Steak and Kidney Puddings with a Root Vegetable Puree and Lemon Almond Butter Dressed with Purple Sprouting Broccoli
For me, this is good food at its best. A rich stew wrapped in pastry. The pastry in this recipe is a little different from what you might expect: hot-water crust instead of the usual softer suet pastry. You don't need any potatoes because of the pastry, but a couple of vegetables go well with it.
Serves 8
Mix marinade ingredients and pour over the beef. Leave overnight. The next day remove the meat and the vegetables from the marinade and pat dry. Set the latter aside.
Seal the beef and kidney in a frying pan in a mixture of oil and butter, browning the pieces on all sides. Transfer to a larger casserole or saucepan. Wipe out the frying pan, melt some more butter and brown the vegetables all over. Add the flour and stir well. Now add them to the meat and deglaze the frying pan with the brandy and add this to the meat. Boil the marinade to reduce by one third and add to the meat with the bay leaves, thyme, garlic and enough stock to cover. Cook for about 2 hours until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pot and strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Remove and discard the carrots. Allow the fat to rise to the top and remove.
To make the suet crust put all the dry ingredients in a heap on the work surface then make a well in the centre and mix in the hot water. Knead till smooth then roll it out thinly and line 8 individual pudding basins. Fill with some of the steak and kidney and some of the juice then top with a round of pastry. Seal well and cover with buttered greaseproof paper. Steam the puddings for 1 hour and keep warm. Reduce the rest of the strained cooking juices till thick.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the carrots, parsnips and celeriac with the garlic for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain well and process to a smooth puree in a blender. Season to taste. Warm the butter and cream together in a clean medium pan and add the purée, mixing well to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli until al dente. Drain well and keep warm. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan and add the lemon juice and almonds. Cook slowly and stir constantly until the butter and nuts are a rich golden brown.
To serve, carefully turn the puddings out on one side of each serving plate. Drizzle a little of the reserved sauce around or over. Garnish with a sprig of parsley. Shape the root vegetable purée into a quenelle (a neat, three-sided oval, a bit like a mini rugby ball). Use one spoon to lift some purée out and then scrape the mixture back and forth from one spoon to another to give the classic shape. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley. Arrange the broccoli florets in a ring around the edge of the plate to surround everything. Drizzle the lemon almond butter over and serve.
