Scott Pickett's Wagyu Tartare with Smoked Egg Yolk and Buckwheat Crackers
Scott Pickett
Scott Pickett
Leading Australian chef Scott Pickett is steeped in tradition, a proud custodian of his profession’s heritage yet equally passionate about mentoring and finding energy in the next generation. “I love everything about restaurants,” he says. “The energy. The organised chaos. The tired feeling in your bones after a great service. The camaraderie too.” ‘Chefo’ to all. Pickett owns venues in Melbourne. Rather than being linked by cuisine - Chancery Lane is French, Longrain is Thai, stately Matilda is a contemporary grill - his restaurants are characterised by real cooking and heartfelt hospitality.
Tartare is a classic, but it’s also a dish that can be very contemporary, as we see here.
There are quite a few elements too, but the wagyu is still the hero, with its rich melting notes coming through on the palate.
It’s a simple dish, though it uses a few techniques, and it presents really beautifully. There’s something so special about Traditional tartare is raw; this wagyu is barely cooked but we still get smoky notes from the smoked egg yolk emulsion – it’s a double smoky whammy actually, with smoked oil and another layer of flavour from smoked hay. There’s texture from wattleseed and a dehydrated buckwheat cracker plus plenty of splashes of pretty colour from flowers and herbs. In all, this is a beautiful starter that entrances to the last mouthful while still keeping the appetite roaring for the next course.
Ingredients
Smoked Oil
Smoked Oil
1 litre vegetable oil
500g cherrywood chips or 2 pieces charcoal
Confit Shallots
Confit Shallots
200g smoked oil
50g shallots, diced
Smoked Egg Yolk
Smoked Egg Yolk
200g salt
200g sugar
6 egg yolks
20g hay
Smoked Emulsion
Smoked Emulsion
8 eggs yolks
45g warm water
100g Dijon mustard
75g smoked vinegar
18g salt
1 lemon, juice only
1500ml smoked oil
Egg Yolk Gel
Egg Yolk Gel
22 whole eggs (to make 320g cooked egg yolks)
13g smoked vinegar
4g salt
32g water
1g sugar
Buckwheat Cracker
Buckwheat Cracker
500g buckwheat
2 litres water
25g salt
2g sushi vinegar powder
Wagyu Tartare
Wagyu Tartare
80g wagyu sirloin, seared and diced
15g confit shallot
0.5g pepper
1g toasted wattleseed
8g finger lime
10g smoked oil (reserved from confit shallots)
1g salt flakes
2g parsley
2g chives
To Serve
To Serve
5 large pieces buckwheat cracker
3 leaves wood sorrel
5 wild garlic flowers
4 wild celery leaves
3 dots egg yolk gel
3 dots smoked emulsion
1 smoked egg yolk
Method
Smoked Oil
Smoke oil in shallow gastro trays in smoker using cherrywood chips for around 3 hours. Alternatively, heat charcoal in barbecue until glowing red. Put oil in large pot (making sure the pot is no more than half full), place charcoal into oil with long tongs and cover with lid and infuse overnight.
Strain through oil filter.
Confit Shallots
Combine oil and shallots in a saucepan. Heat to 115C / 240F then remove from heat. Leave to stand for 1 hour.
Strain shallots and reserve oil.
Smoked Egg Yolk
Cover egg yolks with salt and sugar and cure for 24 hours.
Wash egg yolks and pat dry.
Place egg yolks in smoking chamber or deep gastro with lid.
Light hay on fire. Once all hay is on fire, extinguish and place in gastro tray or smoking chamber. Leave for 10 minutes.
Dehydrate eggs at 69C / 156F for 12 hours.
Smoked Emulsion
Place all ingredients except oil into Thermomix and blitz.
Slowly add the oil. Add a splash of water as needed while mixing to prevent it getting too thick.
Check seasoning and transfer to piping bags.
Egg Yolk Gel
Cook eggs in water bath at 69C / 156F for 90 minutes.
Ice eggs then separate yolks from white and shell. Discard whites and shell.
Take 320g cooked egg yolks and blend with vinegar, salt and water until smooth. Check seasoning and transfer to piping bags.
Buckwheat Cracker
Combine buckwheat, water and salt in a large pot. Boil for 40 minutes.
Blend for 30 seconds on high speed.
Spread mix 5mm / 0.2in thick onto baking paper and cover with another sheet of baking paper.
Dehydrate at 55C / 131F for 3 hours.
Fry in oil at 200C / 392F until crispy and season with sushi vinegar powder while hot.
Wagyu Tartare
Combine ingredients. Check seasoning.
To Serve
Place a 9cm circle pastry cutter in middle of plate and pack wagyu tartare into it, flatting the top with a spoon. Remove ring.
Garnish with dots of egg yolk gel, smoked emulsion, wood sorrel, wild garlic flowers and wild celery.
Grate smoked egg yolk over the top.
Serve buckwheat crackers in a bowl of toasted buckwheat kernels.
