Textures of Beef: Pressed Mousse, Tallow Emulsion, and Crisp

Thinly slice beef suet into 1-2mm thick pieces. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season lightly with salt. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 20-30 minutes, or until deeply golden brown and very crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a food processor, combine ground beef, 50g beef tallow, 2 egg yolks, heavy cream, and 1 tsp sea salt. Process until completely smooth and emulsified, scraping down the sides as needed. The mixture should be very fine, like a pâté. Transfer the mixture to a a lightly greased loaf pan or terrine mold lined with parchment paper. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in a water bath (bain-marie) at 150°C (300°F) for 45-60 minutes, or until set and cooked through (internal temp 70°C/160°F). Remove from oven, place a weight on top, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) to press and firm up.

Gently melt 100g rendered beef tallow in a small saucepan. In a heatproof bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk with water and 0.5 tsp sea salt. Gradually drizzle the warm (not hot) melted tallow into the egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking vigorously until a thick, stable emulsion forms. Adjust consistency with a tiny bit more water or tallow if needed. Keep warm in a bain-marie or warm water bath.

Carefully unmold the pressed beef mousse and slice into neat rectangles or cubes. Arrange a piece of mousse on each plate. Drizzle or pipe a generous amount of the warm tallow emulsion around the mousse. Garnish with the crisp beef fat shards, perhaps broken into elegant pieces. Serve immediately.