Miami foodies are no strangers to the food of Lima-born, longtime local Henry Hané. The owner and executive chef of B Bistro + Bakery has also had a hand in such culinary concepts as Osaka, Bebitos and Earlybird 305, in addition to his Michelin-star-spangled experience abroad at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in England and Miramar in Spain. It was in November of last year that Hané debuted his newest venture, Jattö, in the Wynwood space that was formerly home to James Beard Award winner Brad Kilgore’s Alter. Here, working in close partnership with executive chef Aleric “AJ” Constantin, a long-time friend since their days at Eating House, Hané has developed a menu that unites influences from his native Peru but also Colombia, Spain, Thailand, Italy and Cuba — a marriage that, for Hané, reflects the cultural diversity of his city.
Jattö’s menu boasts a comfort food flair with a distinctive highbrow twist bordering on the experimental: think foie gras “Dippin’ Dots” or a truffle-topped Monte Cristo sandwich, daring dishes that seem to suit the industrial-chic space, with its polished concrete floors and exposed beams. But not every plate is so dependent upon luxury ingredients: a bread service pairs Sullivan Street Bakery bread with Cuban coffee-scented butter; the Mr. Benedict sees the classic combo of egg and hollandaise spiked with panela and tamarind. The Negroni has its bitter edge softened with Coconut Cartel rum and coconut-washed Campari. It’s an ambitious menu rife with local flavors and ingredients, featuring products from George Stone Crab, Frice Cream, Zak the Baker and more. With each twist and turn, then, the menu reminds the diner of where, exactly, they are. And it’s no wonder: Jattö, after all, is intended as a play on the Peruvian slang jato, meaning “home.”
“When we were conceptualizing the concept and space, we really wanted our guests to feel at ease and be able to kick back and enjoy themselves,” says Hané. “Delicious food and zero pretentions.”
It is nevertheless Hané’s somewhat unique concept of home that informs the menu — a journey rather than a location. A Peruvian causa is made with Florida lobster; leek confit evokes Hané’s time cooking in Barcelona. And for his steak au poivre, Hané reaches deep into his own culinary nostalgia, presenting an iteration of a dish that evokes his childhood dinner table.
“This dish is one that I grew up with,” Hané says. “My mom always liked to cook old-school French dishes because she had a special kind of love for Paris and France.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Jattö dish if Hané kept things too simple. He starts with locally sourced chuck steak, which, he notes, boasts a double texture — comprised, as it is, by the tender eye and the more toothsome yet flavorful blade. Instead of being pan-cooked, as Hané notes is more traditional in the classic French recipe, he opts for a more modern spin by cooking it sous-vide, an on-trend technique for professional chefs and home cooks alike to guarantee a perfect temperature on meat and more every time. For Hané, it’s a no-brainer to ensure that the steak is spot-on perfection.
“Once we sous vide the meat,” he says, “it is soft and tender like a ribeye.”
The logic behind cooking steak sous-vide is relatively simple, if a bit jarring for those used to relying on the time-tested Maillard reaction brought about by grilling or searing. You start by vacuum-sealing the steak in a plastic bag (perfectly safely, of course!), which is then plunged into a whirlpool of water at precisely 140 degrees and cooked for a whopping 24 hours. The result is a steak that’s perfectly medium all the way through (and despite what you might think, is pretty much impossible to overcook).
“The consistency and efficiency of a sous vide is through the roof,” says Hané. “I’m a huge fan of the technique and have been for a long time.”
This recipe also calls for demi-glace, a reduced stock that Hané notes can be time-consuming to prepare at home. Those who are keen can nevertheless make their own from scratch, though The Spruce Eats offers a shortcut recipe, and you can even opt for Hané’s suggestion of buying store-bought demi-glace, which will reduce the time spent in the kitchen considerably.
Of course, shortcuts are far from Hané’s personal M.O. At Jattö, which represents, in essence, a culmination of his already varied career, he is constantly in pursuit of the excellence he has witnessed and gleaned from his experiences near and far.
“I’d definitely say my time in Spain has molded me to execute Jattö,” says Hané. “The way we work and treat our product, and most importantly the culture we have instilled, is very reminiscent of my time there.”
The one bit of his time in Spain he hasn’t quite taken on board? The siesta.
“Honestly, I work 24/7 — there is no secret sauce, I just put in the time,” he says. “This is what I always dreamed of, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Jattö’s Steak Au Poivre
For the steak:
- 2 pounds chuck roast steak
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the sauce:
- 1 cup cubed butter
- 1 cup minced shallots
- 1 cup minced garlic
- 1 cup green peppercorns
- 1 cup bourbon (Hané recommends Maker’s Mark)
- 2 cups beef demi-glace
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups minced parsley
First, sous-vide the steak. Combine the steak, pepper, and butter in a sous-vide bag, seal, and cook for 24 hours at 140º. Once cooked, set aside and allow the steak to cool.
In the meantime, make the sauce by melting the butter until foamy. Add the shallots, garlic, and green peppercorns, and cook over medium heat for five minutes.
Deglaze the pan with bourbon, and reduce the liquid by half. Add the demi-glace and heavy cream, and reduce by a quarter. Finish the sauce by adding the parsley, and set aside until ready to use.
When the steak is completely cooled, remove it from the sous vide bag, and grill for 3 minutes on each side until a nice crust has formed.
To plate, slice the steak on the bias and against the grain. Top with the sauce and enjoy!
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