The perfect french dip recipe with homemade bread just isn't enough for us.. what if we made the fanciest most egregious version for a total of 350 dollars?

INGREDIENTS:

Poolish:

• 220g bread flour

• 220g water, room temp

• 1/4 teaspoon (1g) instant yeast

Finished Dough:

• 375g bread flour

• 12g fine sea salt

• 257g water, room temp

• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) instant yeast

Dipping Broth:

• 3 tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter

• 1 sweet onion - ½ “ thick slices

• salt and pepper to taste

• pinch of sugar

• 2.5 cups (560 ml) beef stock

• 1 sprig of thyme

• 1.5 tablespoons (20g) Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 cup (31g) shirodashi

CHEAPER - Philly Cheesesteak Style:

• 2lb (900g) beef, very thinly sliced (skirt steak, ribeye, short rib, etc.)

• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

• salt and pepper to taste

• 10 slices swiss cheese

Expensive:

Horseradish Truffle Mayo:

• 1 cup (178g) mayo

• 1 tablespoon grated horseradish

• 2 tablespoons (40g) whole grain mustard

• 1/4 cup (55g) creme fraiche

• 2 cloves garlic grated

• 1 oz (28g) black truffle grated

• salt and pepper to taste

Sandwich:

• parmigiano reggiano for grating (make into tuiles)

• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic

• 1 sweet onion, sliced into 1/4 inch julienne

• 1 A5 wagyu steak

INSTRUCTIONS:

Poolish:

1. Combine water and yeast; once dissolved, pour that into your flour and mix by hand until you have a smooth-runny paste. Cover that with plastic wrap and let it rest for 12 to 18 hours.

Finished Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Add a baking steel to the middle of your oven, and at the bottom of the oven, place a dry cast iron pan. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Separately dissolve yeast in water.

2. Add your flour mixture to your stand mixer, begin mixing at medium-low speed, pour your yeasty water followed by your poolish and let it mix for about 7 minutes (scraping the sides as necessary.) or until it is done roughly smooth. Place on a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest and rise for 1 hour.

3. Turn of the Dough

   1. With a damp hand, pick up an edge of the dough near the bowl, stretch as much as you can without tearing it apart, and fold it over itself. Repeat that process around the perimeter of the dough. Cover and let it rest for 25 min.

   2. Repeat step a.

   3. Repeat step b, but let the dough rest for 45 minutes.

4. Flour a work surface, scrape your dough out of your bowl using a plastic dough scraper (try not to degas your dough). Then, generously flour the top of your dough and form a rough rectangle.

5. Using your bench scraper, divide your dough into three long rectangles, starting at the longest end. Place your rectangles on parchment paper, slightly larger than the size of your dough. Cover them with an inverter container and let them proof at room temperature for one hour.

6. Spray your loaves with water and place them on the baking sheet (no more than two at a time), spray your loaves, and set a cup of ice in the cast iron. Allow them to steam for 18 minutes; then remove the pan, reduce the temperature to 375F and bake for 5 to 8 more minutes or until a beautiful puffed/golden brown ciabatta. Repeat with the remaining piece.

Dipping Broth:

1. In a pot, heat butter over medium heat until melted, add onion, salt to taste, and a pinch of sugar; then reduce the heat to medium-low, saute that often stirring for 20 to 30 minutes. (Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan if this starts to get too dark).

2. Once your onions get caramelized, add beef stock and thyme. Let it simmer for ten minutes; then add Worcestershire sauce and shirodashi. Taste and adjust salt & pepper levels as needed.

3. Strain into a fine-mesh sieve.

CHEAPER - Philly Cheesesteak Style:

1. Heat a large pan or a flat top over medium high-heat, grease it with oil, add onions, season with salt, and hard sear it until slightly char and soften. Set it to the side.

2. Add a third of your beef, season with salt and pepper, sear for two minutes or until you get a nice color, flip, sear for another minute, and roughly chop it with your spatula. Toss your beef back together with your onions and set aside.

3. Cut your ciabatta in half and toast it in the beef-onion juices. (If you use a pan, you can toast it in another pan with butter.) Next, shape your meat roughly in the dimensions of your bread, add 2 to 3 slices of swiss cheese to your beef and allow to melt.

4. Spread some mayo on your ciabatta bun, layer on your beef, and top it with the other half of your ciabatta.

Expensive:

Horseradish Truffle Mayo:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

Sandwich:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. On a baking sheet with a Silpat, create little mounts (about 2 tbsp) of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Place in the oven for 3 minutes or until melted and golden brown. Allow cooling till crisp.

2. Gremolata.- Combine parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.

3. Trim off any excess fat of the steak, and cut it into your desired shape. Heat a dry stainless steel pan over medium-high, season your steak heavily with salt and pepper; add it to your pan, and sear for 2 minutes. Flip and sear for one to two more minutes, remove from the pan, and let it rest for 5 minutes; finally, slice into ¼ “ thick slices.

Assembly

1. Generously spread some horseradish truffle mayo on your toasted ciabatta bun, layer on some onions, then place your entire steak over, add some gremolata and add on some Parmigiano Reggiano tuiles.

2. Finally, top it with the other half of your bun.