Braised Leek Stuffed with Beef Marrow, La Ratte Potato Crumbs, Green and Purple Mustard Greens, Fried Quail Egg, Smoked Jus
But as so many other ideas just fizzle away because they seem cool but don't make sense from a flavor standpoint, this one had legs. Leeks and bone marrow are actually fantastic together. And as I looked around at the other things I had picked up at the market, other ideas started to make sense. And so this dish was born.
As I stated above, the leeks were cut into 3 inch cylinders and placed in a covered baking dish with butter and enough chicken stock to cover them about halfway. I baked the leeks at 350 degrees for roughly 30 minutes. They didn't need to be cooked completely through because the middles are removed anyways. Once the leeks are completely cooled, the middles are removed.
I soaked the marrow bones overnight in ice eater to remove some of the blood. I heated them in the oven slightly to loosen up the marrow so I could pop it out easily in whole pieces. I stuffed the leek rounds with the marrow, filling the cavity tightly. Marrow is fairly pliable so this is pretty easy. The leeks were then placed in a very hot oven for about ten minutes to cook the marrow through. This step needs to be monitored carefully as the marrow will liquify and escape the leek if left in the oven for too long.
I took the bones that had previously housed the marrow and roasted them under the broiler. I made a stock with the bones, chicken stock, water, leek, bacon and shiitake mushroom. After a couple of hours simmering, the stock was strained and reduced down to a thick jus.
I made the crumbs by pulsing the fingerling potatoes with a hand blender in some cold water to a coarse sandy texture. I then strained the potato and dried it on paper towels. I heated rapeseed oil in a shallow pan til it almost began to smoke before adding the potato and cooking to a crunchy light brown. The oil was drained off and the crumbs were seasoned with sea salt.
The quail egg was just simply pan-fried, sunny-side-up, and cut with a small ring mold. And the mustard greens were plated, undressed for a sharp contrast to this rich dish.
Product:
Leeks - Blooming Glen
Grass-fed Beef Bone Marrow - Hillacres Pride
La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes - Culton Organics
Mustard Greens - Henry Got Crops
Quail Egg - Griggstown Quail Farm