puff up even more. Once golden take them out of the oil. The small ones you can also deep fry, but I don’t use them in this video.

Baba

120 grams	flour
90 grams	egg
10 grams	sugar
2 grams	salt
15 grams	milk
3 grams	dry yeast
30 grams	butter

Now if you’re having some trouble with the pommes souffle you can also make a baba. For that mix the flour with the egg, the sugar and the salt. Then pour the milk into a saucepan and also add the dry yeast. Mix it and then heat up the milk till it’s 30 degrees Celsius. Then add it to the bowl as well and knead the dough for 10 minutes on a low speed, so a lot of gluten can form. After that add the butter and knead it till all the butter is incorporated. Now transfer the dough into a bowl, cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 8 hours in your fridge. Once it’s well rested dust some flour on your worktop and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough till it’s a centimeter thick. Then cut it with a big cutter and cut the center with a small cutter. Now dust some more flour on top and then add a thin layer of baking spray in a couple of small savarin tins. Now give the dough a little stretch and place it in the tins. Then cover it with another tray and let it proof till doubled in size. I do this at 25 degrees Celsius. Once doubled in size bake them at 180 degrees Celsius for around 8 to 9 minutes till golden brown.

The truffle slices & cream

Take a beautiful winter truffle and slice a couple slices on a tray. Now lay the slices next to each other on your cutting board and cut them with a round cutter. Keep the trimmings for the cream. Then cover them with a thin layer of the oxtail broth that’s lukewarm and keep them in your fridge for later.

200 grams	button mushrooms
2 grams	salt
40 grams	egg yolk
20 grams	truffle trimmings or tapenade
20 grams	sushi vinegar
4 grams	Worcester sauce
60 grams	sunflower oil

Now for the truffle cream. First slice the button mushroom in slices. Then pour a drizzle of oil in a frying pan and pan fry the mushrooms till completely golden and a lot of the liquid has vaporized. Also add the salt for seasoning. Now transfer the mushrooms on a tray and let them cool down in your fridge. Then transfer them into a blender and also add the egg yolk, the truffle trimmings, the sushi vinegar and the Worcester sauce. Blend this till smooth. Now also add the sunflower oil and blend it till it’s completely emulsified. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and let it set in your fridge for at least 1 hour.

How to finish the amuse

First the pommes souffle. Make a couple of small holes on one side and fill it completely with the truffle cream. Then cover it completely with the glazed truffle slices. These are so good! Now press the edges down and then they are ready to be served! Then for the baba. Take the lukewarm oxtail broth and submerge the baba’s for a couple of seconds on both sides. Then let them sit for 15 minutes. After that fill it on multiple places with the truffle cream and cover it as well with the glazed truffle slices.