Hmmm, Gumbo always seems to have this sort of effect on you.
Foodgasms
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drown
free'd bandwidth
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i was flabbergasted...
and true to altonistic extravagance...
went out and bought
a new dutch oven
to test the abominable
theorem...
now don't get me wrong...
my roux is pretty damned good;
best made while sipping wine
and conversing with...
well...
whipping, sipping and gabbing is just...
a wonderful part of the process...
nonetheless,
brother alton has piqued my interest...
yet again.
y'all two are most welcome
to help season the pot...
all y'all are!
tortoise
roosevelt dime
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My favorite method is a dry rub and a slow smoke, but that takes quite a bit of work. I have tried a variation of this method. It worked beautifully, and couldn't be simpler. Also works with chuck, but needs far less cooking time. Either way, just cook until fork tender, and you'll be happy.
- 1 (4 pound) beef brisket, trimmed of fat
- salt to taste
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven. The brisket should be fork-tender. Mix together the cornstarch and water; stir into the juices in the baking dish to thicken. Remove the bay leaf. Slice and serve the meat.
Hmmm, Gumbo always seems to have this sort of effect on you.
Yeah. It's the gumbo, all right. Uh huh.
Hell, cold cereal makes me want to hold you.
Yeah, see, even if I was presented with a perfectly viable alternative to the slow stir roux, I'm not sure that I would embrace it. As you say, it's a labor of love.
But a shared roux experience, regardless of method, would indeed be an event.
Can't wait to hear about your results! I need to buy one and this sounds like just the excuse. Tort will be here in a couple of weeks and we were planning to make crawfish etouffee. Time to experiment!
And yes, the sipping and gabbing is an integral part.
tortoise
roosevelt dime
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Can't wait to hear about your results! I need to buy one and this sounds like just the excuse. Tort will be here in a couple of weeks and we were planning to make crawfish etouffee. Time to experiment!
And yes, the sipping and gabbing is an integral part.
And the grabbing.
Now I see where your reluctance stems from. Alton's method cuts down on the whipping.
tortoise
roosevelt dime
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Bingo!
But Alton would be proud of me for "multitasking" with the wire whisk.
*wagglebrows*
drown
free'd bandwidth
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yeah....
the paradigm shift is...
a bit hard to swallow.
nonetheless, in a pinch.......
S
ShamelessFlirt
Guest
I usually turn to America's test kitchen when I'm not sure about methodology. They literally do things hundreds of times to figure out what works.
Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
This recipe requires a few hours of unattended cooking. It also requires advance preparation. After cooking, the brisket must stand overnight in the braising liquid that later becomes the sauce; this helps to keep the brisket moist and flavorful. Defatting the sauce is essential. If the fat has congealed into a layer on top of the sauce, it can be easily removed while cold. Sometimes, however, fragments of solid fat are dispersed throughout the sauce; in this case, the sauce should be skimmed of fat after reheating. If you prefer a spicy sauce, increase the amount of
cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. You will need 18-inch-wide heavy-duty foil for this recipe. If you own an electric knife, it will make easy work of slicing the cold brisket. Good accompaniments to braised brisket include mashed potatoes and egg noodles. For a Passover menu, substitute matzoh meal or potato starch for the flour.
Serves 6-8
1 beef brisket , 4 to 5 pounds, flat cut preferred
Table salt and ground black pepper
vegetable oil
3 large onions (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about
1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons cider vinegar (to season sauce before serving)
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking dish with two 24-inch-long sheets of 18-inchwide heavy-duty foil, positioning sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing excess foil to extend beyond edges of pan. Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Place brisket fat side up on cutting board; using dinner fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1 inch apart. Season both sides of brisket liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until oil just begins to smoke. Place brisket fat side up in skillet (brisket may climb up sides of skillet); weight brisket with heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet and cook until well browned, about 7 minutes. Remove Dutch oven; using tongs, flip brisket and cook on second side without weight until well browned, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer brisket to platter.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan (or, if brisket was lean, add enough oil to fat in skillet to equal 1 tablespoon); stir in onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute; add tomato paste and cook, stirring to combine, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add broth, wine, bay, and thyme, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan; bring to simmer and simmer about 5 minutes to fully thicken.
4. Pour sauce and onions into foil-lined baking dish. Nestle brisket, fat side up, in sauce and onions. Fold foil extensions over and seal (do not tightly crimp foil because foil must later be opened to test for doneness). Place in oven and cook until fork can be inserted into and removed from center of brisket with no resistance, 3 1/2 to 4 hours (when testing for doneness, open foil with caution as contents will be steaming).
Carefully open foil and let brisket cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Transfer brisket to large bowl; set mesh strainer over bowl and strain sauce over brisket. Discard bay and thyme from onions and transfer onions to small bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap, cut vents in plastic with paring knife, and refrigerate overnight.
