Aged beef tartare with onion ash

Put the egg yolks in a small dish and cover with soy sauce until completely submerged. Cover with clingfilm, chill and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours.

To make the onion ash, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Slice 3 of the shallots as thinly as possible and spread evenly onto a non-stick baking tray. Cook until black, completely dry and brittle, around 1½ – 2 hours. Allow to cool, then tip into a food processor and blend to a fine powder.

Mix the yogurt and just under half of the ash. Cover and leave to infuse in the fridge for 3 hours, then taste, add a little more ash if you like and some salt and pepper.

Slice the remaining shallots 1cm thick, and spread into a single layer at the bottom of a pan. Add some water to cover, then add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave to cool on a baking sheet. Once cool, caramelise the edges with a blowtorch or put under the grill until lightly charred.

For the tartare, chop the beef as finely as possible, tip into a bowl and mix with olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard (add more if you like it stronger). Add the chopped chives, parsley and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, put a spoon of ash-infused yogurt onto 4 plates, then spread in a line with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Add the tartar on top of the yogurt, a marinated egg yolk alongside, cover with a few Little Gem leaves and the shallot rings. To finish, lightly dust with a little more onion ash powder.