Ingredients

For the Marinade:
2 bottles of Roaring Meg beer
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
10 juniper berries, crushed
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
50g honey
500ml Aspall’s organic apple cyder vinegar
For the beef cheek:
3kg beef cheek, silver skin and sinew removed, cut into 10 portions
500ml brown chicken stock – see basics
500ml white chicken stock – see basics
For the pickled shallots:
1 large shallot, thinly sliced on a mandoline
50ml pickling juice – see basics
For the sea vegetables:
20g sea purslane
20g rock samphire
20g stone crop
For the oyster emulsion:
2 egg yolks
2 oysters
squeeze of lemon juice
200ml parsley oil – see basics
fine salt to taste
Basics:
Brown chicken stock/
2kg chicken wings
1.5l sunflower oil
1kg unsalted butter
25g tomato purée
White chicken stock:
2 whole chickens
2 shallots chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
Parsley oil:
200g parsley
300ml sunflower oil
pinch of salt
Pickling juice:
100g caster sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
You will also need:
100 wild garlic flowers

Method

Marinade:
Mix all the ingredients together and store in a container until needed.
Beef cheek:
Place the beef cheek in the marinade for 24 hours, drain and strain the liquid and pour it into a pressure cooker.
Reduce to a glossy syrup without the lid on.
Add the brown and white chicken stock and bring up to the boil.
Take off the heat.
Heat a pan and sauté the beef cheek until brown all over.
Add this to the pressure cooker along with any pan juices.
Bring up to full pressure and then turn down the heat a little and cook for 45 minutes.
Take off the heat and leave to cool in the pan; the cheek will be reheated in this later.
Pickled shallots:
Place the shallots in a sous vide bag and cover with some of the pickling juice.
Compress on full and leave in the bag until needed.
Sea vegetables:
Blanch the sea vegetables in boiling salted water.
Refresh in ice-cold water.
Strain through a colander and store in an airtight container until needed.
Oyster emulsion:
Place the egg yolks, oysters and lemon juice in a blender and blend on its lowest speed.
Once emulsified slowly add the oil until it forms a mayonnaise-like consistency.
Pass the emulsion and check the seasoning.
Store in an airtight container until needed.
Basics:
Chop each wing into 3 pieces.
Fill a deep-fat fryer with half sunflower oil and half butter.
Bring to 120°C. Add the wings and ‘fry’ until fully caramelised; this will take around 45 minutes.
Remove the wings and pat dry on kitchen towel.
Place in a heavy-bottomed pan and cover with cold water.
Bring to a gentle simmer and add the tomato purée.
Simmer for 5 hours, skimming off any scum throughout the cooking process.
Remove the bones and pass the stock through a fine mesh sieve. Leave to cool in the fridge overnight.
Remove any fat that has risen to the top and hardened.
Bring the stock to the boil and rapidly reduce to the desired consistency.
Pass through a chinoise and store in the fridge until needed.
White chicken stock:
Place the chickens, chopped shallots and the thyme in a pressure cooker and cover with cold water.
Bring up to full pressure and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pressure cooker.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Leave to cool in the fridge overnight.
Remove any fat that has risen to the top and hardened.
Strain the stock again and chill until needed.
Parsley oil:
Blanch the parsley in boiling salted water for 1 minute.
Shock in iced water. Pat the parsley dry, transfer to a blender, add the oil and blend on full power until smooth.
Place in a centrifuge and run on a 20 minute cycle with no heat.
Strain off the vibrant, clear oil, leaving the sediment.
Discard the solids.
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
This method can be used for other herbs such as dill, chervil, chives, etc.
Pickling juice:
Boil the sugar and vinegar for 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the juice to go cold.
Pass through a chinoise.
Store in an airtight container until needed.
This recipe can also be used for any type of flavoured vinegar.

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