6. About 45 minutes before serving, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. While oven heats, transfer cold brisket to cutting board. Scrape off and discard any congealed fat from sauce, then transfer sauce to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm, skimming any fat on surface with wide shallow spoon (you should have about 2 cups sauce without onions; if necessary, simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 cups).
While sauce heats, use chef's or carving knife to slice brisket against grain into 1/4-inchthick slices, trimming and discarding any excess fat, if desired; place slices in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Stir reserved onions and vinegar into warmed sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over brisket slices, cover baking dish with foil, and bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
To Make and Serve the Brisket on the Same Day
If you would like to make and serve the brisket on the same day, after removing the brisket from the oven in step 4, reseal the foil and let the brisket stand at room temperature for an hour. Then transfer the brisket to a cutting board and continue with the recipe to strain, defat, and reheat the sauce and slice the meat; because the brisket will still be hot, there will be no need to put it back into the oven once the reheated sauce is poured over it.
Hester
hesterosexual
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fried green tomatoes
1 lb green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. slice thinner if you like them soft, ticker if you like them firmer. the batter is pretty thick, so if they're thin there will be a lot more batter than 'mater.
3/4 c flour
1 sleeve saltines, crushed.* you can use something like a food mill or magic bullet (as see on TV!!!!), but i like it better when crushed by hand because i like the texture of the coarser grind.
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsps salt
2 tsps pepper
enough butter and olive oil to make the high school band rush walgreens for benzoyl peroxide
add salt and pepper to eggs. mix saltines and flour. dip 'mater slices in the egg and then dredge in saltine/flour mix. fry about 5 minutes on each side in olive oil and butter (about half each).
if you use thinner slices, you'll need more eggs and dredge mix than if you use thicker slices. this recipe is for 1/2" slices.
this batter mix is great on any veggie, like zucchini or mushrooms or onions.
* you can use cornflakes or matzoh, if you're feeling really unorthodox, but i like saltines the best.
1 lb green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. slice thinner if you like them soft, ticker if you like them firmer. the batter is pretty thick, so if they're thin there will be a lot more batter than 'mater.
3/4 c flour
1 sleeve saltines, crushed.* you can use something like a food mill or magic bullet (as see on TV!!!!), but i like it better when crushed by hand because i like the texture of the coarser grind.
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsps salt
2 tsps pepper
enough butter and olive oil to make the high school band rush walgreens for benzoyl peroxide
add salt and pepper to eggs. mix saltines and flour. dip 'mater slices in the egg and then dredge in saltine/flour mix. fry about 5 minutes on each side in olive oil and butter (about half each).
if you use thinner slices, you'll need more eggs and dredge mix than if you use thicker slices. this recipe is for 1/2" slices.
this batter mix is great on any veggie, like zucchini or mushrooms or onions.
* you can use cornflakes or matzoh, if you're feeling really unorthodox, but i like saltines the best.
Last edited:
Saint Peter
shoots left
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The 'magic bullet' on edibles?
Hester
hesterosexual
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The 'magic bullet' on edibles?
don't be such a prude
thør
Karhu-er
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- 92,757
The 'magic bullet' on edibles?
The 'pill'!
Saint Peter
shoots left
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thør
Karhu-er
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"These fried green 'mators taste like fried green crab cakes!"
There was no Old Bay seasoning in the recipe......
Saint Peter
shoots left
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Nurse Diesel would kick your ass for calling her that.
Oh. Bay. I thought that said Bag.
My mistake.
thør
Karhu-er
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Smoker bags for salmon? Try a cedar plank on the grille......
thør
Karhu-er
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Never piss off the cook!
JustSkye
Gatinha
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I'm just interested in seeing how it would taste!
thør
Karhu-er
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I always figured that bag-cooking was akin to braising. Salmon or most fish cooks much too quickly for that type of cooking. All that said, if you try it and it's tasty, please let us all know!
If they can take the place of a smoker, here's one I'd love to try. All the chilies, peppers, mustard, dk. beer and dk. brown sugar sound like a great blend.
Smoked BBQ Brisket
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay
1/2 cup ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cayenne
1 trimmed brisket with a layer of fat at least 1/4-inch thick, about 5 to 6 pounds
Dark Beer Mop, recipe follows
Mix together the spices in a small bowl. Rub the entire brisket with the spice mixture, place on a baking sheet, cover and let stand in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours.
Prepare the smoker according to manufacturer's directions. Place the brisket in the smoker, fat side up and smoke for 4 to 5 hours or until extremely tender. Baste with the mop every 30 minutes.
