Brisket can be one of those amazing cuts of meat - good beefy flavor, chewy texture, nice fat cap to keep it moist. It is also painfully easily messed up. Braised, it too often gets soggy and disgusting wallowing in its own rendered fat. Smoked, it often dries out or loses its beef notes to the overwhelming spice and smoke mix. So, today, I tried an experiment - roasting it slow and low with a healthy rub of salt, pepper, and European herbs and spices. Tented with aluminum foil, it stayed nicely moist, and raised above its rendered fat, it didn't get soggy, but instead kept good texture. I made a sauce out of shallots, mustard, garlic, red wine and beef stock reduction. That paired well, along with horseradish. Veg were a mix of roasted turnips, watermelon radishes, potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
All this was paired wonderfully with a 2011 Domaine Sainte Anne Cotes du Rhone Villages. Not known for their great complexity, this "Villages" wine far exceeded its "station". It was complex, showed strong black fruits, a healthy dose of Provencal herbs (garrigue), minerality, and integration. Although it was 14.5% alcohol, it wore it very well, showing great balance, and an adequate acidic level to keep the wine fresh and interesting. This producer hits well above its price point and level on a consistent basis, even in a "poor" vintage such as 2011. And, this wine's earthy, deep fruit paired beautifully with the deep earthy tones of the brisket and root vegetables.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Fall is for food...
Winter arrived thoroughly in Michigan this week. We had four or so inches of snow on Monday, temperatures in the single digits Tuesday, and this weekend, the snow remains on the ground. All of this says it's time for some nice, slow-cooked comfort food. That is exactly what happened - to much happiness.
Saturday was time for a beef a la carbonnade, or Belgian beef stew. There seem to be as many recipes for this as there are people in Belgium, but the basics are all the same. Some kind of tougher cut of beef cooked for a long time with a ridiculous amount of onion with some beer make up the backbone of this hearty dish. Serving it over noodles is de rigeur. For my version, it was a nice grass-fed piece of chuck roast, cut into 1.5 inch cubes, well seasoned and browned in oil. I used three gigantic onions from one of my favorite growers at Farmers Market, along with a whole head of garlic and a couple immense shallots. A slightly past prime brown ale served as the beer, and some chicken stock added body (I was out of beef stock). The real secrets for my version, though, is the spicing - I add a liberal amount of thyme, 2 bay leaves, about 3 TB. of mustard, and finish with some balsamic vinegar. Made for a tasty, if simple, dinner.
With a beer-based sauce, you would think beer would be "to drink" - but I prefer wine, so off to wine it was. We had opened a Morgon a day or so earlier, so one o us finished that off, while I opened a 2011 St. Joseph from Louis Cheze as well. The Morgon's brighter fruit and mineral notes were a better pairing than the more earthy, bloody St. Joseph, as it turns out.
Today was bean soup - made with some heirloom beans from a local producer, bacon ends to sub in for ham from another local producer. Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic rounded out the soup, along with fresh made chicken stock I brewed up while cooked the carbonnade. It was very "right" for the night - if not at all gourmet. A small bowl of collard greens with some organic cider vinegar accompanied nicely.
All this was paired with a gorgeous and inexpensive Austrian Pinot Noir rose from Buchegger. It's amazing how much cherry and strawberry fruit could combine with acid and a sharp edged mineral finish in a $12 bottle. This is a great estate making honest, food-friendly wines that don't break the bank, and while they won't garner 95+ scores from the critics, are just incredibly well-made. I understand the owner of this estate recently passed away, and I am sorry to hear the loss of such talent and do hope the estate is able to continue, and to continue producing such wonderful wine.
Saturday was time for a beef a la carbonnade, or Belgian beef stew. There seem to be as many recipes for this as there are people in Belgium, but the basics are all the same. Some kind of tougher cut of beef cooked for a long time with a ridiculous amount of onion with some beer make up the backbone of this hearty dish. Serving it over noodles is de rigeur. For my version, it was a nice grass-fed piece of chuck roast, cut into 1.5 inch cubes, well seasoned and browned in oil. I used three gigantic onions from one of my favorite growers at Farmers Market, along with a whole head of garlic and a couple immense shallots. A slightly past prime brown ale served as the beer, and some chicken stock added body (I was out of beef stock). The real secrets for my version, though, is the spicing - I add a liberal amount of thyme, 2 bay leaves, about 3 TB. of mustard, and finish with some balsamic vinegar. Made for a tasty, if simple, dinner.
With a beer-based sauce, you would think beer would be "to drink" - but I prefer wine, so off to wine it was. We had opened a Morgon a day or so earlier, so one o us finished that off, while I opened a 2011 St. Joseph from Louis Cheze as well. The Morgon's brighter fruit and mineral notes were a better pairing than the more earthy, bloody St. Joseph, as it turns out.
Today was bean soup - made with some heirloom beans from a local producer, bacon ends to sub in for ham from another local producer. Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic rounded out the soup, along with fresh made chicken stock I brewed up while cooked the carbonnade. It was very "right" for the night - if not at all gourmet. A small bowl of collard greens with some organic cider vinegar accompanied nicely.
All this was paired with a gorgeous and inexpensive Austrian Pinot Noir rose from Buchegger. It's amazing how much cherry and strawberry fruit could combine with acid and a sharp edged mineral finish in a $12 bottle. This is a great estate making honest, food-friendly wines that don't break the bank, and while they won't garner 95+ scores from the critics, are just incredibly well-made. I understand the owner of this estate recently passed away, and I am sorry to hear the loss of such talent and do hope the estate is able to continue, and to continue producing such wonderful wine.
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