Tartare of Hillacres Pride Grass-fed Beef Heart, Egg Yolk Brandy, Black Garlic Puree, Horseradish Cream, Baby Winter Spinach, Mustard Seed Cracker
There are two things that happen every year, (well, the last three at least). The first is that I purchase a whole beef heart. The second, is that I try to figure out what the hell to do with a whole beef heart. The heart of a grass-fed cow clocks in at well over 3 pounds. And when you're the only half of your relationship that will knowingly consume it, that can be a lot to get through. You'll want some variety in your heart preparation. This year I decided that a large portion of this heart would become hotdogs, which turned out to be amazing. The rest was turned into what you see above, a delicious tartare.
The heart of a cow has the most intense beefy flavor out of every cut of the animal. It's all muscle, almost no fat whatsoever. And it is the one muscle that works constantly, 24 hours a day should the cow not die before reaching the slaughterhouse. With that being said, its very dense and can be very tough and chewy if not handled properly. One solution to this is to simply chop it up, or in this case grind it.
I cubed some of the heart and passed it through the small die of my grinder into a bowl. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and mixed in olive oil, shallot, chopped capers, spicy mustard and some balsamic vinegar. I made a ball of the meat with my hands and set it on the plate. I made a well in the center and poured to liquor into it.
I stole the idea for the egg yolk brandy from Magnus Nilsson. He has a recipe for duck egg liquor in his Faviken cookbook. I used the same technique here. I simply combined an equal volume of egg yolks and brandy along with some honey and stirred it to combine everything. I chilled it before use.
I also stole the next idea from Magnus as well. I boiled some water and poured it over a mixture of whole mustard seed, salt and potato starch. I stirred it well and allowed it to sit for 30 minutes til it became a thick paste. I spread the paste onto a silpat and baked it in a low oven til completely dried and crispy crackers formed.
I passed cloves of black garlic through a fine mesh tamis before mixing in some sweet soy sauce to take the bitter edge off. This is the black puree you see above.
I boiled the fresh horseradish root til soft and pureed it with butter and heavy cream as well as some sugar and lemon juice.
I finished the plate off with some incredibly sweet baby winter spinach. The farmer I bought it from told me that it tasted so good and so sweet because it had to work so hard to keep warm. I think he was right.
The heart of a cow has the most intense beefy flavor out of every cut of the animal. It's all muscle, almost no fat whatsoever. And it is the one muscle that works constantly, 24 hours a day should the cow not die before reaching the slaughterhouse. With that being said, its very dense and can be very tough and chewy if not handled properly. One solution to this is to simply chop it up, or in this case grind it.
I cubed some of the heart and passed it through the small die of my grinder into a bowl. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and mixed in olive oil, shallot, chopped capers, spicy mustard and some balsamic vinegar. I made a ball of the meat with my hands and set it on the plate. I made a well in the center and poured to liquor into it.
I stole the idea for the egg yolk brandy from Magnus Nilsson. He has a recipe for duck egg liquor in his Faviken cookbook. I used the same technique here. I simply combined an equal volume of egg yolks and brandy along with some honey and stirred it to combine everything. I chilled it before use.
I also stole the next idea from Magnus as well. I boiled some water and poured it over a mixture of whole mustard seed, salt and potato starch. I stirred it well and allowed it to sit for 30 minutes til it became a thick paste. I spread the paste onto a silpat and baked it in a low oven til completely dried and crispy crackers formed.
I passed cloves of black garlic through a fine mesh tamis before mixing in some sweet soy sauce to take the bitter edge off. This is the black puree you see above.
I boiled the fresh horseradish root til soft and pureed it with butter and heavy cream as well as some sugar and lemon juice.
I finished the plate off with some incredibly sweet baby winter spinach. The farmer I bought it from told me that it tasted so good and so sweet because it had to work so hard to keep warm. I think he was right.