Free-range egg with dried true morels and char caviar

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Heinrich Schneider serves his playful recipe in lazer-cut eggshells, but some pretty shot glasses should suffice if you can't get your hands on these. A creative melding of land and sea, this canapé is comprised of a savoury custard filling laced with a rich oxtail consommé, a dusting of morel powder and a golden mound of char caviar. Serve the eggshells on a tuft of moss or bed of black salt.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Oxtail consommé

  • 500g of oxtail, cut into pieces
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 2 onions, peeled
  • 1/2 celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 20g of tomato paste
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 5 juniper berries
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
  • 30ml of sunflower oil

Raft (to clarify the consommé)

  • 2kg beef mince, from the shoulder
  • 3 egg whites, whisked until stiff
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 celeriac, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 5 juniper berries
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
  • salt

Morel powder

  • 10g of morels

To assemble the eggs

  • 100ml of cream
  • 120g of egg yolks
  • 20g of char caviar
  • salt

Equipment

  • Dehydrator
  • Spice grinder
  • Cooking thermometer
  • Steam oven

Method

1
To begin, make the oxtail consommé. Sauté the pieces of oxtail in oil for a few minutes in a hot pan until caramelised. Add the carrots, onions and celeriac and continue to cook, occasionally deglazing the pan with a little water
  • 500g of oxtail, cut into pieces
  • 30ml of sunflower oil
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 2 onions, peeled
  • 1/2 celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
2
Stir in the tomato paste, then add 3 litres of cold water and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for 2 hours
3
Add the garlic, spices and herbs and boil for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool then pass through a sieve. Keep overnight in the fridge
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 5 juniper berries
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
4
The next day, mix together all of the raft ingredients until well-combined. Add the raft mixture to the broth, bring to the boil and continue to cook over a low heat for 2 hours. Allow to rest for 30 minutes, pass the liquid through a sieve and season with salt
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 celeriac, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 5 juniper berries
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
  • 2kg beef mince, from the shoulder
  • salt
5
For the morel powder, dry the morels in a dehydrator at 60°C for 2 hours. Blitz in a spice grinder until you obtain a fine powder and set aside until ready to serve
  • 10g of morels
6
To assemble the eggs, mix 100ml of the oxtail consommé with the cream in a saucepan and bring to 80°C. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and pour the consommé and cream mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously until smooth
7
Preheat a steam oven to 80°C on 100% steam
8
Season with salt and pour the mixture into the egg shells. Cover with cling film and steam for 80 minutes
9
To serve, cover 4 bowls with some moss or black salt. Place an egg onto each mound of moss, dust with morel powder and finish with a spoonful of caviar
  • 20g of char caviar
First published in 2016

By taking inspiration and ingredients from the countryside of South Tyrol, Heinrich Schneider has become a true champion of the region's incredibly unique cuisine.

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