I’m wondering if you split the dark meat and the breast and cook it sous vide with different temps and timings. Or perhaps a roulade of 3 or 4 and the skins. Then a quick sauté to crisp the skins. Or a pheasant Wellington with morel duxelles and a farce of leg meat and herbs and the breast meat wrapped in spinach.
Thank you again for such a great article. More like this please and more sauces. Can’t remember who said it but someone once described sauces as the verb in French cooking. So wonderful to have the benefit of your insights and experience when trying to speak that language. Merci!
This is such a wonderful article and puts me in mind of the great Richard Olney. A question, when you make a soffritto for a ragu for example, do you take the same approach ie cook the carrots first separately before adding onion and celery? Thank you:
The answer is that as said above in response to Tony, that for soffritto I believe the mixture cooks softly without caramelisation, but I usually start with carrot out of habit, but without colour. Everything added in order, garlic last, then all left to sweat gently till rich and soft.
I would say, (though not being an expert in Italian cookery), only by what feels right, that soffritto should be a soft, rich mixture with very little texture. I would usually add a little salt to encourage the vegetables to sweat their juices to keep everything soft. Long and slow is always best with things like this I think. If I’m doubt, a spoonful of water and another ten or so minutes never hurt.
Carrot before onions is part of the slow and deep caramelisation process for sauces. You will see that this way the carotene from the carrots stains the oil orange which the carrots shrivel and colour. When the onions are added then there is already a deep colour in the pan. The bacon starts everything off. For soffritto, I believe that it’s more about sweating the ingredients together as a while to create a soft base, though Italians would probably tell me different. Classical French sauce making is different as you try to extract the best colour to make the sauce glossy and deep. The soffritto is for the flavour? Would you agree? I would always start with the pig bits though.
Pig bits. 👍🏼 When I lived in Beijing I took a vegetarian client to lunch at a lovely local Chinese restaurant and we carefully ordered vegetarian options, the first of which was the famous dry fried long beans from Sichuan.
They arrived and we dug in only to have my client ask me if there was meat in the dish. I called the waiter over and explained (again) that my guest was a vegetarian. The waiter replied, “Yes, I know, it’s only pork...”.
I ad-libbed a dish tonight and I went bacon, carrots, onions, etc. Yes, I did get the carotene through the onions as they cooked. I don't think I would have got the same in the other order, as there would be too much thermal mass in the pan with the onions in there, to allow the carrots to caramelise. Definitely something to consider - thank you!
I’m so glad you see it work. In sauce making where you want to achieve the deep colour and shine to the meat sauces then this is key. Let no one tell you otherwise.
Fabulous!!! . Would it be poss to shortcut the caramelized onions etc bit by oven roasting bacon with all the veg and bits till caramelized and then merging?? asking for a friend...
😱 No. You should never shorten the time of caramelizing onions. Otherwise, they won’t become caramelized. You must cook them in butter on very low heat. The process should take an hour. It takes a while to break down the sugars in the onions. It’s the burning of the sugars that will give you the caramelization. Once they are caramelized, you will get a smoky flavour and a soft, yet turgid on the onion. Then you can toss them in whatever you want. I wish your friend happy cooking 🥰
Good girl! I promise you it is worth the wait. I used to put them in my hamburger mix when we barbequed in the summer. Delicious. I made a typo in my comment. You will get a soft, turgid onion. It was a really good question. Keep asking them. Thank you for receiving my comment so well 🥰
At first look at the picture, I thought “What in the culinary name of Ron Burgundy is that?”. And then I realized it was broth in gel form. It looks perfect!!
I know, I couldn't think of the word “consomme” when I was typing. The only word going through my head was “aspic”. And I didn't want to get a head injury from the cast iron pan you would have thrown at my head, halfway around the world.🤣. Thank you for communicating with me 😊
Your cooking and writing is a balm for the recovery of my line cooking soul. It feels like the loveliest of Ruth Reichl’s words with the skill and access of Daniel Boulud. I hope you consider that a compliment as I intend it to be. Thank you and I look forward to reading more.
Also, we had a name in Sweden for the type of chef you describe. They are called spiskrigare. Translated it means stove warriors and I'm planning to write about them in the next few months.
Oh sorry I hadn’t seen the above comment. Can you give me you mr thoughts on what point one cooks soffritto to? It’s something I’ve never seen broken down in any recipe book? I sense for you it’s once the sugar is realised and. Oat of the water gone but curious if you have a specific view? Thank you again.
I've never before encountered a cliffhanger in a recipe...
That’s very funny.
I agree.
"Your olfactory senses will tell you that this is a fine combination." - a wonderful sentence. 😊
Thank you.
I’m wondering if you split the dark meat and the breast and cook it sous vide with different temps and timings. Or perhaps a roulade of 3 or 4 and the skins. Then a quick sauté to crisp the skins. Or a pheasant Wellington with morel duxelles and a farce of leg meat and herbs and the breast meat wrapped in spinach.
I’ve had too much port. 🙃
I’m coming for dinner.
Thank you again for such a great article. More like this please and more sauces. Can’t remember who said it but someone once described sauces as the verb in French cooking. So wonderful to have the benefit of your insights and experience when trying to speak that language. Merci!
