Wolfert
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Posts posted by Wolfert
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If you have done what culinary bear has described and you are still worried, here is what I would do: dump the confit pieces into a colander and set over boiling water, cover with a lid and steam for 20 minutes. Drain the legs, carefully pat dry and fry on the skin side to crisp.
I saw this done in Gascony in several restaurants where duck confit had been stored in plastic tubs in the walk-in. I never knew how long they were there but I am sure in your case with the amount of time it has been and the fact you kept the confit in the fridge it is probably ok.
Steaming will knock away not only any germs but your trepidation.
You want to enjoy your dinner..right?
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I would love to know her reasoning.
Until then, I'm going to stick to seasoning the meat just as it goes into the pot whether I brown it or not since this method works for me.
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I never salt the marinade. (now watch! someone will find some recipe of mine with salt in the marinade .All I can say is that some copyeditor slipped it in and I didn't notice. )
Steve: I've been following the labs and I think they were fabulous---even for those of us who just followed along as readers. I really regret that I couldn't take part as well. I had a photo shoot scheduled all last week.
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Can you describe some of the dishes for us?
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Lean meat such as leg of lamb and rack of lamb are better roasted, steamed, or grilled. The shank, the shoulder and the neck with the bone in are the ideal cuts for Moroccan tagines.
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I think when you marinate you don't salt. I defer to Molly because she really knows her stuff. I read her all the time in Fine Cooking. I need to pull out the book.
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Are the short ribs marinated as well?
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There are 6 pages devoted to masgouf. I think you should get the book.
Here is the first paragraph:
"Today mann al-sama (heavenly-sent manna) is an exclusively Iraqi candy the main ingredient of which is the manna, mentioned in the Bible and the Qu'ran, as God-sent food to the people of Israel during their wandering in Sinai Desert. We know from the Assyrian Herbal, a monograph on the Assyrian vegetable drugs, that oak-like trees growing in northern Mesopotamia, near Mosul and Suleimaniya of modern day, provided manna, which they made into a paste, ate for food and used for medicinal purposes. The allusions to manna in the Assyrian cuneform medicinal texts match the Bibilical references in exodus, chapter 16."
The next paragraph deals with tamarisk and oak like trees and is quite a bit longer in length.
The following paragraph deals with gathering techniques.
Finally there isa recipe explaining how to make the candy called natif, a nougat using 12 pounds of manna and 100 eggs, 3 pounds almonds and flour with detailed description on how to make it.
And then we get a modern recipe that you, too, can make without manna, but with sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, cardamon, butter and toasted unskinned almonds
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I don't think it was for a braise. This salting method was for steaks and ground meat
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There is a most wonderful self-published cookbook by Nawal Nasrallah entitled "Delights from the Garden of Eden, A cookbook and a history of the Iraqi cuisine." I purchased it last year via amazon.
An oversized paperback of more than 600 pages of history, recipes, photos, and everything you would ever want to know about their cuisine including a long description and recipe for mann al-sama (heavenly sent manna) .
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When I was working in Southwest France back in the late 70's and early 80's, I studied briefly with a chef named André Guillot, now gone about 10 years. He used to give cooking courses for chefs and enthusiatic cooks in Santons in Provence.
Among his most famous fans were Marc Meneau, Gerard Vie, Jean Marie Amat, Emil Jung and Richard Olney. In fact, we formed an Association of the Friends of Andre Guillot to keep his name alive, but alas he is almost forgotten today.
One of his most memorable tips for salting meat included the following:" lightly salt the meat the minute you bring it home. If you do this, you will hardly need to salt later, and in the end you’ll use half as much salt as you would normally. Lightly salted meat will tenderize and mature in flavor when stored overnight in the refrigerator. "
He also taught me that though some blood will run out, he considered it insignificant. In fact, he suggested that meat be coated lightly with grape-seed oil right after the salting to keep it from drying out; he prefered grape-seed oil, because it smoked at a much higher temperature than other oils.
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If it smells sweet and clean, I would just strain it and store it in the fridge to use for cooking and for making more confit.
re: the fat from roasted ducks. Most people roast ducks at high heat and that can cause the fat to break down in an unhealthy way. You can smell it if it's off.
Someone out there can explain the science to you.
undefinedAbout those cracklings, if one doesn't just eat them all up (I didn't) what is their highest and best use post-rendering? I have them in the fridge and was thinking of heating them in a hot oven, and then putting them on/in something, but what?you might want to gently heat the cracklings and toss them into a greens salad.
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Tagines, those marvelous, slowly simmered Morccan braises in which the sauce is everything and the meat literally falls off the bones has endless variations.
In many Moroccan tagines a shoulder or breast of lamb is first stewed in a small amount of fat-rich sauce. Then the meat is cooled down to firm it up (it is so tender it falls easily off its bones), the fat is removed (I do that!), and finally browned in butter in a skillet. Instead of frying, I put the meat, just before serving, in a hot oven, from which it emerges crusty brown and delicious.
In many lamb tagines with smaller chunks of meat, the conical tagine top (which acts just like a doufeu filled with ice) is removed at the end of cooking and replaced with a flat earthenware plate filled with coals. This acts as a "broiler" to crisp and brown the meat and sauce.
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I've always been a fan of Tom Colicchio, who has made some of the best braised dishes I've ever tasted. I believe he leaves his short ribs uncovered while in the oven, a method I use, resulting in a much "deeper" flavor with the meat than if the ribs were covered. Does anyone have comments in this regard?
I started doing something similiar when reheating a beef daube the day following the initial cooking. After combining the defatted sauce and mea,t I put them both in a wide ovenproof serving dish, uncovered, and let them slowly reheatl together and brown in a 275 oven. When nicely browned on one side, I shifted the chunks
of meat and let them brown as well. Even the sauce darkened in color. And the flavor was as you report above "deeper"
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Now, that sounds divine.
