Widowmaker’s Boeuf à la Ficelle

Name: Widowmaker's Boeuf à la Ficelle
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2 people
Ingredients: 400 g Baby Potatoes (halved); 1 Carrot (chopped); 1 Leek (sliced - green slices only); 1 Onion (roughly chopped); 500 g Beef Silverside Joint; 1 Leek (sliced - white slices only); 1 tbsp Parsley Sprigs; 1 tsp Thyme Sprigs; 1 Bay Leaf; 2 tsp Vegetable Oil; 1 pinch Sugar; 750 ml Water; 1 Garlic clove (halved); 1 inch Ginger (peeled and halved); 1 Star Anise; 1 Beef Stock Cube; 1 tsp Tomato Puree; Salt; Pepper

Translated to Beef on a String, this French dish is perfect for the ruthless assassin, Widowmaker.

Servings

2

Ready In:

1 hour

Good For:

Dinner

Inspiration from

Widowmaker

Widowmaker is one of the heroes in Overwatch. She is an assassin who possesses no emotion except for the satisfaction of her targets’ elimination.

Widowmaker equips herself with whatever it takes to eliminate her targets, including mines that dispense poisonous gas, a visor that grants her squad infra-sight, and a powerful sniper rifle that can fire in fully-automatic mode.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Salade Niçoise

Ingredients

400g Baby Potatoes (halved)
1 Carrot (chopped)
1 Leek (sliced – green slices only)
1 Onion (roughly chopped)
500g Beef Silverside Joint

For the Bouillon:
1 Leek (sliced – white slices only)
1 tbsp Parsley Sprigs
1 tsp Thyme Sprigs
1 Bay Leaf
2 tsp Vegetable Oil
1 pinch Sugar
750ml Water
1 Garlic clove (halved)
1 inch Ginger (peeled and halved)
1 Star Anise
1 Beef Stock Cube
1 tsp Tomato Puree
Salt
Pepper

Given that Widowmaker’s family home is Château Guillard, a mansion surrounded by a lake near Annecy in southeastern France, I thought it best to create a upper class French dish for the character.

Widowmaker’s backstory is quite the unfortunate life changing one:

It is believed that in her former life, Widowmaker was married to Gérard Lacroix, an Overwatch agent spearheading operations against the Talon terrorist organization. After several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate Gérard, Talon decided to change its focus to his wife, Amélie. Talon operatives kidnapped her and subjected her to an intense program of neural reconditioning. They broke her will, suppressed her personality, and reprogrammed her as a sleeper agent. She was eventually found by Overwatch agents, apparently none the worse for wear, and returned to her normal life.

Two weeks later she killed Gérard in his sleep.

Her mission complete, Amélie returned to Talon, and they completed the process of turning her into a living weapon. She was given extensive training in the covert arts, and then her physiology was altered, drastically slowing her heart, which turned her skin cold and blue and numbed her ability to experience human emotion. Amélie was gone.

Now, Widowmaker is Talon’s most effective assassin, feeling little save the satisfaction of a job well done.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Make the bouillon: Put all the bouillon ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Transfer to another large saucepan draining all the solids out and discard. You now should have a saucepan of bouillon stock over medium heat.

Step 3

Add the potatoes, carrot, leek and onion to the pan and boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place a wooden spoon over the beef joint (it must be longer than the saucepan). Tie twine around beef, securing it to the spoon (best to attach it to the spoon in at least 3 spaces). Sit the spoon on the saucepan so the beef floats in the water, whilst the spoon rests on the rim of the pan. Poach the beef for 15-30 minutes.

Step 4

Take the beef out and leave it to rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with the vegetables and some of the bouillon in bowls.

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