'Uisce Beatha' or Water of Life

Phelim O'Hagan

Phelim O'Hagan

17th May 2021
Phelim O'Hagan

'Uisce Beatha' or Water of Life

120 min

The recipe for my main course on Great British Menu 2021, my tribute to the to the 12th century invention of Irish whiskey.


100-day aged Whiskey aged côte de bœuf, braised oxtail pithiver, potato terrine, grilled hispi cabbage with crispy onion and a beef & whiskey sauce.

Ingredients

whiskey-aged beef

  • 1.2kg cote de boeuf 300ml 8 year-old Quiet Man whiskey 1 bottle of quiet man 8yo whiskey (My beef was aged for 100 days, soaked in whiskey soaked Muslim. Any cut of beef will do)

Oxtail pithiviers

  • 1.5kg oxtail, 1 carrot, 1 onion ¼ leek 1 celery stalk 2 clove garlic 20g chive 5g rosemary 1 sheet puff pastry 100ml beef &whiskey sauce 2 eggs 50ml milk

Potato terrine

  • 1kg Yukon gold potatoes 500g beef dripping

Caramelised onion & onion purée

  • 1kg sliced white onion 200ml whiskey 50g sugar

Crispy shallots

  • 2 x banana shallots

Hispi cabbage

  • 1x hispi cabbage caramelised onion crispy shallots butter

Salsa verde

  • 20g chive 5g rosemary 25g parsley 15g tarragon 5ml r.w.vinegar 2 shallots 100ml olive oil 1 tsp English mustard

Beef and whiskey sauce

  • 3x sliced shallots 3x clove garlic 500ml red wine 300ml whiskey ( I used quiet man, local to me) 2litre of homemade or shop bought beef stock 100ml red wine vinegar 50g sugar

Method

Beef stock

1. Make beef stock for red wine whiskey sauce (shop bought is fine)
2. Make beef sauce by sautéing shallots & garlic, de-glaze with the red wine vinegar and sugar combined
3. Add wine & reduce
4. Add whiskey & reduce
5. Add stock and reduce
6. Finish sauce with raw whiskey to taste

Oxtail Pithivier

1. Oxtail will have been braised during the starter in the beef consommé
2. Dice the vegetables and sweat off in a pan
3. Add the oxtail and whiskey.
4. Add some of the beef and whiskey sauce
5. Set in a mould (not layered like a classic pithivier)
6. Chill in the blast chiller 10 minutes.
7. Lay puff pastry and put chilled oxtail inside, form a dome with the puff pastry over the top. Wash with egg wash and sprinkle pastry with thyme and rosemary.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes at 180 degrees.

Pommes Pont Neuf (potato terrine)

1. Peel, slice potatoes and layer with dripping, salt & pepper. Bake @ 165 for 1 hour, chill & press for 4 hours minimum
2. Once chilled, cut into into desired size chips. Deep fry in veg oil for approx. 3-4 minutes.

Caramelised onion & onion purée

1. Caramelise onions and deglaze with whiskey and sugar, keep some aside and blend the rest for purée

Hispi cabbage

Quarter the Hispi cabbage (one segment per plate), cook in a pan for 5-10 minutes, basting in lots of butter.

Salsa verde

Chop all herbs finely by hand, mince one clove of garlic and combine all with olive oil.

Crispy shallots

Slice, cover in flour and deep fry for a couple of minutes

Whiskey-aged beef

1. Cook beef on big green egg, 15-25 mins depending on size.(25mins)
2. Plate dish using all elements above

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