Côte de boeuf is the fore rib of beef with the main backbone removed, and the rib french-trimmed for extra finesse. Use a cut of well-marbled meat from grass-fed cattle of rare or traditional breed which has been dry aged for at least 28 days. It will be juicy and full of flavour. I prefer a very thick cut (at least 5cm thick) as it is easy to overcook it if it is thin.
Côte de boeuf is an expensive cut and so you do not want to ruin it. The easiest way to cook the steak is to grill it over high heat to get a golden caramelised crust, and then finish the cooking in the oven.
I suggest serving it with the classic French sauce which is named after the Bordeaux region. There are many variations of this sauce. The primary identifying constant is not the red wine reduction but the garnish of bone marrow.
Ingredients
- 1 x organic, well-marbled côte de boeuf from grass-fed cattle of rare or traditional breed, dry aged for at least 28 days, about 900g
For the demi-glaze:
- 15g butter
- 1/2 onion
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 small carrot chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 50ml red wine
- 500ml brown beef stock
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leave
- 1 tbsp clarified butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 15g tomato puree
For the Bordelaise sauce:
- 40g shallots, chopped
- 8 black peppercorns, crushed
- 200ml claret
- 50g bone marrow
Instructions
- Start with making the demi-glaze. In a heavy or cast iron saucepan, saute the vegetables in butter over medium heat until they are slightly caramelised. Add the red wine and stock, together with the aromatics. Bring to simmer.
- In a small saucepan, add clarified butter and flour. Mix well. Cook under low heat and it will turn into a foam. Continue to cook for about 12 mins until the colour of the roux turns brown like chocolate. Mix in the tomato puree. Slowly add about 1/2 of the simmering stock into the mixture, making sure that the stock is fully incorporated before you add more. Return the mixture to the stock. Simmer for about an hour until reduced by half. Your demi-glaze is ready.
- The next step is to make the sauce. Put shallots, peppercorns and wine in a saucepan. Reduce the wine to about one- third. Add the demi-glace which has been prepared as above. Simmer for a couple of minutes and strain into another saucepan. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the bone marrow in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil under medium heat, and immediately turn off the heat. Leave the marrow in the saucepan for 30 seconds, and drain it carefully. Dice the marrow and add into the sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and heat a griddle pan until hot.
- Sear the beef on the pan for 5 mins on each side and then transfer to a tray. Continue to cook the beef in the oven for 15 mins for medium rare. Insert a meat thermometer into the beef if you have one. The internal temperature of the meat should be about 50-55°C. Rest for 15 minutes and serve with the Bordelaise sauce.
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