The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (56 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
SERVES 6 TO 8
Chilling the whole cooked pot roast overnight improves its flavor and makes it moister and easier to slice.
1 | (3¹⁄ |
Kosher salt and pepper | |
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
2 | onions, halved and sliced thin |
1 | large carrot, peeled and chopped |
1 | celery rib, chopped |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
2–3 | cups beef broth |
³⁄ | cup dry red wine |
1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
1 | bay leaf |
1 | sprig fresh thyme plus ¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon balsamic vinegar |
1.
Season pieces of meat with 1 tablespoon salt, place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add carrot and celery; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup broth, ¹⁄
2
cup wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme sprig; bring to simmer.
3.
Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Tie 3 pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of meat into even shape.
4.
Nestle meat on top of vegetables. Cover pot tightly with large piece of aluminum foil and cover with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook beef until fully tender and fork slips easily in and out of meat, 3¹⁄
2
to 4 hours, turning meat halfway through cooking.
5.
Transfer roasts to carving board and tent loosely with foil. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Transfer vegetables to blender. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then skim fat; add beef broth to bring liquid amount to 3 cups. Add liquid to blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.
6.
Meanwhile, remove twine from roasts and slice against grain into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to serving platter. Stir remaining ¹⁄
4
cup wine, chopped thyme, and vinegar into gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon half of gravy over meat; pass remaining gravy separately.
TO MAKE AHEAD:
Pot roast can be made up to 2 days ahead. Follow recipe through step 4, then transfer cooked roasts to large bowl. Strain and defat liquid and add beef broth to bring liquid amount to 3 cups; transfer liquid and vegetables to bowl with roasts, let cool for 1 hour, cover with plastic wrap, cut vents in plastic, and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. One hour before serving, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Slice roasts as directed, place in 13 by 9-inch baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Blend liquid and vegetables, bring gravy to simmer, and finish as directed.
Add 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, and 1¹⁄
2
pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise, each half quartered, to pot after cooking beef for 3 hours. Continue to cook until beef is fully tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. Transfer large pieces of carrot, parsnip, and potato to serving platter using slotted spoon, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and proceed with recipe as directed.
Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup dark beer (porter or stout) for red wine. Add 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed, soaked for 1 hour, and drained, and ¹⁄
2
cup pitted prunes with broth and beer. While roast is resting, sauté 1 pound thinly sliced cremini mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until softened and lightly browned and add to finished gravy, along with ¹⁄
4
cup dark beer instead of balsamic vinegar.
Tie 3 pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of meat so that the meat cooks evenly and doesn’t fall apart.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To update boeuf à la mode while maintaining its status as an elegant dish that takes the simple pot roast to a new level, we eliminated the fussy step of larding the beef, which involves inserting strips of fat into the meat. Instead we salted the meat and browned it in bacon drippings to add a little smoky flavor. Reducing the wine before adding it to the braising liquid maximized its complex fruit flavors and minimized sourness and astringency. This step also eliminated the need for a marinade. Since the braising liquid is used for the final sauce, we balanced the wine flavor by adding sautéed onion and garlic and large chunks of carrots. Our final challenge in updating the French-style pot roast was to achieve the proper consistency, which we managed to do not with pork trotters and split calves’ feet, as is tradition, but by adding gelatin after the sauce had finished reducing.
SERVES 6 TO 8
A medium-bodied, fruity red wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, is best for this recipe. The gelatin lends richness and body to the finished sauce; don’t omit it. Serve this dish with boiled potatoes, buttered noodles, or steamed rice.
1 | (4- to 5-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams and trimmed |
Kosher salt and pepper | |
1 | (750-ml) bottle red wine |
10 | sprigs fresh parsley plus 2 tablespoons minced |
2 | sprigs fresh thyme |
2 | bay leaves |
3 | slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | onion, chopped fine |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon all-purpose flour |
2 | cups beef broth |
4 | carrots, peeled and cut on bias into 1¹⁄ |
2 | cups frozen pearl onions, thawed |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
³⁄ | cup water |
10 | ounces white mushrooms, trimmed, halved if small and quartered if large |
1 | tablespoon unflavored gelatin |
1.
Season pieces of meat with 2 teaspoons salt, place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
2.
Meanwhile, bring wine to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Using kitchen twine, tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves into bundle.
3.
Pat beef dry with paper towels and season generously with pepper. Tie 3 pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of meat to keep it from falling apart.
4.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and reserve. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat; return Dutch oven to medium-high heat and heat until fat begins to smoke. Add beef to pot and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer beef to large plate and set aside.
5.
Reduce heat to medium; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, flour, and reserved bacon; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add reduced wine, broth, and herb bundle, scraping bottom of pot to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; increase heat to high and bring liquid to simmer, then place large sheet of aluminum foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Set pot in oven and cook, using tongs to turn beef every hour, until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 2¹⁄
2
to 3 hours, adding carrots to pot after 2 hours.
6.
While meat cooks, bring pearl onions, butter, sugar, and ¹⁄
2
cup water to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until onions are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until all liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and glazed, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Place remaining ¹⁄
4
cup cold water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top.
7.
Transfer beef to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Let braising liquid settle, about 5 minutes; using large spoon, skim fat from surface. Remove herb bundle and stir in onion-mushroom mixture. Bring liquid to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is slightly thickened and reduced to 3¹⁄
4
cups, 20 to 30 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add softened gelatin and stir until completely dissolved.
8.
Remove twine from roasts and discard. Slice meat against grain into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick slices. Divide meat among warmed bowls or transfer to platter; arrange vegetables around meat, pour sauce over top, and sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve immediately.
TO MAKE AHEAD:
Follow recipe through step 7, skipping step of softening and adding gelatin. Place meat back in pot, cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To serve, slice beef and arrange in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Bring sauce to simmer and stir in gelatin until completely dissolved. Pour warm sauce over meat, cover with foil, and bake in 350-degree oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This Italian spin on pot roast requires the famed Piedmontese wine Barolo—most bottles of which start at $30. For that kind of investment, we didn’t want to risk tough and stringy meat in a weak, insipid sauce. We started with a chuck-eye roast, our favorite cut for pot roast recipes, split the roast in two, trimmed the fat, seasoned each half, and then tied the two pieces together. Using this process, we had not only a roast that wouldn’t fall apart but one that was internally seasoned. Browning the roast in the fat rendered from pancetta added rich flavor. We had two breakthroughs when we turned our attention to the wine. First, we learned that we shouldn’t reduce the wine because the flavor became too concentrated—just pouring the whole bottle into the pot worked well. Second, we found that the Barolo is so bold-flavored that we needed something in the braising liquid to temper it, and that proved to be a can of diced tomatoes.