Ingredients
Coffee crusted ostrich
170g ostrich, inside strip
½ cup ground espresso coffee beans
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dry garlic
1 tsp black pepper
140g duck fat
Salt to taste
Burnt shallot sunchoke & black garlic purée
4 medium size shallots
230g sunchokes
4 black garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
Pine and chives oil
15g fresh chives
200ml good olive oil
20g Douglas Fir needles
Heirloom carrots
2 bunches of baby heirloom carrots or tricolour carrots
1l olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bunch of thyme
1 tsp juniper berries
Method
Coffee crusted ostrich
Lightly salt the clean ostrich loin (not for seasoning – just pull out extra moisture). Mix all spices and grind with the coffee beans. Let the coffee absorb any moisture from the fresh herbs. After it is dry, put the coffee crust into a bowl along with the ostrich loin. Pad the coffee into the meat, then let it air dry in a cooler overnight. The following day, place the meat in a vacuum bag and circulate for 5 minutes at 55°C to infuse the coffee flavour. Heat the pan with the duck fat, sear the loin and place in the pan. Ostrich is an extremely lean meat and must be served medium rare.
Burnt shallot sunchoke & black garlic purée
Begin by cleaning the sunchockes. Add some olive oil and cover them with tin foil and roast them in the over at 300°C for approximately 15 minutes or until very soft. While the sunchokes are baking, cut the shallots in half and add a pinch of salt and olive oil. Charr them in a hot cast iron pan or a grill. Once they acquire a nice black colour, put them in a pie pan and cover them well with tin foil. Bake for 5 minutes, When the sunchokes are soft enough pull them out of the oven and peel them, keeping only the pulp, Then, in a vitamix, add the baked shallots, the sunchoke pup, the 4 cloves of black garlic and the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix them until it is very smooth. If you feel it is necessary add a spoonful of water.
Pine and chives oil
Fill a bowl with ice cubes and water. Blanch the chives in boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain immediately and transfer the chives to the ice water. Drain, wrap in paper towels, and squeeze the excess water out gently.
Put the chives and Douglas Fir needles in a blender with the oil and blend for 2 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, preferably a cheese cloth. The oil can be refrigerated for up to a month and stored in a plastic squeeze bottle if desired. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Heirloom carrots
In a large pot add the olive oil, cinnamon, thyme and juniper berries. Bring the confit to 83.9°C, then add the carrots and cook for approximately 40 minutes to create the desired texture. Peeling the carrots is an option.