Celeriac Reimagined: A Dexter Beef Taco of Uncommon Refinement
Manchester, United Kingdom
At Skof in Manchester, a single vegetable becomes the architecture of an entire dish. The Dexter beef taco demonstrates how restraint and precision can transform the familiar into something altogether unexpected.
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There exists a particular kind of culinary ambition that emerges when a chef recognises the latent potential within a single ingredient. At Skof, that ingredient is celeriac, and the vehicle for its exploration is a taco that bears little resemblance to its origins, save for the conceptual architecture that binds it together.
The shell itself demands attention. Rather than rely upon convention, the kitchen fabricates it from celeriac, then dusts the surface with celeriac ash before subjecting it to heat until it achieves a brittleness that shatters between the teeth. This is not mere technique for its own sake; it is a considered meditation on texture and repetition, on the idea that an ingredient might speak in multiple voices within the same bite.
Within this vessel rests Dexter beef, specifically the bavette, a cut that rewards those who understand that tenderness need not come from the most obvious places. The meat is dressed with roasted yeast extract, a umami note that deepens the beef’s inherent savouriness without overwhelming it. Pickled celeriac provides a bracing counterpoint, while an egg yolk jam introduces richness and a subtle sweetness that moves through the dish like a bass note through music.
Black pepper gel adds a further layer of considered complexity, and grilled broccoli brings a charred, almost austere character to the composition. The shoots that finish the dish arrive from our farm, a gesture toward the particular and the seasonal, the idea that luxury resides partly in direct relationship with provenance.
What emerges is a dish that honours the taco’s essential lightness and approachability whilst asserting something far more deliberate. This is food that rewards attention, that asks the diner to consider each element and how it relates to the whole. The Dexter beef taco appears on both Tasting Menu One and Tasting Menu Two, ensuring that this particular vision reaches those who seek it, regardless of which path through the menu they have chosen to follow.
Imagery courtesy of Skof (@skof_manchester).
