SolarCook

Solar braised beef cheeks w/ an heirloom tomato-parmesan-thyme bread pudding, basil seedlings and a Henry of Pelham Baco Noir braising jus reduction

Beef cheeks are inexpensive, tender, and succulent when braised, and the constant cud chewing motion of the cow lends them a deep savoury flavour.
You can buy this often neglected cut from your local butcher, or ask a beef purveyor at one of our great farmers markets to bring you some cheeks on his next trip.  To keep this dish completely local, try Montfort Dairy’s parmesan style cheese for the bread pudding, you can find them at the Brickworks Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

For the cheeks:
2lbs Beef Cheeks
just enough oil to coat your roasting pan
1 carrot, 1 onion and 2 stalks of celery roughly chopped (mirepoix)
3 cloves garlic, whole
3 bay leaves
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
bottle of Henry of Pelham 2005 Baco Noir (or any full bodied Niagara red
wine)
S&P to taste

Arrange your solar oven in full sun, around 9am with your black roasting pan inside.
Roast mirepoix & garlic for one hour.
Add cheeks, thyme, bay leaves, 2 cups of wine and just enough water to cover cheeks.
Braise cheeks for 2 hours.
Strain braising liquid into another pot, place back in the solar oven and reduce the braising liquid untill it is thick and viscous.
Reserve cheeks and discard the cooked mirepoix.

For the bread pudding:
1/2 an onion, finely diced
8 large heirloom tomatoes, dice 6 to 1cm cubes, slice 2 and reserve for garnish
4 cups of whatever bread you have, diced to 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 sprigs chopped fresh thyme
1 cup grated local parmesan style cheese
1 cup 35% cream (or 10% if necessary)
6 whole eggs
S&P to taste

Roast onions, garlic and tomatoes.
Thoroughly whisk eggs into cream.
In a mixing bowl, stir the egg-cream mix into the bread cubes.
Stir in roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, chopped thyme and parmesan.
Season with S&P to taste.
Transfer mix to a suitably sized, black, non stick cake pan.
Bake in the solar oven for 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted in center of pudding comes out clean.

To Plate:
Season braising jus reduction to your taste.
Remove pudding from pan, cut into four equal sized portions, place in center of each plate.
Slice beef cheeks and fan out on top of pudding.
Spoon braising just over sliced cheeks and drizzle around plate.
Garnish with basil seedlings and reserved heirloom tomato slices.
Serve.

Feeds four to six hungry mouths

Brook Kavanagh has been cooking professionally for 12 years, and is the Chef of La Palette, a French Bistro in Kensington Market.  He uses locally produced ingredients wherever possible.  To make catering reservations email , or to make reservations at La Palette call 416 929 4900

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