Dry-aged MRIJ T-bone steak sous-vide

MRIJ stands for Maas-Rijn-IJssel, a breed of cattle named after the region in which it was bred: where the three rivers Maas (Meuse), Rijn (Rhine) and IJssel (Issel) meet. This piece of T-bone steak is very tasty for two reasons: (1) because the MRIJ breed has a lot of intramuscular fat (aka ‘marbling’) and because it has been dry-aged. The intramuscular fat makes the beef more juicy and carries a lot of taste. Dry-aging means that the beef has been hung to dry for several weeks, thus concentrating the flavor and taste and allowing the beef’s natural enzymes to break … Continue reading Dry-aged MRIJ T-bone steak sous-vide

Sous-vide cod with braised fennel and white wine sauce

Last night after the delicious ravioli with gorgonzola and witlof we had this simple but good dish that went nicely with the same wine (Erbaluce di Caluso). This was my first attempt at sous-vide cod and it turned out perfectly cooked with a great texture. However cod is so flaky that it seems impossible to sear the fish after cooking sous-vide without breaking it apart. Perhaps I’ll try pre-searing next time. Ingredients For 2 servings: 250 grams (1/2 pound) cod fillet 125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine 125 ml (1/2 cup) home-made fish stock 1 fennel bulb 1 shallot 1/2 … Continue reading Sous-vide cod with braised fennel and white wine sauce

Sous-vide rack of lamb

As a secondo after the primo of gnocchi al gorgonzola, we had another favorite: rack of lamb! The Dutch lamb from my local butcher is still very tender even though it’s almost December. Ingredients for 2 servings 1 rack of lamb with 6-8 ribs 3 sprigs rosemay salt, freshly ground black pepper olive oil 75 ml (1/3 cup) red wine 75 ml (1/3 cup) lamb stock Preparation Preheat water bath to 54.5C/130F. Rub the rack of lamb with salt, freshly ground black pepper and some olive oil and seal in a bag with the rosemary sprigs (one on each side). … Continue reading Sous-vide rack of lamb