Comments on: In Praise of Braise http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/ Creativity x Technology Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Amos the Poker Cat http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5319 Amos the Poker Cat Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:43:13 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5319 In the wintertime, I too reach for the cast iron, either enameled or not, to braise. Mmm, mmm, mmm, I do so love that melted connective tissue for finger licking goodness. Summertime, it is either the slow cooker, or outside, where braising masquerades as BBQ with judicious use of the "Texas crutch", i.e. aluminum foil. Thank you Alcoa, wherever you are. Alton Brown used the small tightly sealed aluminum foil package for his braising in both S11E03 "Stew Romance", where he did kinda a short rib paprikas, and S4E12 "A Chuck for Chuck" where his did a pot roast verson of a Cuban Picadillo with olives and balsamic. As for mounting sauces, I would look toward old episodes of America's Test Kitchen first. That, and ATK's Carbonnade a la Flamande—Belgian Beef, Beer, and Onion Stew, is always a good excuse to spring for a 6 pack of Fat Tire 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale for some more braising. Other options on the happy starchiness, Cooks Country's mashed potato casserole (Who would have thought soupy mashed potatoes and eggs could end up so tasty?), and for that Eastern European in me, spätzel. In the wintertime, I too reach for the cast iron, either enameled or not, to braise. Mmm, mmm, mmm, I do so love that melted connective tissue for finger licking goodness.

Summertime, it is either the slow cooker, or outside, where braising masquerades as BBQ with judicious use of the “Texas crutch”, i.e. aluminum foil. Thank you Alcoa, wherever you are.

Alton Brown used the small tightly sealed aluminum foil package for his braising in both S11E03 “Stew Romance”, where he did kinda a short rib paprikas, and S4E12 “A Chuck for Chuck” where his did a pot roast verson of a Cuban Picadillo with olives and balsamic.

As for mounting sauces, I would look toward old episodes of America’s Test Kitchen first. That, and ATK’s Carbonnade a la Flamande—Belgian Beef, Beer, and Onion Stew, is always a good excuse to spring for a 6 pack of Fat Tire 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale for some more braising.

Other options on the happy starchiness, Cooks Country’s mashed potato casserole (Who would have thought soupy mashed potatoes and eggs could end up so tasty?), and for that Eastern European in me, spätzel.

]]> By: Brucey http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5324 Brucey Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:06:27 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5324 The butter has enough water content to emulsify with a reduced stock with just a few swirls in the pan after you kill the heat. I've even left the pan sitting around with the melted butter just laying on top and picked it up and swirled it a few minutes later. Also when cooking brussels it's good to blanch them in salted water for 2 min or less, shock them in salted ice water, and then sear them off with the bacon fat. they get nice and crispy this way, but they dont cook long enough to bring out the sulfides in them that make them taste all poopy. The butter has enough water content to emulsify with a reduced stock with just a few swirls in the pan after you kill the heat. I’ve even left the pan sitting around with the melted butter just laying on top and picked it up and swirled it a few minutes later.

Also when cooking brussels it’s good to blanch them in salted water for 2 min or less, shock them in salted ice water, and then sear them off with the bacon fat. they get nice and crispy this way, but they dont cook long enough to bring out the sulfides in them that make them taste all poopy.

]]> By: psu http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5321 psu Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:52:08 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5321 Strictly speaking I did the butter part of this sauce all wrong anyway, since the stuff was still on the heat. I usually use just a tiny bit of the fat to give the sauce a smoother texture as opposed to making it taste different. That said, I find the no whisk theory puzzling, since part of the point of the exercise is to emulsify the butter into the liquid, which is hard to do without breaking it up. Maybe Alton Brown can clear this up for us. Strictly speaking I did the butter part of this sauce all wrong anyway, since the stuff was still on the heat. I usually use just a tiny bit of the fat to give the sauce a smoother texture as opposed to making it taste different.

That said, I find the no whisk theory puzzling, since part of the point of the exercise is to emulsify the butter into the liquid, which is hard to do without breaking it up. Maybe Alton Brown can clear this up for us.

]]> By: Weiguo http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5320 Weiguo Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:39:27 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5320 on mounting your sauce with butter: I remember seeing a segment on Diary of a Foodie where they referred to the accepted wisdom that you shouldn't (apparently) whisk butter into your sauce, you should just drop the chunk of butter in and give the pan a shake to let it dissolve. Reason cited was that whisking it breaks the butter (fat) up into very globules, so when you taste such a sauce, all you taste is butter (the fat coats your tongue). When just letting it melt in and disperse, the globules remain much larger, and thus help to highlight the taste of the sauce (wine/whatever), instead of just making it taste like butter. I can't, unfortunately, vouch for the accuracy of all this, but there you have it. on mounting your sauce with butter: I remember seeing a segment on Diary of a Foodie where they referred to the accepted wisdom that you shouldn’t (apparently) whisk butter into your sauce, you should just drop the chunk of butter in and give the pan a shake to let it dissolve. Reason cited was that whisking it breaks the butter (fat) up into very globules, so when you taste such a sauce, all you taste is butter (the fat coats your tongue). When just letting it melt in and disperse, the globules remain much larger, and thus help to highlight the taste of the sauce (wine/whatever), instead of just making it taste like butter.

I can’t, unfortunately, vouch for the accuracy of all this, but there you have it.

]]> By: r. http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5323 r. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:26:57 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5323 Nicey. Nicey.

]]> By: Julie http://tleaves.com/2009/04/13/in-praise-of-braise/comment-page-1/#comment-5322 Julie Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:25 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=1683#comment-5322 Best brussels sprouts recipe ever: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-with-Marjoram-and-Pine-Nuts-105810 Best brussels sprouts recipe ever: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-with-Marjoram-and-Pine-Nuts-105810

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