This is such a wonderful article and puts me in mind of the great Richard Olney. A question, when you make a soffritto for a ragu for example, do you take the same approach ie cook the carrots first separately before adding onion and celery? Thank you:
The comparison is humbling.
Thank you.
The answer is that as said above in response to Tony, that for soffritto I believe the mixture cooks softly without caramelisation, but I usually start with carrot out of habit, but without colour. Everything added in order, garlic last, then all left to sweat gently till rich and soft.
Wow, every word perfect. Thank you
Thank you so much.
I love the word "firstly". Adore.
You’re welcome.
Sorry most of the water.
I would say, (though not being an expert in Italian cookery), only by what feels right, that soffritto should be a soft, rich mixture with very little texture. I would usually add a little salt to encourage the vegetables to sweat their juices to keep everything soft. Long and slow is always best with things like this I think. If I’m doubt, a spoonful of water and another ten or so minutes never hurt.
Love this, but I'm curious about order. When I'm doing a battuto/soffritto or similar, I always go bacon, onion, others. Why carrots before onions?
Carrot before onions is part of the slow and deep caramelisation process for sauces. You will see that this way the carotene from the carrots stains the oil orange which the carrots shrivel and colour. When the onions are added then there is already a deep colour in the pan. The bacon starts everything off. For soffritto, I believe that it’s more about sweating the ingredients together as a while to create a soft base, though Italians would probably tell me different. Classical French sauce making is different as you try to extract the best colour to make the sauce glossy and deep. The soffritto is for the flavour? Would you agree? I would always start with the pig bits though.
Pig bits. 👍🏼 When I lived in Beijing I took a vegetarian client to lunch at a lovely local Chinese restaurant and we carefully ordered vegetarian options, the first of which was the famous dry fried long beans from Sichuan.
They arrived and we dug in only to have my client ask me if there was meat in the dish. I called the waiter over and explained (again) that my guest was a vegetarian. The waiter replied, “Yes, I know, it’s only pork...”.
I once neglected my responsibilities and offered our accountant crisp pig ears with a drink . I did not realise that he was a particularly devout Jew.
😬
I ad-libbed a dish tonight and I went bacon, carrots, onions, etc. Yes, I did get the carotene through the onions as they cooked. I don't think I would have got the same in the other order, as there would be too much thermal mass in the pan with the onions in there, to allow the carrots to caramelise. Definitely something to consider - thank you!
I’m so glad you see it work. In sauce making where you want to achieve the deep colour and shine to the meat sauces then this is key. Let no one tell you otherwise.
Fabulous!!! . Would it be poss to shortcut the caramelized onions etc bit by oven roasting bacon with all the veg and bits till caramelized and then merging?? asking for a friend...
As possible as it is to slam your hand in the door if you so wished.
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa🤣🕐🕠🕦
😱 No. You should never shorten the time of caramelizing onions. Otherwise, they won’t become caramelized. You must cook them in butter on very low heat. The process should take an hour. It takes a while to break down the sugars in the onions. It’s the burning of the sugars that will give you the caramelization. Once they are caramelized, you will get a smoky flavour and a soft, yet turgid on the onion. Then you can toss them in whatever you want. I wish your friend happy cooking 🥰
This is an exasperation of mine when otherwise reliable and highly decorated chefs tell you to carmelize onions in 5-15 minutes.
Which just simply doesn’t work.
I thought it was a flaw in my character for the longest time.
Very convincing! OK then butter and time it is!
Good girl! I promise you it is worth the wait. I used to put them in my hamburger mix when we barbequed in the summer. Delicious. I made a typo in my comment. You will get a soft, turgid onion. It was a really good question. Keep asking them. Thank you for receiving my comment so well 🥰
At first look at the picture, I thought “What in the culinary name of Ron Burgundy is that?”. And then I realized it was broth in gel form. It looks perfect!!
It’s fridge cold consomme, that sets to a jelly. That’s what you’ll get at the end of part two.
I know, I couldn't think of the word “consomme” when I was typing. The only word going through my head was “aspic”. And I didn't want to get a head injury from the cast iron pan you would have thrown at my head, halfway around the world.🤣. Thank you for communicating with me 😊
Your head is safe. I knew what you meant.
Truffles! 🥰
Your cooking and writing is a balm for the recovery of my line cooking soul. It feels like the loveliest of Ruth Reichl’s words with the skill and access of Daniel Boulud. I hope you consider that a compliment as I intend it to be. Thank you and I look forward to reading more.
Thank you so very much for that wonderful compliment.
I love pheasant but it is not easy for dilettantes like me to cook well.
Authoritative
Gosh, that feels important. Thank you.
Loved the detail and knowledge in this one. Don't find this level of care often. Great stuff.
Thank you Wil. Glad it resonated.
Also, we had a name in Sweden for the type of chef you describe. They are called spiskrigare. Translated it means stove warriors and I'm planning to write about them in the next few months.
Oh sorry I hadn’t seen the above comment. Can you give me you mr thoughts on what point one cooks soffritto to? It’s something I’ve never seen broken down in any recipe book? I sense for you it’s once the sugar is realised and. Oat of the water gone but curious if you have a specific view? Thank you again.