Recipes and notes from Charlie Hibbert, Chef Director at Thyme: a pastoral idyll which offers a place to pause for thought in harmony with the seasons.
A bucolic retreat of rooms, luxury and rest, Thyme provides a range of workshops, treatments, events, and some of the most delicious, locally sourced food in the county at the Ox Barn.
Bavette, Beetroot, Horseradish and Bitter Leaves
Bavette has fast become my favorite steak, or even cut of beef. It’s forgotten by supermarkets but has been making a comeback and can be seen on more and more menus around the country. It’s cheap and packed with flavour. Make sure you focus on the cooking – the key to the perfect bavette is in the resting, allow it to sit and tick itself over to medium rare. This recipe – or variations of it – is a great favourite on the Ox Barn’s A La Carte menu and the new season beets in July are tender and tasty.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1kg bavette, whole piece
- Oil for cooking
- Sea salt flakes & black pepper
- For the mustard dressing
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 200ml double cream
- 5 small red beetroot, still in their skins
- 2 white onions
- 1 head wild trevise, tardivo or radicchio, cut from the stem and washed
- 2 large bunches of watercress, washed
- 1 stick horseradish
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- Olive oil to dress
- Red wine vinegar to dress
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (normal) | 180°C (fan) | gas mark 6
- Remove the bavette from the fridge to come up to room temperature. Add beetroot to salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender to a knife’s tip.
- Meanwhile, cut the onions in half (skin intact) and place in a roasting tray. Roast for 20 minutes until soft.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together sugar and vinegar, add in the mustard and whisk it to combine. To finish, add in the cream and season.
- Oil and season the bavette with plenty of pepper and salt. Be nice and generous, a hot peppery crust is what we are after.
- Place a frying pan over a medium to high heat and allow it to get hot. Place the steak in the pan and cook for six to seven minutes, without turning.
- When a lovely brown crust has formed, flip the steak and cook for a further six or seven minutes. Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the bavette, so be prepared to judge when it’s done.
- Allow it to rest for a good 10-15 minutes before you even think about slicing it.
- Peel and chop the beetroots into large chunks and skin the roasted onions.
- Scatter the watercress and bitter leaves on a large serving plate and lightly dress with olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Add the beetroot and the petals of onion.
- Slice the bavette across the grain and place slices over the leaves.
- Drizzle the mustard dressing, a good grating of horseradish, a scattering of parsley, a final flourish of olive oil and a final pinch of salt and pepper.
Thyme’s Happenings
The great British summer is upon us, Thyme’s flora are at their blooming best and we are lapping it all up. Our Jane Hammond exhibition in the Tithe Barn ends on 24 July, so still plenty of time to see it.
We’ve teamed up with amie rosé at The Swan to offer the archetypal Wimbledon experience. Cookery and floristry classes are peppered with summer produce and for those who love alfresco eating, our south-facing terrace at the Ox Barn is open. Summerthyme – and the livin’ most definitely is easy.
Discover more online at thyme.co.uk/happenings or follow on Instagram.
