Beef tenderloin

with ragu of barley and pickled sweet peppers, sautéed qing xai, gingered carrots and baby corn, and a black bean sauce and a oyster mushroom sauce

Wine: Nothing can save this tragedy of a dish.

Yield: Varies

Ingredients:

For the beef tenderloin-

beef tenderloin
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method:
Salt and pepper the beef tenderloin.  Sear on both sides and finish in the oven.  Reserve.

For the black bean sauce-

bacon
garlic
onion
carrots
salt and pepper
soy sauce
thyme
black beans, washed

Method:
Sauté the bacon with a little oil.  When most of the fat is rendered add the garlic and onions.  Add the carrots and some salt and pepper.  Add the rest of the ingredients and water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.  If water runs low add more but be careful not to overcook the beans.  When the beans are done puree them and pass through a tami.  Reserve as sauce.

For the oyster mushroom sauce-

oyster mushrooms
salt and white pepper

Method:
If using dried mushrooms rehydrate.  Season with salt and pepper.  [Add some fat?  The first time I did not].  Puree in a blender and pass through a tami.  Reserve as sauce.

For the ragu-

2 cupswater
1/2 cupbarley
1red pepper, small dice
1green pepper, small dice
1yellow pepper, small dice
 olive oil
1shallot
10chives, brunoise
 bay leaves [take out next time?]
 black pepper
 juniper [take out next time?]
 sherry vinegar
 hot Asian mustard
 salt and pepper

Method:
Bring the water to a boil.  Add barley and some salt, cut to a simmer and cover.  Cook until barley is tender.

Sauté the peppers in the olive oil along with the shallot.  Turn off heat and add all the other ingredients, except the chives, along with some water.  Refrigerate until desired acid taste is reached.

When ready to plate strain the peppers.  Mix peppers (leaving all other ingredients behind) with the barley.  Add the chives.

For the qing xai-

spinach
mung bean sprouts, or other sprouts
scallions cut on an extreme biases
soy sauce

Method:
Add all ingredients to a hot pan.  Turn rapidly insuring that spinach is uniformly wilted and soy sauce is reduce.  Strain and reserve.

For the carrots and baby corn-

carrots, trimmed into a nice long shape
baby corn
shallots, brunoise
chives, brunoise
butter
salt and white pepper

Method:
Blanch and shock the carrots.  When almost ready to plate heat the butter and add all ingredients to a pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

To plate:
Make a swoop down the plate with both sauces.  Add the fillet to the slight left.  Place the ragu of barley behind the fillet.  Add the qing xai directly to the right of the fillet.  Place the carrot and corn standing as tall as you can while leaning them on the qing xai.

Major Modifications:

No pickled peppers.  No oyster sauce.  No barley.

Switch the tenderloin to a red roasted braised beef spare rib.


 beef spare ribs
4 cupswater (or stock if you have it)
1/4 cupsoy sauce
1/4 cupsugar
3 tbs.sherry
2"ginger piece
2star anise

Braising method:  Turns out quite nicely except just a touch too much salt.  I am not sure how the addition of stock instead of water would change this.  It also forms a second sauce instead of the oyster sauce.

Black bean sauce now becomes:

8 oz.black beans
6garlic cloves
1/4 cupbrown sugar
4 tbs.oil
 water

Cook beans as braise.  Remove 3/4 of the cooked beans and puree into a sauce.  Leave other 1/4 for plating.

Add three pot stickers per plate:

1/4 cupbread flour
1/4 cupsemolina flour
1egg
 Napa cabbage
 ground pork
 ginger
 stock
 egg
 garlic
 soy sauce
 sesame oil

Make pasta dough and rest.  Sauté all the other ingredients and chill.  Form pasta into pot stickers with the filling.  Fry in a pan.