Jenner Tomaska's Striploin Pithivier with Fois Gras Sausage
“It’s hard to beat pastry and beef,” says Jenner Tomaska. But the Chicago chef always gives classics a twist. “My thought is to always push boundaries, change something, but you need an equal amount of comfort and familiarity,” says chef Jenner Tomaska.
This pithivier hits typical French notes with its beef - or Wagyu striploin in this case - plus foie gras, onions and puff pastry. “We riff on that a bit: we use Wagyu trimmings in the foie gras sausage and wrap that around the rib eye. You need to be resourceful with such an elevated cut. You need to think outside the box. You want to use the byproduct as much as possible.”
Ingredients
Fois Gras Sausage
Fois Gras Sausage
1500g Westholme Wagyu trim
300g foie gras
12g pink salt
32g salt
10g ground black pepper
10g ground Thai long pepper
5g ground pink peppercorns
2 eggs
Bacon Balsamic Beet Sauce
Bacon Balsamic Beet Sauce
454g bacon, diced
20g garlic
100g shallot
500g beet juice
2g salt
100g balsamic vinegar
2g black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 agar agar
100g veal stock454g bacon, diced
20g garlic
100g shallot
500g beet juice
2g salt
100g balsamic vinegar
2g black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 agar agar
100g veal stock
To Assemble
To Assemble
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 sheet puff pastry
6 x 85g / 3 oz Westholme striploin cubes
Fois Gras Sausage
Bacon Balsamic Beet Sauce
Method
Foie Gras Sausage
Grind Wagyu in a meat grinder on medium setting. Reserve and keep cold until ready to use.
In a Hobart (planetary) mixer, add ground Wagyu, foie gras and all dry ingredients. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs and mix for an additional 3 minutes. Reserve.
Bacon Balsamic Beet Sauce
Place diced bacon in a medium pot, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add minced garlic and shallot. Continue to sweat for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly.
Deglaze bacon and onion mixture with beet juice, salt, balsamic vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaf. Reduce by one-third or till the mixture weighs 400 grams, skimming foam as you go.
Strain off the aromatics, and bacon and whisk in agar agar. Bring to a boil. Cool mixture for 2 hours or until set.
Place in a blender and puree until smooth.
Place puree and veal stock into a medium sauce pot and bring up to a simmer. Pass through a strainer and serve.
To Assemble
Bring water up to a boil in a medium pot. Blanch Swiss chard leaves for 1 minute. Place in an ice bath to cool.
Season each striploin cube with salt and pepper. Sear on each side. Wrap in Swiss chard leaves. Wrap in 60g / 2 oz of sausage. Place between puff pastry to form a pithivier and use cookie cutters to crimp pastry.
Bake at 230C / 450 F for 7 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes.
Bake at 220C / 425F for 2 minutes. Cut and serve over Bacon Balsamic Beet Sauce.
“It’s hard to beat pastry and beef,”
