Beef Fillet with Maple Syrup and Mustard
Recipe from Jean Soulard of Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City
Jul 10, 2008
Try this gourmet beef dish provided by Chateau Frontenac's Jean Soulard.
This recipe comes from Jean Soulard, the acclaimed chef at Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the city's oldest and finest hotel. It has been taken from his book 'Chateau Cuisine' and appears here with his permission. The recipe epitomises Quebec's unique culinary history, which combines French and Canadian influences. Jean Soulard has written another book to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec city. It's called '400 Years of Gastronomic History in Quebec City' and is available from the hotel.
Maple syrup and Meaux Mustard Beef Fillet with Braised Fennel and Crab Apple: Recipe
Ingredients - Serves four
- 4 beef fillets 150 g (5 ounces) each
- 8 braised mini fennels
- 125 ml (half a cup) veal stock, see below
- 4 crab apples
- 1 pinch sugar
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 15 g (half an ounce) butter
- 30 g (1 ounce) minced shallots
Sauce
- 250 ml (1 cup) veal stock
- 450 ml (3 tablespoons) maple syrup
- 10 g (6 tablespoons) Meaux mustard ( a mustard made with dark seeds, which comes in stoneware pots)
- 60 g (2 ounces) cranberries
- salt and pepper
To Decorate
- Rosemary sprigs
- Oak leaf lettuce
- Maple Sugar
Method
To Make the Veal Stock
- For 1 L (4 1/2 cups) of stock
- 1 kg (2 lbs. 3 oz.) cut up veal bones and trimmings
- 75 g (3 ounces) carrots, onions and celery leaves cut into chunks
- 90 g (3 ounces) diced fresh tomatoes
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) tomato paste
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- 1 small bouquet garni
- 2 L (9 cups) water
- Salt and pepper
- Place bones and trimmings on a baking sheet, without fat and brown at 400°F (200°C). Add carrots, onions, celery leaves and tomatoes and brown for 4 to 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a saucepan without the fat remaining on a baking sheet. Add the tomato paste, garlic and the bouquet garni.
- Cover with water and season. Cook slowly, uncovered, for 2 hours. Skim and degrease from time to time. Strain the stock, about 1 L (4 1/2 cups) through a sieve or a fine cloth.
- Blanche the mini fennels by plunging them into boiling water for two to three minutes. Drain. Place them in a small dish and add 125 ml (half a cup) veal stock. Cook in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 15 minutes.
- Slice the top of the crab apples and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and cook in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 7 to 8 minutes. In a saucepan, cook the fillets in olive oil and butter. Keep warm.
- In the same pan, add the shallots, remaining veal stock, maple syrup and Meaux mustard. Then add the cranberries and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the cranberries and reduce the sauce by half. Add salt and pepper and check the seasoning.
- On each plate, place a crab apple and the braised fennel. Pour the sauce and cover with a fillet. Add the cranberries, a rosemary sprig and oak leaf lettuce. Sprinkle maple sugar around the plate.
Read about Where to Stay in Quebec City
The copyright of the article Beef Fillet with Maple Syrup and Mustard in Celebrity Chefs is owned by Rebecca Ford. Permission to republish Beef Fillet with Maple Syrup and Mustard in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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