INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BEEF CHEEK

1 kg / 2 ¼ pounds Danish beef cheeks
Fine sea salt
Ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Mirepoix (2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 shallot, diced)
1 medium bouquet garni (rosemary, sage, and thyme)
Vegetable broth, hot
50 g / 2 ounces Madagascar chocolate, plus more, grated, for serving

FOR THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE MOUSSE

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
3 Jerusalem artichoke roots, peeled and diced
1 glass Marsala
120 ml / ½ cup heavy cream
Fine sea salt

FOR THE FOIL-BAKED SWEET POTATOES

2 sweet potatoes
Fine sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Tin foil

FOR THE MUSHROOMS

Extra-virgin olive oil
100 g / 3.5 ounces porcini, thickly sliced
50 g / 2 ounces black truffle, very thinly sliced

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F. Trim excess fat off the beef cheeks and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy pan heat a splash of olive oil and brown the cheeks quickly, set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, brown the Mirepoix evenly, first the carrots, then the celery, and finally the shallot. Place the meat, Mirepoix, and bouquet garni in a large casserole dish. Add the vegetable broth, covering about 2/3 of the meat. Cover the casserole dish and bake for 2 ½ hours or until tender. Transfer the meat to a platter, cover, and purée the sauce, vegetables, and chocolate in a food processor or blender until velvety and creamy. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
3. While the meat is in the oven, prepare the sides: For the Jerusalem artichoke mousse, in a large saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and sear the shallot until golden and soft. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and the Marsala and bring it up to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.
4. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cream, then purée in a food processor or blender until smooth, season with salt to taste. Let it cool, then pour into a mousse dispenser and cool in the fridge for 1 hour. In case you don’t have a mousse dispenser, set aside and serve the mousse using a spoon.
5. Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F. For the sweet potatoes, season the potatoes with salt and a drizzle of olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake for about 1 hour or until soft. Scrape the soft potatoes out of their skin, discard the skin, and purée in a food processor or blender until creamy; set aside.
6. For the mushrooms, in a large heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and sear the porcini quickly on both sides for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown, but not soft; set aside.
7. Arrange a piece of the beef cheek in the middle of each large plate and glaze with the sauce. Using a spoon or the mousse dispenser, place a dollop of the Jerusalem artichoke mousse and the sweet potato purée next to the meat. Divide the porcini and truffle between the plates, sprinkle with chocolate, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve immediately.