@chefjasonwhitehead
For the charred leek puree:
Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees.
Cut your leeks in half straight down the middle, then drizzle some EVOO and season with some Maldon salt.
Pop into the oven and leave it there until it starts to turn black / burn. Keep an eye on it, and when the leeks are completely black, remove from the oven. While still warm, add them to a blender along with your garlic clove, rosemary sprigs and about 1/8 cup of EVOO. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go and adding more EVOO as needed. You want a thickish paste. Pass this mixture through a sieve, then taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Place into a squeezey bottle and set aside.
For the leek and asparagus terrine:
Blanch your spinach leaves for 20 seconds in hot water, then immediately place into an ice bath. Remove from the ice bath and dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. Remove the thick white stem from the spinach leaves, trying to keep the leaves in tact.
Cook your leeks whole in some salted water until tender, then drain and pat dry.
In a small saucepan, bring your veggie stock and agar-agar to a simmer for 2 minutes, then strain and set aside (it must remain warm or it will start to set).
Line a small loaf tin with clingfilm. Now line the tin with your spinach leaves, making sure they overlap each other, and also hang over the sides of the loaf tin. Place your asparagus spears and cooked leeks inside the loaf tin and press down gently to make sure they are nice and compact, but not squashed. Pour over your veggie stock mixture, then fold in your overlapping spinach leaves to ‘close off’ the terrine. Using another loaf tin of the same size, place it on top and fill it with some dried lentils or beans to weigh it down. Pop it into the fridge to set.
For the charred tomato sauce:
Fry your shallot in the butter until nicely browned, then add in your tin of chopped tomatoes. Season with smoked Maldon salt and brown sugar, then allow to reduce until the sauce is thick and the tomatoes have mostly disintegrated. Blend until smooth then pass through a sieve and set aside.
For the beef fillet:
Make sure your fillets are at room temperature. Rub them in some EVOO then season well with Maldon salt and black pepper. Get a frying pan nice and hot, then drizzle with a little more EVOO. Fry your fillets to your liking, then add in your butter, garlic and rosemary and baste your steaks with this foamy mixture. Allow your steaks to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
To serve:
Gently remove your leek and asparagus terrine from your loaf tin, then remove the clingfilm. Cut into 2cm slices and place onto a serving plate. Place your fillets next to the terrine, then decoratively place dots of your charred leek puree and smokey tomato sauce around the plate. Add some Maldon salt to your steaks and then serve.
OPTIONAL: Drizzle a little red wine jus around the plate.