Salt Crust Dough Food

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH HERB SALT CRUST

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups salt with 3 tablespoons thyme and 3 tablespoons rosemary. Add egg whites and 2/3 cup water; mix until thoroughly combined. A little at a time, add up to 2 cups flour, beating on medium speed, until mixture forms a firm, homogenous dough, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough should be firm but not too moist or sticky. If necessary, knead in additional flour or water. Form dough into a square; wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse tenderloin, and pat dry. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add beef. Sear well on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer tenderloin to a wire rack set over a baking pan to cool, 5 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 10-by-15-inch rectangle (rectangle should be large enough to completely encase tenderloin). Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup thyme, 1/4 cup rosemary, the sage, bay leaves, parsley, and garlic over dough. Remove twine from tenderloin, and place it in the center of the dough. Roll dough around beef, completely encasing it. Press edges together to seal. Carefully transfer wrapped beef to a roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix egg yolks with 2 teaspoons water; brush entire surface of dough with egg wash. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons salt over the top.
• Place baking pan in center of oven. Roast until crust is light golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees to 130 degrees (for medium-rare), allowing 10 to 12 minutes per pound. Remove pan from oven; let rest at room temperature 1 hour.
• When ready to serve, slice off the crust at one end, and remove beef; discard crust. Season beef with pepper, slice, and serve.

BEEF TENDERLOIN IN SALT CRUST

Steps:

• Place the flour, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and water and add to the dry ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of the herbs. Combine with a potato masher until the mixture begins to come together. Then knead with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large zip-top bag, seal, and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and roll out to 3/16-inch thickness, approximately a 24 by 18-inch rectangle. Trim away extra dough, if necessary. Sprinkle the remaining herbs on the center section of the dough and gently press down.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In order to achieve uniform cooking, fold over slender tail end of tenderloin and tie with kitchen twine. Set a large electric griddle at its highest setting; brush the tenderloin with the olive oil and sear on all sides until well browned, approximately 10 minutes. Rest the meat for at least 5 minutes or until it is cool to the touch so as not to melt the dough.
• Place the tenderloin in the center of the dough. Fold top part of dough over, flipping back about 1-inch of dough onto itself. Repeat with the bottom half of the dough. Press together the 2 flaps of dough and seal. Make sure the dough is not too tight around the tenderloin. At the ends of the tenderloin, press together dough to form a seal and cut away any excess. Transfer to a sheet pan, place in the oven and roast to an internal temperature of 125 degrees F, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. The tenderloin will continue to cook 10 to 15 degrees more. Cut salt crust at 1 end and extract meat by pulling out of dough tube. Slice and serve immediately.

SALT DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Slowly mix water, a few tablespoons at a time, into flour mixture until dough is smooth and easy to handle. Knead dough for 10 minutes and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Form dough into desired shapes and arrange on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until dry and hard, about 2 hours. Allow to cool completely.

CHICKEN IN SALT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet large enough to hold the two chickens
• Stuff each chicken with 3 garlic cloves, 2 sprigs, rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed peppercorns. Truss the chickens with kitchen twine. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, chopped thyme, chopped tarragon, and parsley. Using a pastry brush, brush the mustard mixture all over the chickens. Place the chickens, breast sides up, on the prepared baking sheet.
• Divide the dough in half. According to the directions in the Salt Crust Dough recipe, roll out each portion as thinly as possible. Wrap each chicken completely with dough.
• Bake until the dough is browned and rock-hard, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Using a hammer or the back of a heavy knife, crack open the crust and remove the chicken, brushing off any clinging crust with a clean kitchen towel. Cut each chicken in half lengthwise. Serve immediately on warmed plates

SALT-BAKED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• First, make the salt-crust dough. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and 400ml water, and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a firm dough - add a little more water if needed. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins or until smooth. Wrap in cling film and set aside to rest for 1 hr. (You can also make the dough in a freestanding mixer with a dough hook attachment).
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a baking tray with parchment. Divide the dough into 4 even-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each into a circle almost 1cm thick. Place a lamb shank in the centre of each disc of dough and tuck 2 garlic cloves underneath. Brush the edge of the dough with a little water, then gather it up and around the lamb shank, leaving the bone exposed. Make sure all the meat is covered and the pastry is well sealed. Transfer to the lined tray. Can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled. Put the lamb in the oven and bake for 3 hrs 30 mins, by which time the crust will have turned a dark brown.
• Once the lamb is cooked, leave it to rest for 30 mins. Using a bread knife, open the crust and very carefully remove the shanks and the softened garlic cloves, then discard the crust. Place the shanks on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil. Blowtorch the lamb (see tip) to give it a crisp, toasty finish. Serve the lamb with the garlic cloves, Soused red cabbage and Beer-braised Puy lentils (see Goes well with for the recipes).

SALT-BAKED BEETROOT WITH FETA & PICKLED ONIONS

Steps:

• First, make the salt crust. Blitz the rosemary and salt in a food processor, then add the flour and egg whites with 200ml water. Blitz again to bring together. Tip the mixture onto a clean surface and knead for 5 mins to form a smooth ball, then wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Roll the dough out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Put the beetroots in the middle and draw the edges up to form a bag. Bake on a tray for 2 1/2 hrs
• Meanwhile, make the pickling liquor for the onions. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and 1 tsp salt over a medium heat, and bring to the boil. Add the dill and leave to cool for 30 mins. Strain the mixture onto the onions, and leave for a further 1 hr, then drain. In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients with some seasoning and set aside.
• Remove the beetroots from the oven and leave in the salt crust until cool enough to handle. Open the salt crust with your hands and discard. Peel the beetroot, cut into wedges and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil.
• Mix the beetroots, onions and beetroot leaves in a large mixing bowl, then add the dressing. Reserving a little of each for decoration, add the chives, apple and hazelnuts, toss well, then tip into a large serving bowl. Crumble the feta over the top with the reserved ingredients, then let everyone help themselves. Best served slightly warm.

BASIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.
• Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.