Method

Serves 4

 

For the braised ox cheek 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

 

2. Trim the ox cheeks of any excess sinew and gristle. Heat oil in a pan and seal the cheeks until they are dark in colour.

 

3. In a large pot, brown the onion, celery, carrot, juniper, star anise, garlic, sage and bay leaf until the mixture is very rich in colour. Add in the tomato paste and cook it out for about 5 minutes.

 

4. Add in the red wine and the cheeks and then cover with water. Season with a little salt and pepper and pour into a baking tray and cover with foil. Place into a moderate oven for 2 hours, or until the meat has become tender.

 

5. When the cheek is tender, remove the meat from the sauce and leave it to rest for a few minutes. Using a fine strainer, push the sauce through, using the back of a ladle and return meat back to strained sauce.

 

For the celeriac puree 

1. Cut the skin off the celeriac, making sure to trim to the line that runs around the inside of the skin. The skin on the outside has a very bitter and undesirable taste to it, so it is always best to trim it off.

 

2. Chop the celeriac into small pieces and place into a pot and cover with the milk. Season with a little salt and pepper before placing on the stove, over a medium heat to cook.

 

3. When ready, the celeriac will be tender and slide off the end of your knife. Drain it of all the excess liquid and blend the flesh using a food processor.

 

4. Remove all the puree from the processor and place into a clean pot. Add in a handful of Parmesan cheese and taste to see whether or not you need to add in more salt and pepper.

 

To serve 

1. Heat up the ox cheek in a pot. Heat up the celeriac puree and spoon the celeriac puree onto the centre of the plate.

 

2. Remove the cheek from the sauce and arrange it on top of the puree and spoon some of the sauce over and around the dish.

This recipe is provided care of this sponsor and is not an official MasterChef Australia recipe.