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Pot Roast Of Beef Braised In Red Wine
(Boeuf a la Mode)
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| What You Need: |
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THE BEEF
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
5-pound boneless beef chuck or bottom round roast at least 5 inches in diameter, trimmed and tied
THE MARINADE
3 cups red Burgundy or other dry red Wine
1 cup thinly sliced onions
¾ cup thinly sliced carrots
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
THE ONIONS AND CARROTS A BRUN
½ pound fresh pork fat, diced
20 to 24 white onions, about 1 inch in diameter, peeled
6 to 8 carrots, peeled and cut into 1½ -inch cylinders or olive shapes
THE BRAISING STOCK
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Cognac
2 calf's feet and / or 1 large veal knuckle, sawed into pieces
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
Bouquet garni made of 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf and the white part of 1 leek, tied together
3 cups beef stock, fresh or canned
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
THE ASPIC FOR BOEUF A LA MODE EN GELEE
2 to 4 cups beef stock, fresh or canned
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
½ bay leaf
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 10 peppercorns
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup dry Madeira
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| How To Cook: |
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1. MARINATING THE BEEF: Press 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper into the surface of the beef. In a large glass, porcelain or stainless steel bowl, mix the marinade ingredients. Add the beef and turn it in the marinade until it is well moistened on all sides. Let it marinate for at least 6 hours at room temperature or 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning it over every few hours.
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2. THE ONIONS AND CARROTS ABRUN: Preheat the oven to 350. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, saute the diced pork fat over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until crisp and brown. Remove the diced pork fat and reserve it. In the fat left in the skillet, brown the whole onions and the carrots lightly over moderately high heat, shaking the pan occasionally to roll them around and color them as evenly as possible.
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3. Transfer them to a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer, and sprinkle them with about 3 tablespoons of pork fat. (Set the skillet aside, without removing the remaining fat.) Bake the onions and carrots uncovered on the middle shelf of the oven, turning and basting them once or twice, for 30 minutes, or until they are barely tender. Remove from the oven, pour out the cooking fat and set the vegetables aside.
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4. BRAISING THE BEEF: While the vegetables bake or when they are done, remove the beef from the marinade and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Strain the marinade into a small bowl, and drain the vegetables on paper towels. Heat the pork fat remaining in the skillet to the smoking point and brown the beef over moderate heat until it is richly colored on all sides. While the beef is browning, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy, 6-quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven. Add the marinated vegetables and cook over low heat, turning frequently, until most of their moisture has boiled away and they are lightly colored. When the beef is browned, use a bulb baster to draw off all but a thin film of fat from the skillet.
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5. The next step is to flame the beef. Experts simply flame the beef with Cognac directly in the pan. But a more reliable way is to warm the Cognac first in a small saucepan over low heat, ignite it with a match, and pour it flaming over the beef a little at a time, shaking the skillet gently until the flame dies. Transfer the beef to the casserole and surround it with the pieces of calf's feet and / or veal knuckle, the chopped tomatoes, the diced pork fat and the bouquet garni.
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6. Pour the strained marinade and 3 cups of beef stock into the skillet, and bring them to a boil over high heat, stirring and scraping in any browned bits that cling to the pan. Boil briskly for 1 or 2 minutes, then pour it into the casserole. The liquid should come about halfway up the side of the meat; add more beef stock if needed. Bring the casserole to a boil on top of the stove, then cover tightly and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Regulate oven heat so the beef simmers slowly, and turn and baste the meat 2 or 3 times during the cooking. After 2½ to 3 hours the meat should be tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
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7. To serve the beef and the vegetables hot, transfer the beef from the casserole to a plate. Remove and discard the bones and bouquet garni and strain the rest of the contents of the casserole through a large, fine sieve into a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, pressing down hard on the vegetables before discarding them. Let the strained braising liquid, or sauce, settle for a few minutes, then skim as much fat as possible from the surface. Boil the sauce briskly over high heat until it has been reduced to half its original quantity (about 3 to 4 cups).
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8. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Return the meat and sauce to the casserole and add the baked onions and carrots. Simmer slowly on top of the stove to heat the beef and vegetables thoroughly. Transfer the beef to a carving board to remove the strings. Then arrange the roast on a large heated platter, surrounded with the onions and carrots. Spoon some of the sauce over it, and serve the rest separately in a warm sauceboat.
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9. BOEUF A LA MODE EN GELEE (cold pot roast of beef in aspic): To prepare the cold version of boeuf a la mode, let the beef cool for an hour in the braising liquid, turning it once or twice. Transfer the beef to a platter, let it cool to room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate it. Strain the braising liquid; cool, cover and refrigerate it. Cool, cover and refrigerate the baked onions and carrots.
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10. When the braising liquid is thoroughly chilled, carefully remove and discard all of the fat that has solidified on the surface. In a 2- or 3-quart saucepan, melt the braising liquid over low heat and then measure it. Add enough beef stock to make 5 cups in all, and return it to the pan. Soften the gelatin in an additional 1 cup of cold fresh stock, and add it. Beat the egg whites to a froth with a wire whisk, and stir them into the stock, together with the lemon juice, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt.
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11. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. When the aspic begins to froth and rise, remove the pan from the heat. Let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then strain it into a deep bowl through a fine sieve lined with a dampened kitchen towel. Allow the aspic to drain without disturbing it at any point. When it has drained completely through, add the Madeira, and taste and season the aspic with more salt if needed.
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12. Pour a thin layer of aspic-about 1/8 inch thick-into the bottom of a large serving platter, and refrigerate it until the aspic is set. Then carve the cold beef into ¼-inch slices and arrange the meat, onions and carrots attractively on the platter. Heat about ¾ cup of the aspic in a small pan just until it melts, then set it in a bowl filled with crushed ice or ice cubes immersed in water.
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13. Stir the aspic gently with a metal spoon until it thickens almost to the point of setting. Working quickly, spread a thin glaze of aspic over the sliced beef and vegetables. Chill until the aspic sets. Repeat this process two more times to make three coatings of aspic melting and chilling for each layer. Refrigerate the platter until the glaze is firm. Meanwhile, melt the remaining aspic and pour it into a large flat roasting pan to make a sheet or film no more than ¼ inch deep; chill it.
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14. When all the aspic is very firm, remove the roasting pan from the refrigerator, and score the sheet of aspic into diamonds with the tip of a sharp knife by cutting crossing diagonal lines about 1 to 1½ inches apart. Arrange the diamonds decoratively around the aspic-covered beef. Chop any scraps into fine dice, and garnish the platter with it as fancifully as you like. You can even put the chopped aspic into a pastry bag with a plain tip and press the aspic out in scrolls on the beef.
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