Esterhazy Rostbraten (Beef Sirloin a la Esterhazy)
Submitted by dute
Esterhazy Rostbraten is a classic Austrian beef sirloin dish with julienned root vegetables in a cognac cream sauce. An elegant Viennese main course finished with sour cream.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
30 minREADY
55 minEsterhazy Rostbraten is one of the grand dishes of Austrian cuisine, named after the Hungarian noble family known for their lavish feasts. Seared beef sirloin gets topped with a rich cognac-cream sauce studded with julienned carrot, turnip, and celeriac.
The vegetables get blanched separately first, then shocked in ice water to stop the cooking. This keeps them tender-crisp and brightly colored in the finished sauce instead of going soft and grey. Save every drop of that blanching liquid. It reduces down into a concentrated vegetable stock that becomes the sauce’s backbone.
Multiple reductions build the sauce: cognac reduces first, then the vegetable stock, then cream, then beef stock. Each stage concentrates flavor. A swirl of cold butter at the end gives it gloss and body.
Chef Tips
- Use clarified butter (ghee) for searing. Regular butter burns at the high temperatures you need for a good sear on the sirloin.
- Julienne the vegetables thin and uniform so they cook evenly during the brief blanch. Thick, uneven pieces throw off the texture.
- Veal stock, if you can get it, makes the sauce silkier and more refined than beef stock. It’s the traditional choice.
- A swirl of sour cream piped through a pastry bag is the classic Viennese garnish. It’s not just decoration; the tang cuts through the richness.
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of capers to the sauce for a sharper, more piquant finish.
- Use parsnip in place of turnip for a sweeter, milder root vegetable flavor.
- Serve over buttered spaetzle or egg noodles to catch every drop of the sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Add the peppercorns and bay leaf.
Briefly and separately blanch the carrot, turnip, and celery root.
Refresh the vegetables in ice water and set aside.
Reserve the vegetable stock resulting from the blanching and reduce to ⅓ cup.
Remove the bay leaf and peppercorns.
- Heat ⅔ cup clarified butter in a skillet and sauté the sirloin inside.
Keep warm on a covered plate.
- Degrease the pan. Heat ⅓ cup clarified butter and sauté the onion over medium heat until golden.
Add the cognac and reduce 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and again reduce 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
Add the cream, lower the heat to medium, and reduce by half.
- Add the beef stock and once more reduce by half. Add the lemon juice and any meat juices from the covered plate.
Drain the vegetables and stir them into the sauce.
Swirl in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the meat on plates, topped with the sauce. The sirloin may be garnished with a swirled piping of sour cream, pressed through a pastry bag.
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