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A spring roast

Pair perfectly prepared roast beef with salty gorgonzola, followed by a blueberry and lemon cake.

Neil Perry
Neil Perry

Great with cream ...  blueberry and lemon cake.
Great with cream ... blueberry and lemon cake.William Meppem

Roast beef, gorgonzola and potato salad
600g beef fillet
olive oil, for pan-frying
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g gorgonzola, crumbled
Horseradish mayonnaise
1 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
4 tbsp quality creamed horseradish
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Potato salad
400g chat potatoes, cooked and halved
1 small Spanish onion, finely sliced and blanched
1/2 bunch of watercress, picked, washed and dried
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of roasted hazelnuts,
roughly chopped
100g horseradish mayonnaise (see above)
Serves 4 as a main-course salad

Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large non-stick pan, heat olive oil over a high heat. Season beef fillet, and sear on all sides until golden brown.

Place beef on a baking tray, and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing (slice against the grain).

For the horseradish mayonnaise, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and season to taste.

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To make the potato salad, combine the potatoes, onion, watercress, parsley and hazelnuts in a bowl. Add the horseradish mayonnaise and gently toss to combine.

To serve, divide the potato salad among 4 plates. Top with roast beef slices and crumbled gorgonzola to finish.

Blueberry and lemon cake
Serve this blueberry and lemon cake with honey yoghurt, or a dollop of double cream.

350g icing-sugar mixture
90g self-raising flour
180g almond meal
finely grated zest (no pith) of 2 small lemons
7 egg whites
185g butter, melted
30ml milk
160g frozen blueberries
Serves 8-12
Lightly grease a 20cm round cake tin. Line the base and sides of pan with double-thickness baking paper to extend 2cm above the side of pan.

Sift icing-sugar mixture and flour through fine sieve into bowl. Stir in almond meal and lemon zest until well combined.

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In another bowl, lightly whisk egg whites for a few seconds until broken down. Add
egg whites, melted butter, milk and 100g of frozen blueberries to the almond mixture.

Stir until just combined.

Spread cake mixture into prepared cake tin. Scatter over remaining blueberries, gently pressing them into the mixture slightly.

Bake at 180°C for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. (Be careful not to overcook the cake or it will be too dry.)

Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool.

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HOT TIPS

  • Horseradish mayonnaise can be served as a dipping sauce with roasted potatoes and vegetables, or spread onto a steak sandwich or burger.
  • Potato salad can be made a day ahead of time.
  • Crumbed chicken breast, pan-fried and sliced, goes well with this salad, too.

Something to drink
Chardonnay
With a great minerality and regional character, the texture and richness of this 2011 Vasse Felix Chardonnay ($22)

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Neil PerryNeil Perry is a restaurateur, chef and former Good Weekend columnist.

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