Dark Beer Mop:
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic
2 serrano chiles, chopped
4 bottles of dark beer
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
BlueSugar
Faceted Sensualist
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I know it isn't soup season... but I can NEVER get enough of this one when I make it. It has made PICKIEST eaters I've EVER MET... ASK for it.
It started as a project to get the men in my life to eat Escarole and Spinach... and to eat more healthy all around. I have two variations.
Mini Turkey Meatballs with Escarole Soup
(serves 6-8)
1 whole onion diced
1 head escarole, washed, cut into almost inch shreds
2 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
3 stalks celery cut into bite sized pieces
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and rough chopped
1 large can cannellini beans (white), mostly drained
2 ts Sage (if using dried) - only wrap 1 ts in in herb bundle
1 ts Basil (if using dried) - wrap in herb bundle
1 ts rosemary (if using dried) - wrap in herb bundle
2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
4 slices of bread
1.5 large turkey/chicken stock
keep salt and pepper (and a pinch of hot pepper flake) handy
as well as your fav oil to cook with
meatballs:
combine
eggs, turkey, 1 ts sage, s/p to taste, 1 garlic clove, cut crust off bread and break into tiny pieces and form into mini meat balls. Larger than a melon baller would make, but not too much bigger.
fry 'em up so they are formed and a lil brown... don't have to cook all the way through though. you can totally skip this step, but I feel it adds a layer of flavor.
sit aside, let them cool/drain.
In large pot, toss in some oil enough to coat the bottom, maybe a little less... toss in onion to sweat, the herbs, carrots, celery, garlic... let them carmelize just a tiny bit, they don't even have to soften... just get that flavor on them, they'll soak up most of the oil and it'll be yummy. s/p and pinch of pepper to taste.
this'll take... less than 20 minutes.
Dump the 1.5 stock in - bring to boil.
Slip the turkey meatballs in. Wait 15 minutes.
Slip the escarole and beans in. Wait another 20 minutes.
I sometimes make a few cups of white rice on the side to put in there too. I never add the pasta/rices to soups because they get all bloated.
Serve.
Sausage and Spinach Soup
Same ingredients as above but swap
2 lb turkey meat FOR 2 lb sausage de-cased
1 head escarole FOR 2 cups cooked spinach or 2 bags of fresh
and non of the ingredients to make the meatballs!!
put together the same way EXCEPT:
before the veges get their fry/roast... fry up the sausage meat, and break it up into bite sized pieces... texturally, it is WAY BETTER to take it out of the casing and treat it like chop meat... you don't want gravel though. Nearly carmelize it, get it good and cooked, some brown bits will stick to your pot.
DRAIN OFF MOST of the oil... and take sausage out of pot/drain
and toss in the veges to deglaze the pan.
continue on making the soup
add back in the sausage before you put in the stock/water mixture
and keep with the addition of the spinach and beans to the very last bit.
for more texture... you can mash the beans a little.
again, I like rice... it'll make the double protein (turkey or sausage, rice+beans)
but if you want to stretch either further, use the teeny tiny pastas, the one shaped like a BB gun pellet, anything larger will swell and ruin the texture (it does for me anyway).
I was both shocked and amazed to see people who HATE spinach, eat the soup. I was happy that my friends/family were eating healther (turkey is hella lean). Just remember that the escarole will give off lots of moisture so keep the s/p handy and adjust to your tastes.
For the vegetarians:
Use Vege stock, omit the animal proteins and use VERY FIRM tofu, that you pan fried to layer in the flavor. And or Use a hearty mushroom cut into chunks not slivers so it stands up to the rest of the pot and where you see any of the meat proteins... insert mushroom instead. Pan sear them, let the edges do that carmelize thing...mm.. Keep the rice/bean mixture too, another good protein supstitute.
I think Tempeh would fall apart... and I don't know how satan would behave, and admittingly - I don't know how to cook with it bc it squeeks against my teeth and, thats just weird for me... but by all means... if you can make a ball mixture out of it... then give it a go and tell me how it was!!
It started as a project to get the men in my life to eat Escarole and Spinach... and to eat more healthy all around. I have two variations.
Mini Turkey Meatballs with Escarole Soup
(serves 6-8)
1 whole onion diced
1 head escarole, washed, cut into almost inch shreds
2 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
3 stalks celery cut into bite sized pieces
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and rough chopped
1 large can cannellini beans (white), mostly drained
2 ts Sage (if using dried) - only wrap 1 ts in in herb bundle
1 ts Basil (if using dried) - wrap in herb bundle
1 ts rosemary (if using dried) - wrap in herb bundle
2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
4 slices of bread
1.5 large turkey/chicken stock
keep salt and pepper (and a pinch of hot pepper flake) handy
as well as your fav oil to cook with
meatballs:
combine
eggs, turkey, 1 ts sage, s/p to taste, 1 garlic clove, cut crust off bread and break into tiny pieces and form into mini meat balls. Larger than a melon baller would make, but not too much bigger.
fry 'em up so they are formed and a lil brown... don't have to cook all the way through though. you can totally skip this step, but I feel it adds a layer of flavor.
sit aside, let them cool/drain.
