The ribeye steak is a sacred monument, to be grilled or barbecued exclusively, yadda yadda yadda.

When I hear that, I feel like encouraging people to engage in more self indulgent recreational activities .

In cooking, we do what we want—and to hell with the haters.

Here’s a rib steak marinated (yes, marinated!) in oil (yes, oil!) and cooked sous vide at 57°C (yes, sous vide!).

Now, this recipe isn’t for beginners. You’ll need a circulator to pull it off—and while circulators are pretty affordable these days, they’re not exactly mainstream. I’m pretty sure you can think of this one friend who will ‘obviously’ have one and will insist on helping … this is where you text them :-p

For 6 to 8 people, depending on appetite:

• 1.2kg boneless rib steak
• 100g Piedmont hazelnuts, shelled
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
  (Or just 5 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil if you don’t want to fuss with multiple oils—we’ll discuss this later.)
• 40cl thick crème fraîche (ideally 40% fat, like Isigny if you can find it)
• 1 small bottle of Madeira wine
• 500g fine semolina
• 5 fresh eggs
• 5 teaspoons fine mushroom powder
• 600g fresh chanterelle mushrooms
• A pinch of salt, pepper, and a bit of oil

Day before preparation:

• Crush the hazelnuts in a blender or food processor with the oil. Leave some chunks and a slightly grainy texture.
• Vigorously rub the beef with the hazelnut paste and seal it in a vacuum cooking bag or a high-quality freezer bag.
• Let it rest in the fridge overnight.

Cook the beef sous vide at 57°C for 3 hours and 30 minutes, leaving the hazelnut paste on.

For the garnish:

This is just fresh Italian pasta with a bit of mushroom powder.

• Mix the semolina and mushroom powder, then knead with the pre-beaten eggs.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for an hour.
• Use a pasta roller; I recommend not going thinner than a ‘3’ setting on a standard machine to maintain a slightly firm texture.
• In this version, I went with spaghetti, but linguine or tagliatelle would also work beautifully.

Precision timing:

Ideally, finish the low-temperature cooking of the beef 20–25 minutes before serving.

• Remove the beef and keep it warm (55–60°C, covered, in the oven).
• Collect the cooking juices, mix them with the crème fraîche, a pinch of Guérande salt, and a twist of fresh pepper. Reduce the sauce, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, sauté and reduce the chanterelles in a bit of oil.

Ten minutes before serving, cook your pasta for 2–3 minutes. Drain well.

Final steps:

• Take out the beef and quickly sear it in a hot pan for a slight crust on the outside. Slice.

This unusual cooking method is a reverse sear. It ensures the meat is evenly medium-rare throughout, without being overcooked on the outside or cold and raw inside.

Plating:

Pasta on the bottom, beef on top, sauce poured over, and chanterelles as the final touch. The result looks like this.

For the purists:

Why the different oils? Hazelnut oil enhances the nutty flavor—no surprises there. The sesame oil, however, adds a subtle smoky note, bridging the flavors of the Madeira in the sauce. The goal is to create an aromatic connection between the chanterelles, the beef, and the hazelnuts.

Still with me? Okay, to take it even further: I should’ve reserved 25g of the hazelnuts, chopped them into small pieces, toasted them dry, and added them to the sauce at the end of cooking. 😉