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Joe Wachter's Chèvre-stuffed Shan Tofu with Beef Carpaccio and Artichoke Sauce

Editor's note: Recipes appear as submitted and written by contestants

1 cup Grecian Delight falafel dough, thawed

1 cup + ½ cup water

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon salt

3 canned whole artichoke hearts

¼ cup au jus

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ pound beef tenderloin end

1 tablespoon Montchèvre natural goat cheese

1 scallion, green parts only, cut on the diagonal

Flaky salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the falafel dough and 1 cup of water in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth, then add the turmeric and salt and mix in. In a medium saucepan, heat ½ cup of water over high heat. When boiling, pour in the blended mixture all at once and whisk vigorously. Continue to heat and stir until the mixture thickens substantially to the consistency of thick cake batter, then pour onto the baking sheet. Use an oiled spatula to spread the mixture to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch. Perfect uniformity is not necessary. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for several days.

For the sauce, blend the artichokes, au jus, lemon juice and olive oil together and season with salt to taste. This can also be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a couple days.

Wrap the beef in parchment paper or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the Shan tofu from the refrigerator. Cut the tofu into 2-inch strips, then alternate diagonal cuts to make triangles. Heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a heavy pan until smoking, then add the tofu pieces. Work in batches of 5-6 to avoid crowding the pan. Fry, turning once, until lightly browned on each side, about 1 minute. Remove to a towel-lined plate and pat dry. Keep the pan heating over high heat.

Remove the beef from the freezer. Season generously on the outside with salt and pepper, then add to the hot pan and sear briefly around the outside, less than 1 minute. Remove, rewrap, and return to freezer. With a small knife, make a slit in the long edge of each tofu piece and remove some of the inside. Fill with a small amount of the goat cheese (around 1/8 teaspoon). Remove the beef from the freezer and slice as thinly as possible without compromising the structure of the pieces, about 1/8 to ¼-inch. Flatten each piece further by pressing into the cutting board with the heel of your hand.

Lay the beef pieces on the plate, then top with the stuffed tofu. Spoon some of the sauce onto the plate, and garnish with scallion and flaky salt.

Serves 2

Joe Wachter

  Joe Wachter of Lake Zurich created a dish of chèvre-stuffed Shan tofu with beef carpaccio and artichoke sauce for the third challenge. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Joe Wachter of Lake Zurich created a dish of chèvre-stuffed Shan tofu with beef carpaccio and artichoke sauce for the third challenge. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Chèvre-stuffed Shan tofu with beef carpaccio and artichoke sauce made by Cook of the Week Challenge contestant Joe Wachter of Lake Zurich. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
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