Glenn Viel, the three-star chef of Ousteau de Beaumanière (and member of the jury of Top Chef) is a cook like no other. Some time ago, we met him in his kitchens near the Alpilles, and had the chance to taste his locavore dishes, vegetables from the vegetable garden, an anthology of carrot puree. And if Glenn Viel gives (very) pride of place to plants, he nonetheless forgets the meat, which he cooks with absolute respect. It is precisely for this reason that Vanity Fair thought of him, for a menu we dream of for the end of year celebrations. Exit the turkey or the capon: in a “step aside” spirit, it was his work around beef that intrigued us.
Chef Glenn Viel
Virginie Ovessian
The title of the dish, already, is a small masterpiece of its kind, which combines street food and Michelin stars, a presentation of obvious elegance and absolute technical virtuosity. You will see it: as much as Mikaël Petrossian’s salmon pizzetta or the Boutrais family’s oysters with cucumber jelly are obviously easy, we also enter into great culinary complexity. But don’t worry – and, ultimately, don’t try to outdo Glenn Viel. If you don’t want to make your own pastrami, buy it from a quality artisan. Still try mustard seed pickles, which will work even the following days.
In a word: take inspiration from this recipe where lettuce, tomato, brisket, cold meats and beef fillet come together, accompanied by a bread sauce that will go down in history. Quantities are for 8 people.
For the pastrami (prepare three days in advance, or buy ready-made).
Prepare a brine with 4 L of water, 250 g of coarse salt, 150 g of brown sugar, 10 g of crushed coriander seeds, 1 head of garlic.
Trim 800g of beef rib, brine for 24 hours, season with herb powder, mushroom powder and Espelette pepper before smoking it twice and then drying it for 48 hours in the curing room. You can then cook it sous-vide in a steam oven until it reaches 58°C at the core.
For beef fillet (800g) and dressing the meat
Cut into 80/100gr snacker pieces on the grill for 35/40 seconds, season with browned butter, fleur de sel and pepper. Slice and cut out 8 slices of cecina – a beef sausage – and the pastrami. Strip and wash lettuce leaves. Then arrange the slice of beef fillet on a leaf of raw lettuce, a leaf of lettuce burned with a blowtorch, season with olive oil, salt and pepper and continue with the cecina, the pastrami, and a leaf of raw lettuce sprinkled with water. with a drizzle of olive oil. If you have a machine, vacuum seal between two parchment papers, and proceed to making the sauce.
For the beef bread sauce
