2024 Cooks the Books presented by Canadian Beef – Team Fanshawe College

2024 Taste Canada Cooks the Books

presented by Canadian Beef

Grilled Denver Steak “Bakareta” with tomato liver sauce, California Walnut crusted rice cake and glazed California Prunes.

Recipe by: Student Chefs Rica Sese and Mae Flor Mangasar

Team: Fanshawe College | London, Ontario 

Inspired by Bakareta, a rich and hearty Filipino beef dish. The Denver steak is cooked to perfection and served with savory tomato-liver based sauce. Often enjoyed during family gatherings, the sauce adds a burst of flavor with a balance of salty, sweet, and tangy. Grilled Canadian Beef along with classic Bakareta flavours bring this dish to new and innovative heights!  

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Grilled Denver Steak “Bakareta” with tomato liver sauce, California Walnut crusted rice cake and glazed California Prunes.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Student Chefs Rica Sese and Mae Flor Mangasar, from Fanshawe College

Ingredients

Steak marinade:

• 6 x150 g Chuck Flap tail ‘Denver’ steak’ portions denuded
• ½ cup (125ml) light/low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
• 2 tsp (6g) ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp (10g) Club HouseⓇ Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp (10g) Club HouseⓇ Onion Powder
• 2 tbsp (26g) brown sugar

Bakareta sauce:

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) Vegetable Oil
• 1 tbsp (15g) Lactantia unsalted butter
• ½ (100 g) onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 roma tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce
• 50 g veal liver chopped
• 2 pieces bay leaf
• 1/8 cup (15g) California Walnuts
• 1/8 cup (15g) California Prunes
• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tbsp (7.5g) tomato paste
• 1 tsp (2g) Club HouseⓇ Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp (7g) sea salt
• 1 tsp (3g) ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp (15g) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) light/low sodium soy sauce
• 3.5 cups (875 ml) oxtail stock
• ½ cup (125 ml) Lactantia Cooking Cream

Balsamic and butter glazed California Prunes:

• 6 tbsp (80g) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) California Prunes, cut in half
• ¼ cup (60ml) oxtail stock
• 2 tbsp (30g) Lactantia unsalted butter

California Walnut crusted rice:

• 1 cup (205 g) jasmine rice
• 2 cups (250 ml) oxtail stock
• 1 tsp (7g) salt
• 2 tsp (5g) Club HouseⓇ Garlic Powder
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil for shallow frying
• 1/2 cup (60g) all purpose flour
• 1 tsp EACH salt and Club HouseⓇ Garlic Powder
• 1 (50g) whole egg, beaten
• 2 cups (200g) California Walnuts, crushed

Seasonal Ontario vegetables:

• 1 parsnip cut into 12 even sized pieces
• 6 small stalks of Broccolini cut in half lengthwise
• 6 pcs. top carrots split lengthwise
• 1/3 cup frozen green peas
• Water
• Salt
• 2 Tbsp (30 g) Lactantia unsalted butter cubed

Instructions

Denver Steak marinade:

• Combine light soy sauce, lemon juice, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar in a non reactive bowl.
• Pound Denver steak lightly with a meat mallet in order to tenderize.
• Place the steak in a plastic vacuum sealable bag, pour marinate into this then seal to help marinate faster.
• Set aside in the refrigerator and marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Bakareta Sauce:

• Heat vegetable oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Sauté the chopped onions until soft and translucent, then add garlic and roma tomatoes.
• Cook until the tomatoes break down, then add fish sauce and liver, sautéing just until browned.
• Add bay leaves, California Walnuts, California Prunes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in smoked paprika, salt, pepper, brown sugar, soy sauce and gradually add oxtail stock.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for approximately 25 minutes until thickened. Add cream.
• Puree the sauce until smooth, strain and set aside for later use.

California Walnut Crusted Rice:

• Rinse the jasmine rice once under cold water.
• In a medium pot, add 2 cups (500 ml) oxtail stock, rinsed rice, garlic powder and salt, then bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Once the rice is fully cooked add butter then mold the rice into 50g portions and chill in the fridge until firm.
• Once chilled, dredge the rice portions in seasoned flour, dip in the beaten egg and coat with crushed California Walnuts.
• Set the walnut-crusted rice portions aside for shallow frying later.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Shallow fry the chilled and coated rice portions, flipping once until golden and crispy on all sides.

For the glazed California Prunes:

• In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, stirring until dissolved.
• Add California Prunes and oxtail stock, cooking the mixture on low heat until it reduces into a thick glaze (about 10-15 minutes) and coats the prunes. Monter au beurre with butter, then reserve for later use.

For the Denver Steak:

• Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Remove steak from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature.
• Grill the steak for 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare or until the desired doneness.
• For best results, rest the steak for at least 5 minutes after grilling to retain its juices.
• Slice and serve on top of walnut crusted rice.

Seasonal Ontario Vegetables:

• Blanch the parsnips, broccolini, top carrots, and green peas all together in salted boiling water for 2 minutes until tender and vibrant. Drain and reserve. Heat up butter in sautee pan until melted. Saute and baste vegetables with butter until heated through and lightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper – serve with steak.

Notes

*Chef’s Notes:
If Denver steak is not available, skirt steak will make an excellent substitute.
Can substitute oxtail stock with store bought beef broth. If using store-bought, choose a low-sodium option to control salt levels in the dish.
In order to avoid bitterness, be careful not to overcook the liver.
Monte au Beurre - French culinary technique that translates to "mounted with butter." This method involves adding cold butter to a hot sauce or dish at the end of cooking to enrich it, improve its texture, and give it a glossy finish

The 2024 student chefs selected a unique cut of beef for their recipe by exploring a new web-based education tool, the Canadian Beef Information Gateway. The Gateway has information on over 70 cuts of beef with cut descriptions, complete nutrition info per cut, how-to-cook recommendations, over 300+ recipe videos and more.

Taste Canada Cooks the Books presented by Canada Beef is a cooking competition that invites Canadian culinary students from across the nation to compete for the title of Canada’s Best New Student Chefs. 

The 2024 student chefs created their own unique dish following the Cooks the Books criteria based on the 2024 theme: “Global Flavours Grow in Canada”. The theme which challenged the students to explore the rich tapestry of global cuisines and cultural influences that have shaped their culinary journeys.

The challenge was to create a distinctive recipe that marries these international inspirations with the best of Canadian ingredients, branded partner products and a unique cut of Canada Beef. 

All recipes included a cut of AAA Canadian Beef as centre-of-plate and an assortment of Lactalis dairy products. Recipes used at least 60% of ingredients that are grown, produced and/or raised in Canada. The students were invited to use the What’s in Season section of the Canadian Food Focus website as their helpful resource. They also incorporated a handful of California Prunes and California Walnuts and a variety of Club House herbs and spices. 

 Photo Credits: Cathy Connally, Charley Best and Stephen Chu

Special Thanks to the 2024 Taste Canada Cooks the Books Sponsors:  

Presented by Canadian Beef