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Chef's Tips & Techniques:
One important Golden rule to follow when planning weekly menus, is to be very simple yet versitile in balancing the components
of a meal. So, building a repertoire or collection of
the basic knowledge of those components, is essential in being a better cook or chef. For example, the component
of a three course meal usually consists of a vegetable dish, a starch, and an en entree. By simply changing a starch
and a sauce, you change the whole dynamics of the meal...
Below are some proceedures, for helping you understand how to create stocks and broths, and turn those stocks into quality
soups and sauces.
Making
Robust Stocks & Broths
Before
you can make any quality sauce you must fist start with a quality broth or stock. Here we’ll discuss procedures and
techniques for making quality, robust, flavorful Brown Beef Stock. Depending on how the stock is to be used, will determine
the style of brown stock to make. If your final product is a rich brown sauce
or Demiglaze, you’ll need to add a bottle or two of red wine, and cook items longer in order to develop a deep, well-roasted
flavor. Or if your final product is for a soup, I would not add the wine or roast
items too much, the broth could develop a bitter flavor, and there will be more time later, to develop flavorings and seasonings,
as you add to the pot, other soup ingredients.
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Beef or Veal Stock
Brown Beef Stock Recipe:
Yield 2 gal.
10 - 12 # Beef shank bones – cut in to 3 – 4 in. pieces, washed
well
10 – 12 qt. cold water
Mirepoix
– washed & chopped 1 #onion, 8 oz. carrots, 8 oz. celery
Tomato
paste 1 ½ cup
Herb
Sachet
8
Parsley stems, chopped
½
tsp. Thyme, dried
2
Bay Leaves
¼
tsp. Pepper Corns
2
Whole cloves
Cut a square of cheesecloth 4 in. X 4 in. Place all ingredients
in the center, wrap it in the shape of a pouch, and tie with a piece of string.
In two different
roasting pans, brown the bones, the tomato paste and vegetables in the oven. Cook
in oven at 400 till dark brown, not burned, but very dark, slow roasted brown. Depending on the amount of bones you are roasting
you will have to adjust the temperature of the oven the amount of time in the oven. You’ll want to get the flavor from
deep inside the bones, the Mirepoix should be taken out also when well roasted, but not burned. Take out of the oven and let cool.
Put the roasted
bones in a stockpot on the stove, be sure to scrape all the browned meat matter and fat from the bottom of the pan, cover
with water and bring to a boil, and when at temperature reduce flame to a heavy simmer.
With a wide-cupped ladle, skim off what ever floats to the top of the surface; this will take almost constant attention
and a lot of skimming. Whatever floats to the top is garbage, mostly coagulated
blood and proteins…Throw it away, be sure to get it all, as it will simmer to the top, and if not removed will make
your stocks and broths cloudy in color and bitter in flavor.
After the stock
looks like it is free of scum and debris, about 20 minutes at high simmer, add the roasted tomato paste and mire poix to the
stockpot and stir it together. Skim the scum as necessary, through out the whole
cooking process, keep stock from becoming cloudy and bitter... Add the herb sachet bundle and reduce to a low-steady simmer. Cook for several hours, and for the deep, intense flavors, cook it all night uncovered
on a low, low, low barley simmering temperature.
After you have a well-rounded-flavorful
stock, you can begin making and building your different soups and sauces. This is a good recipe to use for a basic brown sauce which is rich in flavor, but not too strong
with any predominate flavor; keep it simple, we may need to use it in many different ways and different styles of cooking;
so Brown Stock shouldn’t have very intense flavors, but rather a well-developed beef flavor.
Chicken Stock or White Stock
White Stock Recipe:
Yield: 2 gal
This is a basic recipe for a classic chicken stock, but Chefs will often use the term white stocks as in contrast to brown, or fumet. With this recipe, basically
any cleaned, blanched bones will work, depending on your desired end result (chicken, veal, beef, lamb, turkey, or ham). Many proteins dissolve in cold water, but when heated, they will form a solid mass
or solidify into small particles, like a froth of scum. It is these particles
that will make a stock cloudy and often taste bitter. The purpose of blanching
the bones is to help rid them of some of these impurities.
10
- 12 # bones
In this case Chicken bones are rinsed well and put in a stock pot to be blanched. Fill the pot of bones with cold water bring to a boil, drain and rinse. Return the bones to a cleaned stock pot.
10 –
12 qt. water
Cover with cold water and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and skim away all the scummy, coagulated meat proteins and fats that arise to the surface.
Do not let the stock boil rapidly,
but rather just simmer slowly, to draw out the flavors deep inside the bones; it is a slow process, not to be rushed. When
the top is clear of all floating scum add the mirepoix and sachet.
Mirepoix:
1 # Onion, chopped
8 oz. Carrot, chopped
8 oz. Celery, chopped
Herb Sachet
8
Parsley stems, chopped
½
tsp. Thyme, dried
2
Bay Leaves
¼
tsp. Pepper Corns
2
Whole cloves
Cut a square of cheesecloth 4 in. X 4 in. Place all ingredients
in the center, wrap it in the shape of a pouch, and tie
with
a piece of string. Since it is going to be strained through a china cap, sometimes I like adding some fresh
herbs too, like parsley, thyme, or marjoram.
Simmer
for the required length of time, skimming the surface as often as necessary.
Be
sure to allow plenty of cooking time:
Chicken and Turkey 3 – 4 hours
Beef and Veal 6 – 8 hours
Add
water when necessary to keep bones covered.
Strain
through a China Cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth.
Chill
the stock as quickly as possible (I prefer Ice-wands), and keeps refrigerated fresh for up to 4 Days; or freeze in small blocks, or Ziploc baggies, to be used later
in smaller portions.
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Fish Stock or Fumet
Fumet (Fish Stock)
Yield: 1 gal
In a
heavy stock pot add:
1 oz.
butter
Mirepoix
5
oz. Onion, chopped fine
2
oz Celery, chopped fine
2
oz Carrot, chopped fine
2
oz Mushroom trimmings
Sweat the vegetables, over medium heat till soft
and aromatic, be careful not to brown them, just cook until flavors
start developing.
When
it’s very hot, add:
8 – 10 oz dry white wine
1 gal cold water
The juice from a half lemon
4 – 6 # bones from a lean fish
Herb Sachet
8
Parsley stems, chopped
1
Bay Leaf
¼
tsp. Pepper Corns
Cut a
square of cheesecloth 4 in. X 4 in. Place all ingredients in the center, wrap it in the shape of a pouch, and tie
with
a piece of string. Since it is going to be strained through a china cap, sometimes I like adding some fresh herbs
too,
like parsley, thyme, or marjoram.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer,
and skim the surface as often as necessary. Let simmer 30 – 40 minutes,
strain through a China Cap lined with cheesecloth,
chill as quickly as possible, and keeps fresh refrigerated for up to 2
days,
or freeze…
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Brian Thompson - Personal Chef
Cell phone # (702) 980-0490
Email: chefbrian310@yahoo.com
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