In large pot, toss in some oil enough to coat the bottom, maybe a little less... toss in onion to sweat, the herbs, carrots, celery, garlic... let them carmelize just a tiny bit, they don't even have to soften... just get that flavor on them, they'll soak up most of the oil and it'll be yummy. s/p and pinch of pepper to taste.
this'll take... less than 20 minutes.
Dump the 1.5 stock in - bring to boil.
Slip the turkey meatballs in. Wait 15 minutes.
Slip the escarole and beans in. Wait another 20 minutes.
I sometimes make a few cups of white rice on the side to put in there too. I never add the pasta/rices to soups because they get all bloated.
Serve.
Sausage and Spinach Soup
Same ingredients as above but swap
2 lb turkey meat FOR 2 lb sausage de-cased
1 head escarole FOR 2 cups cooked spinach or 2 bags of fresh
and non of the ingredients to make the meatballs!!
put together the same way EXCEPT:
before the veges get their fry/roast... fry up the sausage meat, and break it up into bite sized pieces... texturally, it is WAY BETTER to take it out of the casing and treat it like chop meat... you don't want gravel though. Nearly carmelize it, get it good and cooked, some brown bits will stick to your pot.
DRAIN OFF MOST of the oil... and take sausage out of pot/drain
and toss in the veges to deglaze the pan.
continue on making the soup
add back in the sausage before you put in the stock/water mixture
and keep with the addition of the spinach and beans to the very last bit.
for more texture... you can mash the beans a little.
again, I like rice... it'll make the double protein (turkey or sausage, rice+beans)
but if you want to stretch either further, use the teeny tiny pastas, the one shaped like a BB gun pellet, anything larger will swell and ruin the texture (it does for me anyway).
I was both shocked and amazed to see people who HATE spinach, eat the soup. I was happy that my friends/family were eating healther (turkey is hella lean). Just remember that the escarole will give off lots of moisture so keep the s/p handy and adjust to your tastes.
For the vegetarians:
Use Vege stock, omit the animal proteins and use VERY FIRM tofu, that you pan fried to layer in the flavor. And or Use a hearty mushroom cut into chunks not slivers so it stands up to the rest of the pot and where you see any of the meat proteins... insert mushroom instead. Pan sear them, let the edges do that carmelize thing...mm.. Keep the rice/bean mixture too, another good protein supstitute.
I think Tempeh would fall apart... and I don't know how satan would behave, and admittingly - I don't know how to cook with it bc it squeeks against my teeth and, thats just weird for me... but by all means... if you can make a ball mixture out of it... then give it a go and tell me how it was!!
Last edited:
Tati
runs with scissors
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2002
- Posts
- 13,270
DEFINITE foodgasm!
Nectarine and Prosciutto Pizza
3 ounces shredded provolone cheese
1 ounce crumbled blue cheese
cornmeal for dusting
about 1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1/2 cup thinly sliced prosciutto
1 large ripe nectarine, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 with a pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.
In a medium bowl, toss together provolone and blue cheese.
Sprinkling enough cornmeal to slightly cover a pizza peel. Stretch and roll out dough to a rough 14" circle and transfer to the cornmeal-dusted peel.
Slide the crust onto the stone and cook until the bottom begins to crisp up, about 3 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and place the crust, uncooked side down, onto a cutting board. Quickly spread pesto over the crust, leaving about a 1/2" border. Scatter three-fourths of the cheese mixture on top. Arrange the prosciutto slices and fruit on top - sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Slide pizza back onto the stone and continue to bake until the cheese melts and the bottom is golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle balsamic over the top and season with pepper just before serving.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Nectarine and Prosciutto Pizza
3 ounces shredded provolone cheese
1 ounce crumbled blue cheese
cornmeal for dusting
about 1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1/2 cup thinly sliced prosciutto
1 large ripe nectarine, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 with a pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.
In a medium bowl, toss together provolone and blue cheese.
Sprinkling enough cornmeal to slightly cover a pizza peel. Stretch and roll out dough to a rough 14" circle and transfer to the cornmeal-dusted peel.
Slide the crust onto the stone and cook until the bottom begins to crisp up, about 3 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and place the crust, uncooked side down, onto a cutting board. Quickly spread pesto over the crust, leaving about a 1/2" border. Scatter three-fourths of the cheese mixture on top. Arrange the prosciutto slices and fruit on top - sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Slide pizza back onto the stone and continue to bake until the cheese melts and the bottom is golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle balsamic over the top and season with pepper just before serving.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
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