Aged beef tartare with onion ash

Method

• step 1

  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.

• step 2

  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.

• step 3

  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.

• step 4

  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.

• step 5

  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.

• step 6

  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.