Another good quality is you can brown the meat or the onions or whatever before you do your slow cooking for enhanced flavor.
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Those black pots are some of my absolute favorites. Here is a cherry clafoutis I prepared last spring.
This saute pan not ony is great on top of the stove but it bakes batter cakes perfectly.
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I totally agree that one can make a great lamb kebab without a particular seasoning, in this case the mediterranean oregano. I was setting up a scenario where the recreation of a particular dish was what was wanted by those who actually had tasted the dish.
As a food writer who writes about other regions' foods exclusively, there has never been a better time to share experiences with readers. The availability of new culinary products over the past twenty years has made the inclusion of numerous new recipes possible.
On the subject of chicken stock: I use chicken feet, backs and wings or the carcass of a roast chicken. The feet ,after a nice little manicure, make the stock rich and hefty.
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I'd like to address the original comment doubting Turkish oregano would make a difference in a recipe.
Let's imagine we all visit some town in Turkey or Greece and fall in love with the local grilled kebab.
We all agree this is one dish we could duplicate at home and share its flavor experience with friends, each other, etc.
So, before we head back, we learn the local secret of double seasoning with dried herbs (most likely oregano), once before grilling and once afterwards. We study the cuts of meat used so we can be sure to have the right amount of fat to lean..
Ok, now we're back in the States: We try to duplicate this simple dish and it bombs. American lamb is fabulous and works perfectly, but the taste isn't there.
A simple ingredient that costs about $.25 to season a few dozen kebabs would have changed the whole scenario.
There are so many kinds of oregano with so many different flavors and uses. The one mostly sold in supermarkets in the States is from Mexico which is fine for many dishes.se. But it is never going to bring a little bit of Turkey or Greece into your dining.
My solution is to opt for Mediterranean oregano available at any Middle Eastern store, or from the Penzeys.
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My own experience has been that restaurants get all the perfectly round-shaped sweetbreads from milk-fed calves which hardly ever need soaking. Ordinary butcher shops sell all sort of straggly parts which need soaking, pressing, and careful cleaning.
Blanching is really helpful for firming them up irf you are going to cut in thick slices on the bias, dust with flour and roll in beaten egg and breadcrumbs before frying.
Pressing is necessary for certain dishes when you aren't using all the above protective coating because they are so fragile.
For a gentle braise, I don't press them
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I just purchased Anissa Helou's The Fifth Quarter, an offal cookbook published by
Absolute Press in Great Britain.
Amazon UK sells it.
The book has a wonderful collection of recipes, from a whole slew of food cultures, to keep you busy for many years to come.
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made something-like-a Moroccan tagine of chickpeas in my Romertopf claypot, last night. I was most pleased with the results, as was my dining companion!
Cacao:
The tagine sounds delicious.
I am curious about the texture of the chickpeas cooked in the romertopf at such a high heat. Were they soft or firm? Did the skins remain taut?
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Is it ok to add a wine blog?
I like eGulleteer Carolyn Tillie's Napa based wine stories.
http://carolyntillie_ultimate_california_w...rnia_wine_blog/
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I think you are fine with the cream. It won't whip well, but you can certainly cook with it.
Q&A: Braising
in The eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI)
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Dan: Perhaps this recipe for a Basque version might be of interest to you: Porc Frais au lait or PORK COOKED IN MILK
I haven't made it in years, but I do remember liking it very much.
There is a Venetian dish called arrosto di maiale al latte (pork loin braised in milk), described by Elizabeth David, which is somewhat similar to this one. I’m not sure where the recipe originated, but it appears prominently in Maïté Escurignan’s marvelous work on Basque cookery.
Though red meats become more succulent and tender when cooked slowly in liquid, white meats, such as pork or veal, sometimes end up stringy and without much taste. Here is a recipe that solves that problem: a pork loin is submerged in flavored milk and slowly cooked at a low temperature. The small quantity of butterfat in the milk “swims” through the meat, and the milk keeps the loin totally moist.
Unlike in many braises, the pork is not browned first. Long, slow simmering in a fatty substance will make the lean meat juicy, and, at the same time, the meat will be virtually fat-free when removed from the cooking medium. Only after the cooking do you brown the pork.
•Begin 1 to 2 days in advance
SERVES 6
3 to 3 1/2 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin, trimmed of excess fat
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
Coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons finely sliced leek (white part only)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 quart whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Herb bouquet: 3 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig thyme, and 1 bay leaf tied together
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1. A day or 2 IN ADVANCE, stud the pork loin with slivers of garlic. Rub the surface of the pork loin with salt; cover loosely and keep refrigerated.
2. About 4 HOURS BEFORE SERVING, preheat the oven to 300°F. In a 3- or 4-quart flameproof casserole, cook the carrots and onions in the butter over moderately low heat until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Place the pork roast on top of the vegetables.
3. In a saucepan, heat the milk until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan; pour over the pork. Add the pepper and herb bouquet. Cover and place on the lowest rack of the oven to cook for 3 hours. Turn the meat every hour so that it cooks evenly.
4. Remove the casserole and raise the oven temperature to 375°F. Transfer the meat, fat side up, to a large baking dish and return to the oven. Roast uncovered until browned, about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, strain the milk cooking juices, pushing down on the milk solids that have separated out in the cooking. Quickly chill in larger bowl of ice and water or put in the freezer so the fat rises to surface. Remove and discard fat.
6. Return the sauce to the casserole and bring to a boil with a metal spoon on the bottom to prevent boiling over. Reduce by two thirds, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Slice the meat and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the slices and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
c\Wolfert. 1983, 2005